OUTLOOK & ANALYSIS

Who’s Better at Marketing? Lawyers or CPAs?

Is the question ludicrous?

by Bruce W. Marcus
Author of Professional Services Marketing 3.0

Looking at the question from a different point of view, the international consultant Patrick McKenna, said, “If you’re trying to determine which of the two professions (lawyers or accountants) are the more advanced in their marketing prowess, I’m sorry but I think the very question is ludicrous. Be it accountant, consultants, architects or lawyers, it really doesn’t matter. My experience confirms for me that when you think of marketing prowess you can divide any of the individuals or firms, in any of those professions (not by profession but by mindset) . . . into three categories: hawks, doves and ostriches.”

Bruce W Marcus
Bruce W. Marcus

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Silvia Coulter, head of the Legal Sales And Service Organization, and a pioneer in selling legal services, agrees with McKenna. “That having been said, if you seek an answer on one side or the other with the assumption of Patrick’s response, then I will say accountants, in general, are more in touch with reality — because of the numbers. Therefore, whether they choose sexier marketing approaches than lawyers, may not matter. It’s who knows the client best and who can best retain and grow client share. Lawyers have all the answers in front of them and yet still after all this time, spend countless dollars on marketing people who know little about marketing, ignore those clients who make up 80% of their firms’ revenues only to chase new business which we all know is far costlier to acquire.