Marketing audit for Knowledge Intensive Business Services

Marketing is a special challenge for KIBS. KIBS deliver knowledge embedded in services, consulting activities, and problem solving capability. Consequently, marketing must communicate the provider’s ability to manage knowledge exchanges with customers. The implementation of an appropriate marketing strategy also implies a proper approach to auditing marketing activities, but marketing audit procedures and tools are generally targeted to manufacturing or retailing companies. This paper proposes a novel approach to marketing audit for KIBS companies that focuses on their relational and cognitive capabilities. It consists of a questionnaire-based tool subdivided in sections, each of which considers a particular stage of the customer-provider relationship. The basic assumption is that the effective delivery of knowledge-intensive services requires intense and continuous exchanges of knowledge between customer and provider, and this capability must fit the specific business environment in terms of markets, competitors, etc. The marketing capability of a company is measured in terms of its ability to fruitfully interact with customers in the conditions of the particular operating environment. The questionnaire can help executives of KIBS companies to self assess the “marketing positioning” of their firms. Due to its easiness of use, it is particularly suitable for small companies. The paper describes the theoretical foundations on which the audit tool is based, a particular implementation for the ICT services sector, and the results of a test conducted with ICT companies.