Sebastian Hartmann

Next Generation Management for Professional Services

Category: Clients & Sales

Designing for Client-Centricity: A Lens for Legal, Consulting, Accounting and Technology Services Firms
May 19, 2020

Designing for Client-Centricity: A Lens for Legal, Consulting, Accounting and Technology Services Firms

Facing the current challenges has unleashed innovative thinking, agile methods and more dynamic organizations in many professional services firms. But how to anchor this way of thinking permanently?

Infusing old ways of working and outdated services with technology will not do the trick. Collaboration tools may provide a pioneering bridge, but will fail to deliver sustainable value – unless engagement models are re-designed.

Best Practices for Virtual Design Thinking Workshops in Professional Services
April 21, 2020

Best Practices for Virtual Design Thinking Workshops in Professional Services

Professional Services Firms are currently facing questions such as:
– How to best solve our clients‘ issue in the COVID19 crisis?
– How can we deliver in virtual or fully digital setups?
– How to design or adapt solutions for the emerging recession?
– How to adapt our solution portfolio and firm for the new normal?

Tackling these challenging topics in virtual design thinking workshops is not just necessary and one of the only few options available at the moment – it may turn out to be surprisingly effective and efficient.

The Benefits of Virtual Design Thinking Workshops
April 8, 2020

The Benefits of Virtual Design Thinking Workshops

Professional Services, like everyone else, are forced to move quickly towards delivering their expertise virtually or even digitally in the face of the COVID19 crisis. For legal, consulting and other expert services, design thinking takes on a whole new meaning, in order to adapt services and solutions for clients – and to develop and design answers to unprecedented challenges.

However, Design Thinking has been mostly known for its playful, innovation and creativity fostering and immersive on-site workshop settings… until now. And like everything else, these workshops need to take place virtually now. But is this even possible?

Innovation Evidence: How to Keep the Innovation Engine Running in a Professional Services Firm
January 24, 2020

Innovation Evidence: How to Keep the Innovation Engine Running in a Professional Services Firm

For 2020 we expect the pace of Digital Transformation and client-centric innovation to increase a lot across ProfessionalServices, especially legal, consulting, accounting and marketing services.

Leaders and managers need to be able to prioritize innovation efforts strategically and demonstrate to their fellow partners the continued need for investment, the returns and the strategic progress within the specific environment and portfolio situation of their firm.

Stop Chasing Clients – Start Chasing Data​: Rethinking B2B Sales Analytics in Professional Services
October 8, 2019

Stop Chasing Clients – Start Chasing Data​: Rethinking B2B Sales Analytics in Professional Services

Some B2B sales questions which your firm should be able to answer right now:
– Clients, who buy “service (or product) A”​, also typically buy what?
– What is the next likely “challenge”​ or “issue”​ for any given client?
– What is the next likely offer (service / product) for any given client?
– Which patterns across the firm’s service or product portfolio are emerging?
– Which client or service segments show untapped potential?
– …
Unlocking effective B2B sales analytics is still a challenge for many knowledge-based firms, like lawfirms, consulting, marketing or even technology service providers. Find some guidance in this article written together with my colleague, Simone Göltl.

Can Old Dogs still learn New Tricks? Towards the Next Gen Playbook for Managing Professional Services
September 23, 2019

Can Old Dogs still learn New Tricks? Towards the Next Gen Playbook for Managing Professional Services

The inherited recipes for growth and profitability are eroding as the input-oriented models of traditionally fuzzy knowledge-based services are being replaced by throughput- or output-based compensation for much more client focused and increasingly digital solutions. Leaders and managers in charge of professional service firms need to adjust their management playbook in order to remain relevant in the next generation of professional services. But where to begin?