For the past four years, Bill Talmadge has served as director of marketing for Citrin Cooperman, an accounting and consulting firm with offices in White Plains, Norwalk, New York City, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Long Island. His marketing initiatives at Citrin have received national awards. He leaves this month to pursue other ventures, including writing a book on professional services marketing. He agreed to reflect on his industry before moving on.
What exactly is professional services marketing?
“In professional services marketing, we showcase the expertise of accountants, lawyers, physicians, architects and others in professional services.”
What are some of the current marketing trends in professional services marketing?
“It”™s about using every social media channel to effectively communicate your message. The days of having a company YouTube channel are not enough. The goal needs to be to generate content that is informative, enlightening and engaging.”
- Bill Talmadge in South Norwalk. Photo by Bill Fallon
How did you get started in the field?
“When I was in school at the University of Pennsylvania I was asked to serve as a consultant to the university”™s biological psychiatry research center. They were having trouble recruiting patients for their research studies on anxiety and depression. Their marketing consisted of running ads in the newspaper listing the symptoms of these mental illnesses and hoping that those in need would sign up. The research center was about to lose millions of dollars in grants if they could not recruit new patients. They couldn”™t understand why what they were doing was not effective. Here was one of the world”™s greatest research facilities and they were advertising in the paper. It was pretty shocking to me. Those in need should have been flocking to physicians who had the most up-to-date and cutting-edge treatments. And that was the story I wanted to tell: the groundbreaking work of these unique doctors. So we canceled the advertising. Instead, through articles in major newspapers and television and radio appearances we communicated our message, and the research center went from barely having any new patients to being booked up nine months in advance.”
Did you use a similar approach at Citrin Cooperman?
“In a sense, yes. The philosophy was the same, as we wanted to showcase the expertise of the partners of the firm. We decided to write and publish articles in a monthly column providing business advice. Our strategy was to provide practical solutions and information on the financial issues facing the entrepreneur or established business owner. And this approach proved very successful. In the same spirit we also created the ”˜CEO Evolution.”™ This is the second year for this seminar series. Partnered with the University of Connecticut School of Business, the ‘CEO Evolution’ features iconic and innovative business executives sharing their management style and philosophy. In addition to the event itself, there are video interviews with the panelists and a white paper, both of which are co-branded with UConn”™s business school and could be used as part of its curriculum. This kind of strategic partnership is very exciting. The ”˜CEO Evolution”™ is also being presented this year in association with the Wharton School at UPenn and Rutgers Business School.”
Is there one marketing program from your tenure at Citrin that stands out for you?Â
“Besides the two I mentioned, a favorite of mine is ‘Women at the Wheel.’ This event showcases inspirational women leaders who share their secrets of success. Since we started a couple of years ago, we now have standing-room-only audiences. The panelists are received like rock stars. What was interesting to see is that almost half of the audience is made up of men wanting to hear from these incredible role models. This year, one of the panelists is Chief MutaÌwi MutaÌhash (Many Hearts) Marilynn ‘Lynn’ Malerba of the Mohegan Tribe. She is the first female chief in 300 hundred years, and has an amazing story to tell.”
What is your book going to be about?
“During my time at Citrin Cooperman, we had the opportunity and the challenge to be innovative in order to communicate our message using methods different from other similar firms. We received a lot of positive feedback about what we did, and the approaches we used will be part of the book. I will also be interviewing others in the field that are thinking outside the box or are breaking new ground in professional services marketing.”
What advice would you give to those starting in the field?
“Be passionate about what you do.”
