Feedback Form
Home Features Mastermind Forums About Advertise Blog Network Contact Be An Author

Managing a Consulting Firm for Growth and Profit

Managing a Consulting Firm for Growth and Profit
Free Download - PACKAGING AND SELLING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL IDEA By Andy Marken
Name: Email:

Granted we haven’t read books in a broad range of specific subject areas but Croft is one of the few authors we can recall who focuses his expertise on one important (from our selfish perspective) area – running an agency successfully and profitably.

His second edition is a welcome update of our well-worn copy of Managing a Public Relations Firm. His ability to combine real case studies with step-by-step how to do it guidelines again covers all of the areas we’ve encountered in our 25+years in the business.

While his latest book is a must read for senior management of agencies as well as PR people who are contemplating hanging out their own shingle; we believe it is also an excellent resource for people inside organizations.

Every public relations person should run his or her activity and program for profit – if not for growth – whether they are in an agency or enterprise! Everyone in the field should take a long-hard look at their annual and quarterly programs to ensure every aspect contributes to the bottom line of the organization because that is the way management in every organization manages the growth of their firm.

While we respect Croft’s single-minded focus on agency management, growth and profits, we earnestly believe that every public relations practitioner should look at the book in terms of personal and organizational growth. It goes without saying that every PR person has a budge to work with. How you develop, present, sell and manage that budget determines how profitable you are to the client (your management).

Running an agency is far from glamorous. Having your name on the front door quickly loses its “thrill.” Without books like Croft’s it can be plain hard work at best or a complete disaster at worst.

Despite the fun of working with a broad range of creative people and situations, despite the adrenalin-rush of doing something that few others can do to produce positive results and despite the uncertainty of working in a business climate that is changing so rapidly; public relations is still a business. As with any business – for profit or non-profit – it is all about achieving the growth you want to achieve and being profitable.

Directly or indirectly you are responsible for producing that growth and profitability.

Croft’s latest edition lets you see how today’s game is played and won. Agency heads have to learn how to balance business that is in house as well as future clients because the moment you win a client you have to begin the task of looking for their replacement.

Croft spells out the familiar game that is played out every day called the agency search. He helps the reader go through the process of identifying the agency’s strengths and weaknesses. He shows you how to manage your most valuable resource – staff and time.

In a logical, and easy to follow – and use -- process he shows you how to manage the accounting and billing for time to ensure profitability of clients, individuals and the agency.

We find it interesting (and valuable) that he pushes the marketing aspect of agency growth early in the book. And yet while many agencies focus on marketing communications their own marketing is hap hazardous at best. Yet if you don’t focus on doing the precise thing you advise clients to do most new business efforts are like playing darts with a blindfold on…luck at best.

We found reading his new business secrets both interesting and helpful that we have probably read the section six – seven times. In many ways this may be the very heart of the book because winning the right business is more important than winning business.

It’s tough to get up from the table and walk away from a prospect or a client but in many instances it can be the best thing you can do for your agency’s growth and profitability. We know…bitter experience has proven that if we had taken the advice that Croft so clearly spells out we would have been ahead both monetarily as well as from a mental health perspective.

When it doesn’t feel right you usually come to the realization that it wasn’t right!

Croft has focused on the business of agency business ever since we have been aware of his work. One of the beneficial aspects of the book is his inclusion of profiles of agencies and professionals in the field.

These profiles give you a real-life glimpse into other professionals’ thought processes and approaches to the broad range of business activities that agency heads must master. These profiles are valuable since most agencies in the country (and around the globe) are small-medium sized agencies. Few have the luxury of professional HR, IT, R&D and other business infrastructure departments.

The counselor section of PRSA is valuable to agency executives but seldom do you get the full benefits of the up close and personal insights the agency principals provide in Croft’s book.

Unlike most of us who focus on the public relations activities and programs, Croft seems to have always focused on the business of public relations. As such, he has not only done it but more importantly he has helped hundreds of other agency principals improve their business activities. He freely shares this information in his latest edition.

If you read nothing more than the agency executive profiles he includes with each chapter you can gain a world of experience and expertise in just a few evenings.

Managing a public relations agency is really no different than managing any business. But for some reason (perhaps our own shortcomings) it is more difficult to manage growth and profit.

If you head an agency, Managing a Public Relations Firm is a must-read. If you are contemplating starting your own agency – for whatever reason – this is the book you need to read. If you have no desire to leave your organization and want to operate your PR activity as a bottom-line centric business – or simply want to scare your boss – grab a copy of Croft’s book, read it and keep it in your office library as an important reference!

