When buying professional services, most clients will assume expert competence in the field. They are therefore not hiring a consultant, a lawyer, an insurance broker, an accountant or a financial adviser mainly on the basis of their expertise, but on factors such as price, and trust. To minimize the issue of price, professional firms need to ensure that the benefits of working with them are clear. They must identify the right prospects in the first place, and move from transactional relationships toward partnership ones.