My exposure to supporting the marketing of professional services dates to the late 1990s, when I spent some highly productive writing time working for Computer Sciences Corporation’s consulting group (CSC), an acquisition previously known as Cleveland Consulting Associates.
I was on a team dedicated to helping practice leaders in areas such as Y2K, enterprise resource planning, and supply chain express their points of view–their thought leadership–in ways that connected with corporate leaders and buying teams across a range of functions.
Our targets were globally dispersed active clients and prospective clients. We were marketing solutions that called for significant, multi-year investments. Anything we wrote and put in front of our targets was part of a broader communication effort. We weren’t working toward a transaction; we were cultivating the hearts and minds of people and companies we were passionate about helping.
For more on CSC–an IT consulting firm that forced its way into competition with elite strategy consulting firms such as McKinsey & Company by expressing highly original thought leadership–here’s a fascinating business case on the firm’s rise to prominence through its original “reengineering” management theory, prepared by students for class discussion at the University of Michigan Business School (Reengineering: The Innovation that Revolutionized American Business).
At this point, decades later, it's likely you will recognize the names of the CSC thought leaders (and authors) behind the reengineering topic more than the firm’s name. They were Michael Hammer, a former MIT computer science professor, and James Champy, the chairman of CSC Index.
The Writer’s Role: Distillation
Our job was to interview consultants highly credentialed in their areas of expertise to understand not just the foundation of the corporate functions they aimed to influence, but to distill and present their formulas and proposed solutions as the smartest and most efficient paths to heightened competitiveness.
My editor and manager at CSC, Christopher Roy (pictured on the right and clearly happy to be retired with grandkids), always said our job as writers was to make our subject matter experts look and sound smart through our writing and editing.
If they were marketing their own brilliance–doing the writing and editing themselves–the copy might run long. That’s where our writing and editing team added value.
We were necessary filters. As insider-outsiders–naturally curious writers but not subject matter experts–we could develop a deep understanding of the topic without the emotion that might drive us to include every last detail.
Using input from these “brains on a stick,” as some of us would affectionately call them due to their specialized knowledge, advanced degrees, and general brilliance, we developed professionally written success stories that highlighted productivity gains CSC helped clients achieve, which could be mirrored in work for other clients.
Ultimately, we wanted clients and prospective clients to choose CSC over every other firm.
This work was personally fulfilling for two reasons:
Intellectual stimulation–Helping thought leaders express themselves offered a unique blend of research, interviewing, and writing that put me on the spot. It involved extensive, time-sensitive analysis and feature-length writing.
Competitiveness–My decisions about what was important for clients and prospects to take away from what we wrote played a role in persuading them to trust CSC more than any other firm. The competitor in me loved that dynamic.
About the Author: Dave Schuellerman is a professional writer and communication consultant with 30 years of experience helping B2B and B2C companies inform and influence targeted audiences. Learn more about his background, perspective, and available services at www.fendcommunication.com/services. Ready to engage on a project? Reach him directly at schuellerman@gmail.com.
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