Make no mistake: Change is coming, whether the incumbents like it or not.
by Bruce MacEwen
Adam Smith, Esq.
From the Foreword to Professional Services Marketing 3.0 by Bruce W. Marcus
When I first heard the title of Bruce W. Marcus’ latest book, I thought “Professional Services Marketing 3.0? Well, forgive me, but I think I need to be clued in on what exactly were 1.0 and 2.0.” Not only does Bruce answer this question, he provides an expansive and ambitious vision of what he sees ahead for us as we cross the threshold.
Now, if you need the same help I did in recognizing 1.0 and 2.0, the first was in the wake of the 1977 U. S. Supreme Court decision in Bates v. State Bar of Arizona, which is commonly seen as a narrow decision striking down the prohibition on attorney advertising, but which Bruce W. Marcus insightfully identifies as something far more momentous: The beginning of open competition in professional services.
The second stage is where we are today, with a frank recognition of the necessity of marketing, but a time (the present) when it’s still tainted by the mild whiff of the promotional, the sales-y, and the unprofessional. Bruce writes that “if there’s one thing that has inhibited innovation and growth in professional services marketing in the decades since Bates, it’s the disconnect between marketers and the professionals they serve,” but I would say it goes even further. Marketers are often treated as the obligatory but unwelcome guests at the dinner party.
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