How Many Non-Professionals in Your Firm?

An interesting post on the Professional Marketing Blog talks about how, in law firms, there are the lawyers and then there is "everybody else."

I disagree with Larry Bodine, though, who says:

No other profession makes this derogatory distinction. Accounting firms don't have "non-accountants" -- they call them "team members." Same goes for consulting, architectural and engineering firms.

I find that in CPA firms, there is what may be an even more derogatory distinction. Some firms do actually use the term "team members" which was significantly popularized by the good folks of Results Accountants' Systems in their famous Bootcamps.

But many CPA firms refer to their accountants as "professionals" and openly refer to everyone else as "non-professionals."

Pretty unfortunate to that the CPAs are, apparently, the only professionals in those offices...

If your firm is still one of those that uses the "non-professionals" label, please replace it with something (like "non-accountant"?) that appropriately credits everyone in your professional service firm as a "professional" of one sort or another.

Comments

[Tom Vander Well]

You forgot the most obvious one of all. Has anyone worked in an office with a DOCTOR?

[HART (1-800-HART)]

I've always considered the entire firm of lawyers and accountants as "professionals". That would include the staff, the technicians, the 'team players', the receptionist .. because it's all about the final product.

Everybody else is "NOT a professional" to me (as I like to refer them), although there are those, who are in a profession (doctors, teachers, etc)

"Non-Professional" people to me are something else, that has nothing to do work work at all .. these are the people that just say something and do something else, usually at the expense of others.

Non-Accountants? I personally know many C.A.'s and "Professionals" who know how to pass tests, and solve mysteries of what to do if they were Controller of General Motors .. but, do not know how to reconcile a bank or know what common sense is. These are the types that think everything is not material and pass on problems of their clients because it doesn't fall within the "scope of things".

I laugh at those people and they don't even know it.