The committee brings together four distinct groups interested in effective sales and service.
- Clients: The buying process is changing rapidly with independent experts (procurement specialists, audit committees etc) often influencing relationships between fee earner and client. The firms that are getting noticed by clients are: acting more like commercial partners than detached advisers; providing extra services; constantly looking at innovative ways to improve existing practices.
- Fee earners: Top-class technical expertise may be taken for granted by clients yet fee earners tend to be slow to adapt to the type of service that clients are now demanding. Great marketing may increase the number of profitable opportunities but effective selling is still needed to convert them. Those who work for firms where selling is seen as a necessary evil, still have to operate 'outside the box'.
- Practice Group Leaders: Their success is primarily determined by the quality of the selling and client service undertaken by the fee earners in their groups. To gain the respect of partners, practice group heads require competence and focus combined with: great execution; team-building and people management skills; ability to inspire energy and commitment; business and financial acumen; common sense; and personal drive.
- Specialists: Internal specialists are increasingly being appointed to work directly with specific fee earners and clients to research attitudes, co-ordinate pitches, and identify opportunities for future work.
The committee organises web-based surveys on aspects of sales, client service and practice group leadership, analyses the results, shares the findings through the MPF site and, if deemed worthy of public debate, presents the findings at regular MPF events held in London, New York etc. The committee also organises podcasts on gaining work from specific industry sectors. Clients can attend committee-inspired events at no cost. Fee earners, practice group leaders, and specialists can attend committee-inspired events at no cost provided their firm belongs to the MPF
The aim is to benchmark and share best practice to improve sales skills and to enhance practice group leadership and client service. Clients can attend events other than podcasts at no cost. Fee earners, practice group leaders, and specialists can attend events other than podcasts at no cost provided their firm has at least one MPF member.
Co-chairs: Richard Sharman - Richard is the partner responsible for KPMG's European Sustainability practice and Carbon Advisory Group. He specialises in evaluating the risk and economic impacts of these issues on the business. He has written for the CBI, Financial Times and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Richard also currently chairs the European Risk Forum.
Co-chairs: Kevin Doolan previously ran the firm's Retail Banking Practice with a team of more than 300 across the UK working for most of the UK's leading Financial Institutions. In January 2001 he took on the role of Head of eStrategy working out of Eversheds' City office and joined the firm's Senior Management Team. His current role involves responsibility for Market Strategy and for working with many of Eversheds' largest clients to make sure that its services provide the best match with the current needs of its international client base. In 1996 he completed his MBA at Henley Management College and is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.
Debbie Atkins is Director of Client Relationships Management at law firm Tods Murray, based in Edinburgh. Debbie has extensive experience in business development, marketing and PR, not just from her time spent working in the Scottish professional service sector but also from experience gained in the hotel & leisure industry in London and the home counties in the 1980s. She is, herself, a qualified lawyer and retains her practising certificate. Debbie is also a member of The Prince's Trust Development Board for Scotland where she chairs the Fundraising Committee; a member of the Barnardo's Care & Hope Appeal Board; and a Director of Critical Path Marketing Ltd. Debbie joined Tods Murray from Morton Fraser, in January 2006.
Keith Binding - Keith is director at Spirit Consulting. A qualified solicitor, he has fifteen years experience of working with professional services firms in developing and implementing business development programmes and in providing bid support and training.
Virginia Cook - Virginia is marketing and business development manager at lawyers Hart Brown. She was formerly Head of Client Service at BDO Stoy Hayward in charge of the firm's client service strategy, key account programme and client satisfaction activities. She also managed the firm's alumni programme. Prior to joining BDO she worked at Arthur Andersen in a variety of roles including Human Capital and European TMT practice marketing head, head of Key Accounts and Industries, and finally as Marketing Director for the Business Consulting practice. Before Arthur Andersen she worked in a number of professional services firms including Coopers & Lybrand and DTZ Debenham Thorpe as head of marketing. She has been in professional services marketing for over 20 years, after a brief stint in publishing and recruitment.
David Eaton-Jones - David is head of professional services at consultancy Act4 Group. Previous roles include head of sales at law firm Osborne Clarke, account director at Ernst & Young managing FTSE 350 and entrepreneurial relationships, and consultant at Mercuri International.
James Edsberg - James is a partner at Lighthouse Global. He leads consultancy projects for some of the world′s leading banking and corporate advisory businesses, advising on competitive environment, brand and growth opportunities. His clients include: JP Morgan Fleming, Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, PwC, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, Clifford Chance, Freshfields, Herbert Smith, and Simmons & Simmons. He practised as a corporate lawyer at Freshfields before joining Lighthouse. He is a regularly commentator on issues relating to professional services, business services and financial services for the BBC and CNBC. He has an MBA from INSEAD and is a business mentor for the Prince of Wales′ Trust.
Dr Clifford J Ferguson - Cliff is founding partner of Rainmakers UK. Although he has undertaken in-depth academic research into 'rainmakers', he is very much a practitioner working 'hands-on' with a broad cross-section of professional firms (both one-to-one and with small groups) to help them develop more effective ways of developing business.
Kate Fleming - Kate is head of the training faculty at Huthwaite Fleming, specialists in helping professional firms develop their business development and negotiation skills. Kate is responsible for programme development and the development of a faculty of consultants. She has over 15 years′ experience in the management and marketing of service organisations and professional firms. Huthwaite Research Group has an extensive research and publications programme around sales and negotiation, and Kate is responsible for developing this for the professions.
Lisa Hart is CEO of Acritas, a leading professional and financial services research company. Lisa has spent more than ten years researching professional services buyers across the globe bringing unrivalled insight into the best and worst client service practice. She currently works with more than 25 law firms, 6 accounting firms and 4 property firms in both the UK and US. Prior to Acritas, Lisa learnt her research skills working for an FMCG research agency before entering the professional services world with a Business Analysis role at law firm Denton Wilde Sapte.
Chris McClure - Chris is a partner in Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons, specialising in Aircraft/rolling stock leasing, IT and outsourcing. His experience includes advising suppliers and end users on licensing, exploitation and disposal of intellectual property, outsourcing and IT procurements. Prior to joining Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons, he worked for a major City firm.
Sue Miller graduated from Bristol University with a degree in Modern Languages before training and qualifying as a solicitor. She practised law for five years before moving across to professional services marketing via an MA in marketing. For the last nine years she has been Marketing Director at City law firm, Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP. Outside the professional services sphere, she was a founder member of the Slow Food movement in the UK and chair of its first Board of Directors.
David Pester - David is the Managing Partner of award-winning, top 100, commercial law firm TLT, one of the fastest growing law firms in the UK. David is responsible for the firm's strategy and development and under his leadership the firm has gone from strength to strength. In the last five years, both TLT's headcount and turnover have almost tripled and the firm is rapidly developing a national profile in its chosen industry sectors. TLT is based in London and Bristol.