Robert Sawhney sets the scene in chapter one of Marketing Professional Services in Asia by citing that in Hong Kong alone there are over 10,000 professional services businesses employing over 80,000 professionals. The professional services sector - including doctors, lawyers, accountants, architects, engineers, business associations and the like - has been singled out by the SAR government as one of the four pillar industries that give Hong Kong a distinct competitive advantage in the region. Legal services providers - comprising lawyers and law firms, both local and foreign ?make up almost 10% of the sector.

Asia is the fastest developing region in the world and Hong Kong lawyers have been fortunate to leverage off this growth in recent years. In the boom times Hong Kong lawyers could be excused for thinking all they needed to do was hang out a shingle and the world would beat a path to their door. But these myths break down in periods of economic recession when many firms experience decreased work flow, decreased billings and clients insisting that their professional services advisers share their pain by reducing fees. The majority of clients however don掐 voice their concerns; they quietly find another law firm that better suits their needs and the lawyer is left wondering what went wrong.

Sawhney's book is timely, given the current economic downturn, and effectively challenges many long held beliefs and exposes various myths about the marketing of law firms. Supported by extensive research, the author addresses key strategic marketing issues such as understanding the market and client value; the role of marketing and business development in professional services firms; developing effective business and marketing strategies including segmentation, targeting, differentiation and positioning; and then putting it all into action and making it work. The lessons on offer are relevant to both the professional services practitioner and the professional services marketer.

While the book specifically addresses these issues in the Asian business and cultural context it is relevant to firms and organisations in other regions. It is particularly relevant to the senior management and marketing professionals of international firms headquartered in the West with branch offices in Asia, many of whom erroneously believe that what works in their home market will work in Asia. Having been based in Asia since 1995, the author demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the Asian business culture and how it differs from that in the West. The chapter on managing growth and globalisation is particularly relevant here, given the recent moves by international firms to merge with Hong Kong firms (eg Mayer Brown with JSM and Reed Smith with Richards Butler; also Norton Rose's acquisition of Deacons Australia) as strategies to increase penetration and consolidation within the Asian region.

Unlike many books on professional services marketing written by academics and consultants, Sawhney demonstrates a well-developed understanding of the day to day challenges that senior partners and marketing professionals face in law firms. The book is easy to read and avoids the excessive use of marketing jargon. Well-selected illustrative case studies are used throughout. The book is also written to be relevant to both the large professional services firm and the more numerous smaller professional services firms which lack the time, information, money, expertise, skills and human resources of larger firms. It is written to help the owner/operators of small firms to overcome these barriers and to compete effectively.

Throughout, the book keeps its sights squarely fixed on the challenge of developing and integrating a 'marketing culture' into the fabric of the firm. Many professional services firms in highly competitive markets, such as the Australian legal market, have recognised this need and have taken steps, with varying degrees of success, to do this as a means of developing competitive advantage. Many law firms in Asia, operating in a legal market that has grown at 10% per annum for the last few years, have not seen such a need, and if they did they would not necessarily have known how to do it. The leaders of law firms, and their marketers if they have them, languishing in the doldrums of the current recession would do well to read this book to assist them in charting a course back into the trade winds. For firms with developing or established marketing cultures, this book provides a valuable set of benchmarks against which they can measure their progress.

Marketing Professional Services in Asia should be on the desk of every lawyer, accountant, engineer, architect and other practising professional in Asia, as well as those of their marketing and business development professionals.

