Marketing Insight: Don't Ask, Don't Client-tell

We all know that more and more architects, engineers and contractors are marketing themselves now, ever since the Supreme Court ruled in 1977 that licensed professional service firms cannot legally be prohibited from doing so.

That’s all to the good. But one aspect of marketing has become an important problem, and must be addressed carefully by any firm that is serious about getting its name out. I’m referring to the problem of client approvals.

Often, a service firm that is eager to market itself will want to mention its work on behalf of specific clients. This is perfectly understandable, of course. The problem arises when a firm does not explicitly clear this with the relevant clients first.