A lot has been written these days about technology's impact on the changing landscape of professional services. In "Reinventing Professional Services - Building Your Business in the Digital Marketplace," author Ari Kaplan approaches these trends by focusing on strategies professionals can incorporate in order to be successful in today's marketplace.
"We must engage in a broader conversation that enables providers of services to reinvent instead of simply repeat past services," he says. Technology is a driver of that conversation as well as social media, but ultimately, the most successful professionals today are what Kaplan refers to as White Collar Hustlers. The recession and technology's impact has made it more difficult for professionals to build and sustain relationships with the same longevity as in years past. Now, professionals need to "hustle" by becoming more entrepreneurial - from identifying common connections with clients or customers by leveraging social media to becoming Visible Enthusiastic Experts, those who create opportunities to interact with their core audience.
Kaplan argues that success today requires both skill and style and explains how technology can help professionals hone both. His practical approach allows readers to either apply any one of or all of his strategies to their business. Each chapter provides a thoughtful, overall message that applies to professional service providers such as lawyers, doctors or accountants and marketers, as well.
Kaplan does a great job in underscoring the value of personal interaction. "While technology offers advantages in terms of setting the foundation for sincere relationships, personal interaction is what helps it develop. Mastering the balance between technology and the relationship that it impacts, however, often contributes to professional success.
Kaplan's real-life examples of success from law firms are obviously relatable, particularly in an industry that is only recently becoming more comfortable with the concepts of digital marketing. Kaplan provides professionals with a wide ranging number of individual concepts that are useful to both those beginning their digital education, such as the students he references in the chapter "Students Have Everything to Gain from the White Collar Hustle" to the more seasoned tech-savvy professional who is seeking new and innovative ways to expand their network and ultimately their book of business.
By Sabrina McGowan, PR Manager at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP for the July/August 2011 Issue of the Capital Ideas Newsletter