I came across Amanda Noble-Simmons's work when reading the shortlist for 'Marketer of the Year' at the CIM Marketing Excellence Awards, and have since enjoyed her insights on professional services marketing.

Claire Trévien: First of all, congratulations on being a finalist at the CIM Marketing Excellence Awards! If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting a career in professional services today, what would it be? 

Amanda Noble-Simmons: 

Learn to be resilient and not to take criticism too hard. Professional services can be a tough place for work for a marketer, when faced with a legal or accountancy partnership. So stick with it, as it is a very rewarding career, but try to develop a thick skin.

CT: I really enjoyed your blog comparing The Martian to marketing in professional services. You’ve been working for professional services for a number of years now, in a variety of places, have you noticed any radical changes in the role of marketing professional services? 

ANS: 

Yes. The PS marketing role has become very diversified, as have all marketing workplaces, in that the digital revolution has exploded and roles that now exist didn't exist 5 or 6 years ago. So you find yourself constantly evolving and learning.

CT: LinkedIn seems to be your social media network of choice, have you experimented with any other? What do you think makes it still so useful?  

ANS: 

I find LinkedIn invaluable, as a networking tool, as a way of seeking out expertise, as a way of publishing content and also as a way of recruiting. I have used Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest with varying success, but always revert back to LinkedIn.

CT: It can seem like quite a chaotic world sometimes: so many new technologies, platforms, trends to chase etc. How do you sort the wheat from the chaff? 

ANS: 

I stick to what I know works (LinkedIn), but always keep my ear to the ground for any new technologies. I would tend to try them out on a personal level first before using them in a workplace setting.

CT: Do you have one rule that you try to stick to in your work?

ANS: 

Always exceed expectations.

Bio: Amanda Noble-Simmons is a professional services marketing and communications expert with a career that spans 18 years, having previously held positions at Maples and Calder in the Cayman Islands, Wollastons, Addleshaw Goddard and Ernst and Young in the UK and Hassans in Gibraltar. She is currently Managing Director at Legal Balance, and Alliance Development Director at the Alliance of International Corporate Advisors.