Pro Serv Podcast by Collective 54

Explore the potential risks of key person risk in small firms. Learn from Phil Acosta on how to navigate the unexpected departure of a key employee. Discover the challenges of handling this situation and how to develop a talent supply chain. Find out how to pitch the job, trust talented individuals, and structure employee relationships.

Your brand matters. In the professional service industry, Founders need a brand for the firm, the service offering, themselves, and their talent. Attend this session and learn from Collective 54 member, Chad Prinkey, Owner at Well Built Construction Consulting, about how brands are built inside small service firms, and how they help boutiques punch above their weight class. https://www.collective54.com

The personal lives of the Founders evolve as a firm advances. And the professional lives of the Founders morph as a firm matures. How can partners stay in harmony with themselves, and with each other, along the entrepreneurial journey? This session with Collective 54 members Matt Jenkins and Nick Moretta, Partners at Other.,  shares how partners work well together and use a tool called The Commitment Letter.  https://www.collective54.com

Boutique service firms often confuse staff augmentation work with advisory work and with managed services work. These are three different types of services that are marketed, sold, and delivered differently. Each has its own margin profile. Balancing the mix of these three correctly can be the difference between running a firm with good margins or a firm with poor margins. Attend this session with Collective 54 member Ryan Buell, Founder & CEO at Sayva Solutions, and get clear on how to manage the revenue mix.  https://www.collective54.com

Uncle Sam is the world’s biggest client. Yet, many boutique service firms do not do business with the government. This session with Collective 54 member Frank Tsamoutales, Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Tsamoutales Strategies, is for firms who do not do business with the government but wonder if they should. We will cover the basics such as why elections matter, understanding legislation, and partnering.  https://www.collective54.com

Recruiting for sales positions in a small service firm is not the same as recruiting for sales positions in a large service firm, or in a product company. This session with Collective 54 member Carter Hopkins, Founder & CEO at Pursuit Sales Solutions, will help you avoid making costly hiring mistakes as you build out your sales team.  www.collective54.com   

What role should the Founder of a boutique professional service firm play in the process of acquiring new clients? That of an Executive Sponsor. And how can a Founder perform in this role with excellence? By using executive language. Attend this session and learn from Collective 54 member, Carajane Moore, about executive sponsor programs and executive language.   www.collective54.com

Christian Banach, Principal & Chief Growth Officer at Christian Banach LLC, dives into the unique challenges small service firms face in lead generation. He emphasizes the importance of tailored strategies over generic ones, advocating for proactive outreach that prioritizes relationship building. Christian reveals how community engagement can be a powerful tool for lead generation and discusses the benefits of outsourcing these tasks. His insights on adapting to changing market dynamics can help firms transition from traditional referrals to targeted outreach.

Listening to clients intentionally is a core competency for service firms attempting to scale. There are 5 listening techniques appropriate for a boutique service firm. They are: 1- client advisory board, 2- post-project reviews, 3- client satisfaction program, 4- win-loss program, and 5- conferences. In this session, we take a deep dive into #2 post-project reviews. Learn from Collective 54 member Nicole Merrill, Co-Founder and CEO at Vecteris, what post-project reviews, why they are required, the benefits they produce, and how and when to perform them.  https://www.collective54.com

Quality work is table stakes, not a competitive advantage. Lots of firms deliver quality work and many clients cannot tell the difference between great work and average work. In contrast, the client experience is a powerful differentiator. Very few firms can deliver outstanding client experience consistently. Those that can scale. The tool they use to do so is called a journey map. Attend this session and learn from Collective 54 member Miles Kailburn, Chief Executive Officer at Old Town Media, what a journey map is, and how to create and use them effectively.  https;//www.collective54.com