ABSTRACT
The purchase of professional services can often be quite complex for both parties involved. Although Clients are essentially 'buying' people, reputation and experience, the decision to buy relies to a great extent on the eventual development of trust between supplier and provider. Buyers of professional services generally go through a logical thinking and procurement process, given the relatively complex nature of the purchase. A number of tools are used by many professional services firms to better understand how prospects organise their purchasing; these include buyer profiling, decision-maker analysis and mapping. Corporate buyers expect their organisation to be dealing with suppliers that have talented people who understand their business so that they can keep abreast of commercial developments in their markets. Recruiting the best talent is one of the main challenges for today's professional services firms. They can provide best career opportunities for talented people of all disciplines due to the diversity of Clients served and for their global reach.
