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Don’t be surprised or angered or embarrassed if customers don’t see your professional services organization (PSO) as possessing some unique capability of high value today. That is the rule, not the exception, in our industry and, thus, presents a big opportunity.

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In many product companies, just having a viable professional services capability can differentiate your organization from the competition. Strong professional services improve win rates by embedding more credible horsepower in the pre-sales team. Solid professional services build customer loyalty because they increase product performance. In-depth professional services also allow a business to have a true solutions capability (all solutions are services-led) and gain a larger share of customers’ wallets while building executive-level bonds that resist competitive inroads.

Research supports that this philosophy is catching on, as professional services revenue is growing at two-and-one-half times that of products and traditional product-support services. If your organization does not have robust professional services capabilities, you are not only missing out on profitable growth, you are also making yourself vulnerable to competitive threats.

Distinguishing your PSO

If you and your top competitors already have professional services organizations, how do you drive distinction? Depending on your comparative market position, several opportunities exist for differentiation.  Perhaps your depth and breadth of services offerings may be a potential area of strength that your competitors cannot match. Maybe density and scale provide you the best opportunity. There are lots of possibilities.

For many PSOs, however, the best chance for distinction is in creating a superior reputation for relentless reliability — doing it right the first time, every time. In an industry where customers often describe solutions implementation as “hit or miss,” “always a gamble,” “geez, I hope they get it right,” a professional services brand of utter dependability offers incredible promise.

So what do you do?

1. Conduct in-depth market research to learn how your PSO is perceived in the marketplace compared to your competition and learn about one important area of current or potential differentiation. Then begin to see how you can use that differentiator to make your organization stand out.

2. Build a “plan for distinction,” outlining what is needed (e.g., new skills and knowledge required, alliances created, systems developed, etc.) and the steps to bring about competitive advantage. Most organizations should think in a one-year to three-year time frame. Of course, resources need to be reallocated from other less-valuable projects to support this strategic initiative.

3. Monitor metrics, manage momentum and master the motivation as your people see the benefits of true competitive advantage.

Remember that distinct competency is only defined from the customer’s perspective — something with substantial value that no one else can provide. It is a difficult status to achieve, but no other objective is more worthy.

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