how to build your pipeline

bonus checklist: 5 questions to evaluate your network and skills.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

ask yourself and answer these questions when considering the current and future “conversion” tactics that you’ll employ.

if i were to start today, could i name four businesses that i’d like to reach out to?
what is our firm’s net fee growth goal this year and what can i do to contribute to it?
what do i need to do to be able to handle the tough stuff like negotiation, pricing and handling objections? what start to learning these skills can i make today?

more on the passport to partnership: businesses place value on expertise | how well do you represent your firm? | 6 keys to the perfect proposal | the 4 winning communications habits of top accountants | gauge firm culture to move toward partner

building your pipeline

record the businesses you’d ideally like to work with or believe you can add value to below, for future inclusion in your personal pipeline.

next list any clients the firm has lost that you feel you could realistically win back.

list any proposals that you were involved with that the firm didn’t win. how many of those prospects found what they were looking for? enter in your pipeline any that you can’t say for sure are happy with their current arrangements.

detail any current clients that you believe your firm could add value to according to their needs and the services/outcomes that could be delivered.

everyone else

list any other businesses that you know (friends, family etc.) that you feel you could serve in a way that is superior to their current arrangements.

what stories of success can you employ when reaching out to these businesses?

allocate a conservative figure for the first year’s fees that would be derived from winning the business that you’ve highlighted. what percentage of this figure would be required to justify the increase you desire in your compensation?

posted on november 26, 2015

one response to “how to build your pipeline”

why hitting your numbers isn't enough - 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
february 22, 2016
[…] what does the next generation of practice leaders face? | commitment: a cautionary tale | how to build your pipeline | 6 keys to the perfect proposal | communication can’t be overrated | how to read your firm’s […]

martin bissett

about the author

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martin bissett is the author of

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winning your first client,
passport to partnership, and
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he is the founder of the upward spiral partnership ltd., the uk-based consulting firm that specializes in the implementation of professional selling and leadership skills in the next generation of accounting professionals.

learn more about addviserplus here

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previously, martin served ten years on the board of directors of the uk’s leading provider of high-quality new business appointments for accountancy firms. there, he held the responsibility for the nurture and organic growth of the organization’s new client base, including six of the uk’s top 30 firms of accountants.

martin became fascinated by the apparent juxtaposition of partners not vocalizing what they were looking for in terms of an accomplished skill set from their potential future partners and their managers not asking to discover what that skill set included, despite wanting to reach that very position. in a profession with a supposed “succession crisis” on the horizon, this apparent stand-off struck him as curious.

this has led upward spiral partnership to personally interview several hundred partners and managers in the us and uk to learn what partners are looking for and how the managers see their own future in the firm. there are, of course, firms that have addressed this issue already, and their initiatives have also been captured.

the results of the research, including both the consensus and the exceptions to the general opinion, is called “passport to partnership.” this study provides the highlights of each factor that the majority of partners interviewed use as their criteria when evaluating whether someone in their organization can make it to the top.

as a result of the combination of his experience, intellectual property, and this proprietary research, martin now consults with accounting firms in the uk, europe, and the usa to support them in their transition through to the next stage of their development and growth.

click here for more by martin bissett

one response to “how to build your pipeline”

why hitting your numbers isn't enough - 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间