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Demonstrate Your Professional Excellence: Resolve to Become a Certified Professional Services Marketer

You are vital to the lifeline of your firm. Every day you help your company grow by identifying new project opportunities, developing business relationships, branding your firm, strategizing your firm’s future development, and getting your company’s name in front of prospective clients. That’s your job as a professional services marketer. The Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), the recognized leader in marketing for the design and building industry, offers a credential that recognizes your experience and demonstrates your skills: Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM).

Certification is the time-tested means of measuring a professional’s credentials. It sets the standard for architects, engineers, attorneys, accountants, and many other professionals. Now, professional services have a benchmark to measure their excellence and knowledge. The demanding journey to certification helps ensure the highest quality preparation and training for professional services marketers. Holders of the CPSM designation are recognized as the best prepared to develop databases of qualified prospects, find the most creative ways to communicate with them, build the types of relationships that generate ongoing business opportunities, and prepare proposals and presentations that win new business. Consequently, employers can be confident that they have hired the best-qualified professional to market their firm’s services.

What is a CPSM?Certified Professional Services Marketer

A CPSM is recognized as an individual who has met a rigorous standard of experience and expertise in marketing professional services and has demonstrated their knowledge of the practice and related disciplines through a thorough examination of marketing competency. This individual further adheres to the ethics and responsibilities of the profession as outlined in the CPSM Code of Ethics.

2014 CPSM Study Group

Benefits of Certification• Increase knowledge• Widespread recognition• Enhance credibility• Advance career• Commitment to professional growth/development• Financial reward• Personal achievement• Gateway to becoming an SMPS Fellow

Benefits to Employers• Diverse background and skills to successfully develop project

opportunities for the firm• Tested knowledge in marketing management to help plan

the future growth and prosperity of firm• Experience to add to profitability and success• Commitment to keeping abreast of latest trends• Increased professionalism• CPSMs are identified as experts that stand out from the crowd

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CPSM Code of Ethics

1. Maintain and advance knowledge of professional services marketing, respect the body of marketing knowledge, and continue to its growth

2. Continually seek to raise the standards of excellence

3. Pursue professional activities with highest level of ethical standards

4. Practice in a manner that supports non-discrimination

5. Uphold all laws and regulations of your firm

6. Be loyal to your firm and pursue its objectives in ways that are consistent with public interest

Recommended Reading ListSMPS recommends the following resources to prepare for the CPSM exam. Because this exam is a criterion based exam, you will NOT find the answers to the questions in any one textbook. Preparation for success on the exam requires that you read a broad range of resources, integrating the innovative thinking and espoused best practices into your thinking.

1. A/E/C Marketing Fundamentals by Michael T. Kubal, Kevin Miller, and Ronald Worth (BNi Publications, Inc.: 2004)*

2. Creating Rainmakers: The Manager’s Guide to Training Professionals to Attract New Clients by Ford Harding (originally published by Adams Media, 1998; re-issued by John Wiley & Sons: 2006)

3. Design, Market, Grow! by Craig Park, FSMPS, Assoc. AlA (SMPS: 2002)*

4. Marketing Handbook for the Design & Construction Professional, Third Edition by SMPS and the SMPS Foundation (BNI Publications: 2009)*

5. Marketing in the 21st Century for the Design Professional by David Stone (ACEC Publications: 2002)

6. Plan It by Lisbeth Quebe (SMPS: 2002)*

7. Professional Services Marketing Articles by SMPS*

8. Rainmaking: Attract New Clients No Matter What Your Field, Second Edition by Ford Harding (Adams Media: 2008)*

9. Wired! How to Crawl Inside Your Client’s Mind for Success in Business Development by David Stone (ACEC Publications: 2002)*

If you join the SMPS-TC study group, we will be able to share with you the CPSM study guide, and the books above that are marked with *. We suggest that you do purchase the Marketing Handbook which is available to CPSM Candidates at a discounted price of $62.95. Please note that the current test is based off of the Third Edition of the marketing handbook.

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CPSM Exam

When you apply for the CPSM program, you are taking your first step toward joining a distinguished group of professionals who have made a commitment to professional excellence, career advancement, and an ongoing pursuit of knowledge.

Tentative Study Group Calendar

We are planning to take the test in April. Below is a tenative schedule based on the recommended 15 week plan in the CPSM Study guide. Study sessions will include working on the questions as a group, practice tests, and flash card review. It is expected that each study group member will come to each session having read the suggested reading and prepared the practice exam worksheets in the Study Guide. All meetings are planned for Thursday evenings. Location TBD.

January 9 Domain 1: Marketing ResearchJanuary 23 Domain 2: Marketing PlanFebruary 6 Domain 3: Client and Business

DevelopmentFebruary 20 Domain 4: SOQs/ProposalsMarch 6 Domain 5: Promotional ActivityMarch 20 Domain 6: Information, Resource and

Organizational ManagementApril 3 Group Mock ExamApril 10 Independent ReviewMid-April: TBD CPSM Exam

The Exam• Online test available (CPSM proctor needed)• Three-hour test (timed)• Nothing on desk, no breaks, and no talking• Consists of 150 multiple-choice questions with four

answer options• Must achieve a 75% score (113 correct out of 150

questions)

Evaluation• Marketing research – 15%• Marketing plan – 16%• Client and business development – 20%• SOQ’s/Proposals – 18%• Promotional activity – 16%• Information, resource, and organizational

management – 15%

The Six Domains of Practice

1. Marketing research: Methodologies and information sources to aid the development of research reports.

2. Marketing plan: Planning, creating and implementing strategic, business and marketing plans.

3. Client and BD: Develop and maintain client relationships to secure new and ongoing business.

4. SOQ’s/Proposals: Tools for the development of qualifications/proposals.

5. Promotional activity: Internal and external promotion methodologies, promotion production management and measurement metrics.

6. Information, resource, and organizational management: Tools and resources to manage marketing/sales organization structure and performance metrics

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SMPS-TC Thanks Our 2013-2014 Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Eligibility RequirementsDegree requirements (one of the following):

• Bachelor’s degree or an advanced degree plus four years of experience in marketing or business development for firms providing professional services

• Associate’s degree plus six years of experience in marketing or business development for firms for firms providing professional services.

• Without a degree, eight years of experience in marketing or business development for firms providing professional services

Pledge to abide by the CPSM Code of Ethics

The requirements must be met at the time of the test. You can start studying at any time.

Application Process

• Apply online at www.smps.org

• Fill out form in its entirety

• Include 3 professional references

• Submit a copy of your college transcript or a notarized photocopy of your degree

• Submit application and fee to SMPS National

Application review process takes about 4 weeks.

Recertification

• Renew certification every 3 years

• Earn 50 CEUs (continuing education units)

• Choose within the six Domains of Practice

• One CEU is rewarded for each hour of instruction

• Maintain a portfolio with CEU documentation

• Send recertification application along with documentation

Fee for Application and Certificate

Member Non-MemberApplication Fee $245 $350Paper Exam Fee $300 $440Online Exam Fee $275 $415Recertification Fee $225 $375

For More Information

Ready to start?Study Group Contact:Chrissy McNamara, SMPS-TC President-ElectMarketing Communications Manager,Karges-Faulconbridge, Inc. (KFI)cmmcnamara@kfi-eng.com or (651) 254-6922

CPSM Application: http://www.smps.org/Certification/

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