The findings from the last of four mini-surveys dedicated to my upcoming book, The Integration Imperative, are now available here. In this two-question-survey, we asked professional service firms (PSFs) if erasing Marketing and Business Development silos makes (or could make) a positive difference for their clients.
Even though the response base was very small (25 firms), the findings revealed some interesting nuances about why and how clients might benefit if a PSF works to integrate its Marketing and Business Development functions.
The two questions were:
Q1: Do you think there are benefits to clients if PSFs erase the functional silos between Marketing and Business Development?
Q2: What do you think is the most important reason why erasing the functional silos between Marketing and Business Development helps (or could help) a PSF positively benefit its clients?
An overwhelming 96% agreed there are indeed benefits to clients if PSFs move deliberately toward integrating these functions. As for why this is such a good idea (and it is), 64% of respondents said PSFs should integrate because they could develop a better value proposition or solution for clients.
When I saw this 64 % vote total, I thought, "Does this mean what I hope it does?” Do these survey respondents, giving a huge thumbs up to Integration because they could build a "better value proposition," realize the real opportunity at hand -- that they could structure their integration endeavors to innovate ahead of their clients’ unmet needs? Or, in my more cynical moments, does this vote total represent just another kumbaya moment?
I hope this vote total signals that PSFs are beginning to embrace a more deliberate approach to managing their service portfolios. If indeed these respondents meant it that their work to erase marketing and business development silos will now include a focus on innovation, I'd say "Hooray" and "Finally!"
Only 28 % felt that erasing Marketing and Business Development silos could help PSFs better deliver their services, but those who did highlighted the benefits of more direct processes for capturing client feedback, streamlining the firm's understanding of clients needs, and, my favorite, preventing "the likelihood that marketing will over promise something that the delivery team cannot accomplish."
Thirty-two percent of respondents -- a surprisingly low total -- said an important reason for integrating Marketing and Business Development was that it could help them better understand their clients. Although I'm keeping in mind this survey was not statistically significant or broadly distributed, this score reminds me once again of my 2006 co-authored study findings about how poorly PSFs rated the importance of defining and identifying their most strategically appropriate targets. Does this low total signify that respondents don't feel the need to integrate for the purpose of understanding their clients? Does it mean they think they already do understand their clients? Or, as I fear, does this low endorsement once again indicate PSFs’ lack of attention to the importance of undertaking formal initiatives to understand their clients?
There were additional -- and very interesting -- comments that fell into the "Other" category about why erasing Marketing and Business Development “disconnects” could benefit clients.
If you'd like to take a more thorough look, download our free PDF report, including charts and verbatim respondent comments, here.
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