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Professional limits on promotional communications and reluctance to brag account in part for the low-key answer. More likely, however, the real reason behind the vague response is that most professionals don’t have a ‘brand positioning’, meaning that they have not developed a well thought-out description that tells their various audiences—clients, stakeholders, suppliers and employees—what they can expect from the firms’ services, how the firm solves clients’ problems and what the difference is between the firm and its competitors.

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Why does it matter?

Buying a professional service entails a leap of faith— that a very complex and often expensive process will unfold smoothly and provide the results or the solution the client is looking for. When researching buying options clients are confronted with brochures and websites that list practice areas and services. When interviewing professionals, they are given the same service descriptions along with explanations of how the process will unfold and examples of past projects and client lists.

Usually, there is little or no information given that addresses the issues from the clients’ point of view. Other than the knowledge that the firm has professional skills in the area the client requires and that performance is adequate —at least in a number of cases as proven by the client list—there is little else to go by when trying to figure out who to hire.

This makes buying professional services a huge challenge, both for experienced consumers and for the large number of clients who are hiring a professional for the very first time and have little or no understanding of the service they are buying and of the process they are about to embark on.

It’s the reason why clients will often hire the cheapest [“all else being equal let’s pay the least”] or a firm that is less qualified but that came through a referral [“better the devil you know”].

The services professionals render and the process they follow have been largely determined by tradition and by regulatory standards. This is why it seems that most firms provide the same service and that the main difference between one firm and the other lies in the people and their expertise, talents, personalities, attitudes and approach to the work - the attributes at the core of a firm’s culture.

This worked well when there was less competition and firms did most of their work locally, but in a more competitive climate or when firms have to go beyond their local market to procure work, saying you’ve got professionals who provide the standard range of architectural, human resources, accounting or chiropractic services is no longer enough.

Now you have to be able to describe the attributes that make a firm special and the value these attributes bring to clients. You have to communicate the firm’s brand.

What's your professional identity?

Being able to describe your services and approach, how you solve clients’ problems and how your firm differs from its competitors in words that resonate with clients, prospects, employees, suppliers and other stakeholders is the first part of the branding equation.

The next is defining your firm’s personality and tone the tone you will speak with. A brand’s personality is described in a similar way as that of a person, with descriptive traits like visionary, serious, simple, powerful, efficient, friendly, traditional, innovative, artistic, adventurous, reliable, conservative, solid, etc.

The tone refers more to the words and type of language you use; it can be formal and serious or playful and simple.

Your brand’s personality trait and language tone must be congruent with your profession and clientele. For example: if you are a lawyer with a corporate clientele, your brand personality might be conservative, reliable and efficient and your corporate colours might be dark blue, green or grey. But, if you are an entertainment or IP lawyer whose clients run the gamut from rock bands to sculptors and web app designers, an appropriate personality would be innovative, visionary and friendly, and your graphic identity could easily incorporate bright colours or edgy black-dominant schemes.

Most professional corporate identities use similar colour schemes and neutral language, which makes it difficult to differentiate one firm from the next. Architecture and interior design firms often use black with white lettering, law and accounting firms dark blue or green. But once you define a personality and tone you can begin to craft an identity that is unique, sets you apart and helps to establish a powerful connection with prospects and clients.

If you were to describe the your firm’s personality and tone would your current identity, corporate colours and language still work?

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What's New @ Oomph Group

We have a very exciting line up of new programs planned for 2010. One factor that sets our workshops apart is the research we conduct, often interviewing dozens of sole practitioners, owners of small firms, associates and partners at mid-sized and large multi-office firms, association leaders, stakeholders, clients and others who may play a role in the area or topic we are exploring. The insights gleaned from the number and broad range of sources allows us to create up-to-the-minute content that addresses a wide range of circumstances in a manner that can not be equaled through regular consulting. As well, we will now complement the one-on-one interviews we conduct with informal surveys on our website, Facebook Fan page and through Twitter.

Our first multi-channel survey will gather information for a workshop we are preparing on business development for professionals. This will be an intensive two-day program that will enable participants to develop messages that clearly communicate their competitive difference and the value they provide. As well, each participant will receive a step-by-step plan for marketing their services tailored to their practice and circumstances. Follow up coaching sessions and support will help participants implement the plans.

What we would like to know is this: Can you describe - in clients’ language and terms – what makes your firm and services different from those of your competitors?

You can quickly answer the survey below or comment at length in our blog.