Words to the wise: marketing committee.

It takes patience and persistence to get the buy-in needed to change a typical CPA firm's culture to one that is marketing-driven. My firm, The Videre Group, has used such a program for more than 10 years and, in that time, has doubled to its present size of 19 partners and 120 professionals through mergers as well as business development. Managing partner David Talesnick credits effective marketing with making it a desirable merger candidate.

Momentum is easier to achieve if the managing partner appoints a marketing committee. Ours has eight members and includes four other partners. It has the authority to make and implement plans to attain the firm's sales and development goals, manage a budget and oversee partners' practice-development activities. The committee's suggestions have credibility with all the partners, and it sets objectives for everyone, from the head of the firm to office receptionist. The system has been able to deliver growth (a 25% increase over the past year, for example), which reinforces our marketing culture.

When a committee has practical and realistic guidelines, partners cooperate. For example, when we schedule a group breakfast meeting with bankers, partners attend because they know they're likely to make contacts that will result in new business. In addition, each month we might work out a schedule for every partner that includes some combination of the following individual activities:

* Attend three banker lunches.

* Go to three attorney meetings.

* Schedule three informal client visits.

* Make five unsolicited client phone calls.

* Write one article.

* Attend one community or industry function.

We encourage nonpartners to attend professional and association functions, too. We expect everyone--partner or staff--to follow up with a letter or call to anyone whose business card he or she has taken. Some firms tie a percentage of partners' compensation to their contribution to the marketing program.

Individual partners have their own style, but it's up to the committee to provide a structure that enables the firm to build a presence that supersedes the individuality of the partners. Our marketing is based on the observation that businesses have a recognizable life cycle with different needs at different stages. We analyze where organizations are in their development and pitch to those needs.

Market analysis helps us coordinate our activities with the respective talents of our partners. At monthly committee meetings, we discuss what's working and what can be improved. Each quarter we look at how we're performing and how the marketplace is changing to learn what existing and prospective clients want. Asking our clients questions about what they need helps us tailor our approach and indicates niche areas to develop. For example, high-net-worth clients let us know they wanted financial planning and insurance services.

If partners are uncomfortable cross-selling nontraditional services such as technology consulting, financial management or outsourcing, a committee might have a difficult time advancing these programs, even if they're successful endeavors for other firms. On the other hand, if a firm identifies a strong concentration of niche clients, it can design activities to strengthen the firm's name--that industry. For example, when we identified a core group of construction clients, we recruited strategic alliance partners that offer management consulting as well as information technology, investment management, property and casualty insurance and executive coaching--to construction and manufacturing companies. The alliance partners attend our marketing meetings, and we exchange information referral and development opportunities.

The committee must aim to make reasonable recommendations. When it does, everybody wins.

SALLY GLICK is director of marketing at The Videre Group, Parsippany, New Jersey. She is on the board of directors of the Association for Accounting Marketing. Her e-mail address is [e-mail].