Here’s Part Five of my six-part conversation about professional services firms and social networking, with Microengagement’s Tim Gilchrist and Steve Fisher.

Lowe: In many professions, there is almost a procurement mentality, where potential clients issue RFPs and firms respond. Will social networking change the way professional or business-to-business services are purchased?
Fisher: It doesn’t have to change unless businesses want to be more efficient about [purchasing their professional services]. If businesses don’t take advantage of [a social networking model], they are not going to be leveraging speed-to-market, flexibility and different strategic solutions. And that is about competitive advantage.
Next time: Fisher and Gilchrist make predictions about professional service firms and social networking

Related posts:

1. Professional Service Firms and Social Networking: Part 4 of 6
2. Professional Service Firms and Social Networking: Part 3 of 6
3. Professional Service Firms and Social Networking: Part 2 of 6
4. Professional Service Firms and Social Networking: Part 1 of 6
5. WPP in Venture with Social-Networking Service LiveWorld

Tags: business, Marketing, professional_service_firms, social_networking, Suzanne_Lowe, trends