Phillip McDonald
Head of Business Development
Deacons

《亞洲專業服務的市場營銷》
作者Robert Sawhney  出版LexisNexis

《亞洲專業服務的市場營銷》的作者Robert Sawhney在其著作的第一章中便開宗明義地寫道：單是在香港，有超過一萬間提供專業服務的公司，共僱用了超過八萬名專業人員。專業服務行業—包括醫生、律師、會計師、建築師、工程師、商會及其他相類的組織，是特區政府指明乃使香港得以在亞洲區內享有明顯競爭優勢的四個支柱行業的其中之一。法律服務提供者—包括本地和外地的律師和律師行—佔整個專業服務行業的差不多百分之十。

亞洲區是全世界發展最快的地區，其增長速度在近年為香港律師帶來不少服務機會。在經濟情況良好時，香港律師有感他們只須將自己的招牌亮出，便自然會有客戶前來扣門﹔當時即使他們有這樣的想法，大概也不會招致人們的如何非議。不過，在經濟陷入不景氣時，這一神話即告破滅。很多律師行感到其工作流量在減慢，開單的數量在下降，客戶則經常要求律師行減收專業服務顧問費，好替他們分憂。然而，大多數的客戶卻是沒有將心底話說出，而是靜悄悄地改為光顧另一家較符合他們需要的律師行，剩下原先的一家律師行在疑惑究竟自己在甚麼地方出錯。

這一本書的出版，適逢目前的經濟情況下滑，因此可以說是正合時宜。它對許多長期抱持的看法提出質疑，並道出了律師行在營銷上的各個神話。作者經過廣泛的研究，提出了關鍵性的策略營銷問題，諸如：明瞭市場及客戶價值；在專業服務公司中，行銷及業務發展的角色；發展有效的業務和行銷策略，包括市場細分、目標掌握、差異性及定位等問題；然後全盤地將其付諸實行，使其產生作用。當中提供的策略性指導，對專業服務的執業者及市場營銷人員而言，均具有重大的意義。

雖然書中所提出的問題，特別針對亞洲的企業和文化，但對於其他地區的公司和組織而言，也是相當合適的。該書特別關注到，總部設於西方而在亞洲設立分公司的跨國企業，其管理層和市場營銷人員，很多都誤以為在其本土市場所採用的經營方法，同樣也可適用於亞洲。作者自1995年開始便於亞洲區工作，他在書中展示了其對亞洲企業文化的深厚認識，以及亞洲企業文化與西方文化之間的差異。該書有一章談到如何面對增長和全球化等問題，這更是切合香港的情況，原因是國際律師事務所與香港的律師行在近年也有一些合併舉措（例如Mayer Brown與JSM合併；Reed Smith與Richards Butler合併；以及Norton Rose收購Deacons Australia等），作為提升在亞洲區的滲入和整合程度的一項策略。

與許多由學者和顧問所撰寫的關於專業服務行銷的著作不同，在本書中Sawhney顯示他對律師行的高級合伙人和市場專業人員所面對的日常挑戰具有深切的了解。該書以淺白的方式表達，避免過度使用一些營銷術語，全書都盡量運用個案來加以說明。該書除了可供大型的專業服務公司作為參考外，亦可供眾多在其擁有的時間、資訊、金錢、專家、技術及人力資源上，均比不上大公司的規模較少的專業服務公司作參考。事實上，它也是為了協助小公司的東主和經營者克服所面對的障礙和進行有效競爭而撰寫。

整本書的焦點，是集中在發展「市場文化」，並將其融入公司結構所帶來的各項挑戰方面。許多在高度競爭性的市場（例如是澳洲法律服務市場）中經營的專業服務公司，已意識到它們實在有這樣的需要，並採取了相應的行動（且獲得了不同程度的成效），作為發展競爭力優勢的一個方法。亞洲區內的許多律師行，由於是在過去數年均錄得每年百分之十增長的法律服務市場中營運，因此並沒有察覺到有這樣的需要；即使它們察覺到有這樣的需要，也未必懂得如何處理。在目前的經濟不景情況下，正在苦思出路的律師行領導人及市場營銷人員（假如有這樣的編制設置），實更應閱讀這本書以協助他們規劃返回業務正軌的路途。對於正在發展的，或已經形成市場營銷文化的公司，該書亦可以為它們提供一套可供量度進度的有用基準。

在每一位亞洲律師、會計師、工程師、建築師、其他專業人士，以及為他們負責市場營銷和業務開拓的專業人員的書桌上，都應該放置有一本《亞洲專業服務的市場營銷》書籍。

Phillip McDonald
Head of Business Development
Deacons