#######





Managing a Consulting Firm for Growth and Profit - To learn more about this author, visit Andy Marken's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

Article Tags:
Recent Search: profit growth consultants

Article Feedback
 Article Feedback No article feedback found.
  Leave Your Feedback
article feedback

Article Feedback
Michiel Jonker
As a Certified Information Systems Auditor, Michiel assists businesses in a professional capacity by evaluating the threats to their businesses. He acquired the necessary knowledge, skills, and techniques to minimize a business owner’s risk of business failure and to maximize his chances of high growth and success. He strongly believes that you CAN maximize your chances of business success, by implementing the business solution he has advocated for more than 12 years in your business plan and planning. Michiel has decided to share his experience with business owners by putting almost everything he knows in a business plan and survival guide (compiled in an e-book format) and written as a high growth SMB coaching course for SMB business owners, directors and managers - titled as the “Survival Kit for Small and Medium Businesses - Profit from your Business Risks!” According to Michiel, his goal was to add new techniques to a business owner’s business planning survival kit and instruct him or her in using these in the future - without any help from a consultant! For more information about the benefits of implementing profit protection planning in your business, please visit: http://www.business-around-the-globe.com - Visit Michiel Jonker's Website

Jeff Foster
WebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas.  We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing
- Visit Jeff Foster's Website

Dave Kurlan
Dave Kurlan is a best-selling author, top-rated speaker and thought leader on sales development.  He is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website

Anne Barr
Anne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website

Dianne Crampton

Dianne Crampton is North America's leading authority on team culture.  She is an author and professional speaker and president of the leading team culture consultancy, TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Crampton has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down or to subscribe to TIGES Free monthly e-newsleeter go here.

Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009.  Her new book TIGERS Among Us: Winning Business Team Cultures And Why They Thrive, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010.  To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here.

- Visit Dianne Crampton's Website


To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us.

profit growth consultants About The Author
profit growth consultants

Andy Marken
(Visit Andy's Website)
G. A. "Andy" Marken President Marken Communications, Inc. Santa Clara, CA Andy has worked in front of and behind the TV camera and radio mike. Unlike most PR people he listens to and understands the consumer’s perspective on the actual use of products. He has written more than 100 articles in the business and trade press. During this time he has also addressed industry issues and technologies not as corporate wishlists but how they can be used by normal people. He has been a marketing and communications consultant for more than 30 years involved in the wild early days of the Internet/Web, heyday of the videogame industry and the maturing professional and consumer video industries. His experience includes years with Internet pioneer CERFnet, TCG and AT&T. Andy has worked in the software, Web 2.0, video and storage industry with Panasonic, Philips, Dazzle, Atari, NTI, ADS Tech, Pinnacle Systems, CyberLink, InterVideo, Ulead and Verbatim.


profit growth consultants Andy Marken is a Platinum author on EvanCarmichael.com
profit growth consultants About The Author

profit growth consultants Author Blog
profit growth consultants Author Blog

profit growth consultants Video
profit growth consultants Video

profit growth consultants Free Downloads


Andy Marken's

Complete
List Of
Marketing
Articles

Name
Email
If you enjoyed this article, get Andy Marken's Complete List of Marketing Articles For FREE!

More Andy Marken
The Long Tail Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More
FEATURE ARTICLESEXTRA PLANNING AND EFFORT
After 150 Years 3D Is About Ready to Come Home
HITTING A MOVING TARGET
Professionalism and Press Events
Sales Proposals Kit for Dummies
KEYS TO YOUR SUCCESS AT SHOWS
HOW TO CONDUCT GET THE MOST FROM SHOWS AND EXHIBITS
Shining CDs Spin Their Way to Global Data Transfer
Press Releases Are Not a PR Strategy
profit growth consultants Free Downloads


 
 
 


Evan Elite Authors
David Acheson  
John Alexander  
Kim Castle  
Evan Elite Authors

Become An Author
Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details.
Become An Author

Evan's Latest Video
Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media
Evan's Latest Video




Evan's Newsletter
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Evan`s Newsletter

Free Downloads
Adopting Creative Thinking Icon Adopting Creative Thinking
The Human Network Icon The Human Network
Find It. Use It. Icon Find It. Use It.
Referral Strategies Icon Referral Strategies
Breakdown, Breakthrough Icon Breakdown, Breakthrough
Free Downloads - Complete List

Entrepreneur Tools and Guides
Choose A PR Topic
Choose A PR Topic
Press Release Builder
 
Top 50 Debt Blogs
Top 50 Debt Blogs
Learn To Get Out Of Debt
 
Entrepreneur Tools and Guides

SEO For Africa
SEO For Africa
Epi Amouzou Avetonou, Togo,
Epi Amouzou
Avetonou, Togo
SEO For Africa

If I Were A Startup...
Kerry Shapansky, $2.0 to $51 Mil in 5 years
Kerry Shapansky
$2.0 to $51 Mil in 5 years
Julie Mitchell, $470k to $1.1 Mil in 2 years
Julie Mitchell
$470k to $1.1 Mil in 2 years
If I Were A Startup... - Complete List

Famous Entrepreneurs
William Harley Arthur Davidson, Harley-Davidson
Thomas Watson Sr., IBM
Famous Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneur Advice
Seth Godin, Ideavirus Author
Seth Godin
Ideavirus Author
John Jantsch, Duct Tape Marketing
John Jantsch
Duct Tape Marketing
Entrepreneur Advice - Complete List

Popular Articles
(Premium Authors)

     Your Online Home Business will Have a Better Bottom Line with Affiliate Product Recommendations
By Michelle Jayes
     Use Outsourcing for Your Legitimate Internet Based Business Website
By Michelle Jayes
     Discover How Using Your Auto Responder will Benefit Your Internet Home Based Business
By Michelle Jayes

Have A Suggestion?

Toronto Salsa Classes / Toronto Salsa Lessons Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!

Have A Suggestion?

More Evan Carmichael
More Information