unbillable hours - a podcast about better professional services marketing

Is digital marketing really the end-all, be-all of consultancy business development? Our guest for this episode, Interview Valet's Tom Schwab, disagrees (and so do Ash and Flo) - and explains why, right now, the greater opportunity might be exploring everything besides digital ads, SEO, and social selling: Episode guest: Tom Schwab, Chief Evangelist Officer & Founder, Interview Valet. Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota Pls. find the shownotes for this episode at unbillable-hrs.com.

Ah, yes... creativity! It is so important in marketing, yet so rare in most marketing materials consulting firms tend to put out (not yours, of course, you're good!). Why is that? Why does it matter? And - how could firm marketers ramp up the creativity of their messaging, collateral, and ads? Ash and Flo discuss: Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota

Ever heard of "effectuation?" No? Well, it's one of these management frameworks or something. And it contains a bunch of principles you might find helpful when preparing your marketing programs for execution. Here goes: Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota Pls. find the shownotes for this episode at unbillable-hrs.com.

Are you thinking about your services in the same ways your clients do? And do you use the same words they use to describe them? Well, chances are, you're not—or not anymore. Prospects' categories for thinking about and searching for consultancy services are ever-changing, and Source Global Research's CEO Fiona Czerniawska explained in some detail why it pays to pay attention. Episode guest: Fiona Czerniawska, CEO, Source Global Research. Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota Pls. find shownotes to this episode at unbillable-hrs.com.

How can consultancy marketers make firm-wide change? We asked someone who should know because “making change” is part of their marketing executive day job: Marc Appel, head of content and editorial strategy at Accenture. Episode guest: Marc Appel, head of content and editorial strategy, Accenture. Voices, production, etc., by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota Pls. find the shownotes to this episode at unbillable-hrs.com.

Seems like a lot of you liked our "Professionalizing Bizdev" episode - and some of you even sent us some questions. So... we double down on the theme, and explore how firms can push beyond "unfocused" business development and into a much more focused way of pursuing clients and new business: Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota

Ever considered LinkedIn ads for your firm or service? We certainly have... and we've learned enough about them to understand we'd need to have an expert explain them to us ... which is why we invited Hannibal, who was kind enough to share his insights. So, here you go: A full episode on "buying ads"! Episode guest: Hannibal Herforth, consultant, Kvadrant Consulting. Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota Pls. find shownotes to this episode at unbillable-hrs.com

Flo recently hopped onto Alastair McDermott's "Recognized Authority" podcast to discuss some fresh ideas for consultancy content creation - here's the replay for you: Check out the Recognized Authority Podcast here! Voices, production, etc., by Alastair McDermott Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota Pls. find the shownotes to this episode at unbillable-hrs.com

Improving, i.e., focusing, strategizing, and scaling a firm's business development efforts, can be a somewhat lengthy journey. Soo... how could you fast-track it? Listen to Ash and Flo discuss the journey, its usual stages, and what to do during which to get to where you'd like to be much quicker. Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota

A lot gets said about "BizDev," but much of it comes in the form of tactical tips. Surely, there must be a comprehensive strategy and method for it, too? We asked Costas Papaikonomou, who recently wrote a book about both. His central hypothesis: Talk to lots of people over decaf, and often! Episode guest: Costas Papaikonomou, co-founder, Happen, and author of - among other things - "The Magic Ingredient: Business Development for Creative Professionals." Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota Pls. find the shownotes to this episode at unbillable-hrs.com!

Unhappy with the business results you got from your firm's content marketing efforts in 2023? Well, then, this is the episode for you! Listen in to hear Ash and Flo discuss where firms tend to go wrong with their content and what they could do to fix it. Includes examples! Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota

Does your firm market all its greatest thinking? Or does it keep some stuff not just in the back of the shop? If it's the latter - consider bringing some of it not just into the store but right up in front and into the "shopping window," i.e., your marketing, where everybody can see it right away... Uh, we'll explain: Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota

Let's close the books for '23, shall we? (Ash and Flo discuss the year and share some podcast metrics to prove how kind y'all have been to us. Thanks for listening!). Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota Pls. get the shownotes for this episode at unbillable-hrs.com

Here you go, friends: A Christmas Episode (so to speak)! Well, ok - we're not talking about Santa, but about Marketing as a "BizDev multiplier"... and explain why the discipline works in this way. But hey - maybe you can listen to it in a festive spirit? While saving the last PowerPoint decks before signing off? We sure hope you get to sign off... eventually. Happy Holidays, and thanks for sticking with us for another year. You're great! Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota

Consultancies grow through "stages," just like every other business. But which stages exactly - and how should firm marketers behave during each? Ash and Flo discuss with Joe O'Mahoney, Prof. of consulting at Cardiff Business School, author, and consultant to boutique firms. Episode guest: Prof. Joe O'Mahoney, joeomahoney.com Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota Pls. find the shownotes to this episode at unbillable-hrs.com.

"Why don't professional services firms win work?" Turns out this question - which is (almost) the title of a recent thinkpiece by research firm Source Global - has a lot to do with "marketing"... and Ash and Flo discuss why in this episode. Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota Please find the shownotes to this episode at unbillable-hrs.com.

Whether your firm is considering partnering with another vendor or it's pushing to "rise through the tiers" of an existing partnership: You'll likely get asked a few questions about how marketing might help to make the consultancy a more valuable partner. Well... we've got you covered (of course)! Because Ash and Flo spoke to Leahanne Hobson, channel partnership expert, who shared many a great insight about becoming partner-able as a firm: Episode guest: Leahanne Hobson, founder and CEO, Alinea Partners. Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota Please find the shownotes to this episode at unbillable-hrs.com.

Ever heard of "Rainmakers" - the bizdev champions of the services world? HBR published a piece saying their game is changing. Ash and Flo dove in to figure out how, exactly (spoiler: it's related to marketing!) Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota Please find the shownotes to this episode at unbillable-hrs.com.

As we inch closer to the end of the year... how about you review ALL your firm's comms to clients? Like... all of it. No, really - it's a great idea. Let us explain! Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota Please find the shownotes to this episode at unbillable-hrs.com.

We've discussed "offering development" before, but, since it's so important and all that, we'll discuss it again - and share a dedicated framework for developing entire sets of offerings which, it just so happens, is super-conducive to marketing effectiveness. Enjoy! Voices, production, etc. by Ash and Flo. Creative and design advice by @calmar.creativ Into, outro voiceover by @iamthedakota Music also by @iamthedakota