Bridging the Atlantic: Professional firms in the US and the UK

Written by Isabel Alves-Short

The adage that the US and UK are countries “separated by a common language” holds resonance in professional services. 

Here, we explore where US and UK offices align and differ, the challenges and opportunities this poses, and how outsourced marketing and BD can help bridge the gap. 

Commonalities between the markets 

Professional firms in the US and the UK share a wide range of commonalities. Firms in both countries are unified by language, process and cultural convergence. Both markets prioritise client-focused approaches and share a similar organisational structure. They nurture and value a culture of thought leadership, particularly at the partner level, and use this expertise as a tool to build client relationships.  

These strategic commonalities should create a transatlantic bridge for professional firms. However, like our shared language, there are subtle but important differences that can stretch the cohesion of the relationship. 

Investment imbalances: time, funding and remuneration 

At firms with offices in both the US and the UK, there is often a time, focus and financial imbalance working against the overseas office. We’ve worked alongside firms which have established new offices, and they often encounter underfunding or a lack of senior management focus in their BD teams, creating significant operational disadvantages and inconsistencies in marketing and BD outcomes. 

As well as budgetary imbalances, pay disparity is another key area of divergence. Data from Glassdoor US and Glassdoor UK shows that the salary of a CMO at a US firm can outweigh that of a UK counterpart by up to a factor of two – and that’s before you include bonus and incentive packages, which are typically higher in the US. 

The impact of these time, energy and investment imbalances is unequal growth at new offices, which require huge levels of capital to set up and operate. It also provides opportunities for agile firms which take a global view to resourcing. 

Transatlantic mergers expose these issues further 

With more mergers and acquisitions happening between firms in the US and the UK, a light is being shed on these inconsistencies and imbalances. Disparities are exposed as teams combine and working cultures clash.  

It’s vital for the success of this M&A activity that decision makers in each jurisdiction take time to understand their market counterparts, and bringing in people who understand both regions and cultures can help ease the tension.  

How can The BD Consultancy help you? 

Several UK and US-based firms have found that, by working with us, they can reduce the impact of this strain – and benefit from the objective value of using a third party.  

In both jurisdictions, the flexibility and relative value of using outsourced marketing and BD experts offer significant benefits, as opposed to the lengthy and costly process of recruiting. For US firms using UK-based consultants to deliver a project or provide an interim resource, that value only increases due to the much higher salary expectations in the US.  

Our UK-based consultants support firms with global interests and have advised law, accountancy and consulting firms in both the US and UK.  

Paired with our strategic insights and expertise, there is a very significant practical point.  Our geography positions us as a keystone between the US and SE Asian markets. In bridging that gap, we can serve your interests in SE Asia in the morning and the US in the afternoon. 

If you’d like to explore options, contact peter@thebdconsultancy.com or click here to read some of our case studies.