Jim Thompson
Director - Strategy
Professional Background
As a professional you either sell services or expertise – one is a commodity the other is value.
If you’re just the same as everyone else then you’re only value is that you’re the same as everyone else.
The continual market push to the commoditisation of knowledge is the greatest challenge facing knowledge workers of today in a world that is on a never-ending push towards commoditisation.
Without the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors with a voice, a platform, an opinion and a perspective you’re just the same as everyone else.
I help firms, their staff and individuals find and articulate their value proposition to the market in order to attract a dedicated following and high value lifetime clients.
“If you want to make everyone happy – don’t be a leader – sell ice cream” – Steve Jobs
Services & Specialisations
- Positioning
- Online Strategy
- Lead Generation & Nurturing
- Content Marketing
- Information Architecture
- Social Media
- Website Development
- Profit Maximisation
Articles Written by Jim
Yes, your clients all have a secret – they would rather not have to buy what you are selling. In an ideal world, they would prefer it if they didn’t need you. All things being equal they would prefer that the problem they needed you for didn’t exist or they could resolve it on their…
It might be the most liberating thing you ever do. Yes, come out from behind that logo, put yourself out there and I don’t just mean having a LinkedIn profile or a website bio. I mean put yourself out there; Write an article Even better write an opinion piece Get something off your chest by…
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about why word of mouth is still the main source of leads for so many firms. Back in the days before electronics let alone the internet, word of mouth was the only way to find help, so why do we still rely on it so heavily? From a…
I’m always asking clients and prospective clients have you done this or done that like you said you would. Ready to start the project? Looked at that proposal? Thought about your positioning or lacklustre marketing efforts? Written that content yet? Read what I sent you? … etc And often the answer is that old chestnut,…
Most law firm websites meet what I call the market hygiene level – that is, they are acceptable, look and sound presentable, don’t offend anyone and give a basic overview of the law firm and what it does. And therein lies the problem – they only MEET the hygiene level. They don’t provide a reason…
What makes a good law firm website? Good question and the answer starts with a few simple but often difficult questions. What do you actually want it to do? Is your law firm website primarily there to attract and convert “cold” new clients or is it there to act as a capability statement for “warm”…
I spend a lot of time talking about what’s wrong with the state of professional services firms marketing and thought to myself is there a better way to get the message across? The fundamental issues I continually raise are; Lack of differentiation Service attributes ahead of expertise Over emphasis on brand and wordsmithing Firm first,…
Your mum and dad Your family Your friends Your employees Your suppliers Someone trying to sell you something Someone trying to get a job People you refer work to or want your referrals The odd client Not me
By far the greatest challenge I see with professional services firms from a marketing perspective is their ability (or lack thereof) to differentiate from their competitors. Differentiation is a marketing 101 concept so why do so many struggle with it? Unfortunately, most firms are victims of poor differentiation due to their own willingness to adopt…
Most firms when we ask them what makes them different serve up the same or very similar list as the previous firm we spoke to, we believe them, but we believe the other firms too. When pushed further most end up with something intangible like “it’s our people” but struggle to clearly articulate what the…
