Marketing Professional Services - Revised [Hardcover]

Philip Kotler (Author), Thomas Hayes (Author), Paul N. Bloom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 26, 2002

Any professional services organisation must be capable of rapidly evolving its services to fit market needs that change at lightning speed."Marketing Professional Services "teaches readers how to work with the internal hurdles that stand between them and their potential markets. Beginning with an in-depth look at the role of marketing in any profession, the authors go on to cover the marketing process - from market analysis and service positioning, to creating a promotional mix and implementing the marketing programme.They offer targeted advice and address the marketing needs of a wide range of professionals - including accountants, public relations specialists, lawyers, architects, medical practitioners and consultants.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Philip Kotler, Ph.D is the S.C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern. He is the author of multiple titles including "Marketing Management 5e", "Principles of Marketing 8e", and the most recent trade title "Kotler on Marketing."Paul Bloom, Ph.D is Professor of Marketing at the University of North Carolina. He also consults and is active in the America Marketing Association.Thomas Hayes, Ph.D is a Professor of Marketing at Xavier University, Ohio.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Press; 2 edition (March 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 073520179X
• ISBN-13: 978-0735201798
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #210,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-have for professionals wanting to understand marketing., October 8, 2003

By 

Harinath Thummalapalli (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Marketing Professional Services - Revised (Hardcover)

This book is all about marketing for professionals - lawyers, doctors, accountants, management consultants, etc. It takes a textbook approach to this specialized area of marketing professional services but does so in a fast and effective fashion.

The book starts out by defining marketing and quoting Peter Drucker 'The aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous'. Every professional loves to hear that as we all hate selling. The Seven Ps of Marketing are then explained - Product, Price, Place, Promotion, Physical Evidence, Processes, and People. The fundamental way services differ from products is then outlined - intangibility, inseparability, variability, and perishability along with satisfaction criteria being different and the effect of customer participation.

Ten distinctive problems in marketing professional services are also described - third party accountability, client uncertainty, experience, limited differentiability, quality control, doers as sellers, time allocated to marketing, pressure to react, conflicting views about advertising, and a limited marketing knowledge base.

The rest of the book builds on this foundation. This is one of the most useful and readable books I have encountered on the subject of marketing. It has the perfect combination of theory, practice, and actionable steps that you can find in any book specializing on marketing professional services.

So if you are one of the targeted audiences don't hesitate and just get the book. You will not regret it and at the very least, it will give you a deep understanding of where you can improve in your business. You may feel the book is a bit pricey but the value makes it worthwhile. Good luck!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!, September 17, 2002

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Marketing Professional Services - Revised (Hardcover)

As any self-employed lawyer, consultant or accountant knows, selling services can be much tougher than selling widgets. The major professional service firms employ huge marketing staffs whose job is to convince potential clients that they need the company's expertise, and to differentiate that expertise from all other competitors. Three marketing professors - Philip Kotler, Thomas Hayes and Paul N. Bloom - have distilled the strategies and techniques designed to accomplish this daunting task into this comprehensive text, which we from getAbstract recommend to anyone running their own services firm and to all those charged with marketing the majors.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Back by Popular Demand, July 31, 2002

By 

Prof Mark Gabbott (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marketing Professional Services - Revised (Hardcover)

This is the update of Phil Kotlers ground breaking first edition on Professional Services. The involvement again of Bloom and the addtion of Hayes has added a new dimension to the work. This book starts with a great introductory section which lays a good gounding and then develops clear and concise apporaches to marketing in this complex sector. Good cases and examples allow you to work through your own business and the book is structured logically to bring clear insights. If only professional services firms had this book open on their desk they might avoid some of the most obvious pitfalls, like appreciating the service from thier clients point of view, improving planning and tactics and ultimately providing better value. A must read.