bissett bullet: just listen
today’s bissett bullet: “the less time we take telling our potential clients about what we do, the more time we have to learn about them. which discussion would they prefer?”
by martin bissett
here’s what you’re looking for: martin bissett
five questions about your prospects
improve your conversion rate.
by martin bissett
passport to partnership
ask yourself and answer these questions when considering the current and future conversion tactics that you’ll employ.
more by martin bissett
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- if i were to start today, could i name four businesses that i’d like to reach out to?
bissett bullet: don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk
today’s bissett bullet: “if you’re a business owner in need of an accountant and an advisor, you’re probably hoping those are one and the same person. when you’re busy trying to forecast your sales and know where you’ll be with the bank at any given time, you need that person to be living that life with you.”
by martin bissett
what so often happens, however, is that accountants don’t forecast their business because they live off their gross recurring fees and don’t actually know where their money is coming from.
you must forecast if you are advising your clients to do the same. to do so gives you credibility and the time to get it right is now.
today’s to-do:
walk the walk; it really is that simple. if you are not forecasting your future income, start to do so now.
see more bissett bullets here
clients need you for growth
two experts chime in.
by martin bissett
passport to partnership
please start understanding, valuing and respecting your own value in the marketplace with clients who could not reach their goals without you.
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businesses are in need – sometimes desperate need – of your technical expertise and caring approach.
take that to them instead because, speaking as one who is looked after well myself, we love it and we are prepared to pay a premium without ever asking for discounts.
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bissett bullet: threat vs. opportunity
today’s bissett bullet: “there’s always something on the horizon with the potential to negatively impact the economy. if it’s not a global pandemic, it’s the threat of war or a general election.”
by martin bissett
there is also always opportunity. according to a report by accountancy age, even during the covid-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown, the accounting profession grew and not just in terms of necessary compliance work. advisory services are seen as business critical in uncertain times and clients are happy to pay for additional support. we need to understand that they will look to us for certainty, for security and to point the way forward.
don’t see threat, see opportunity. learn to be the rock in the storm, find a way to deliver new value to your clients and thrive while the competition is listening to the media and worrying about how they’ll survive.
today’s to-do:
what is being reported in the news right now that could be cause for concern to some or all of your clients? what opportunities could it present? pick up the phone; find out what value you could offer your clients.
see more bissett bullets here
dump the ‘selling’ stigma
five tasks for business development.
by martin bissett
business development on a budget
over the years, many partners have told me about their struggles to grow their firms proactively, the main one being that they feel they must sell, which goes against the grain for them. have you ever felt that way?
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perhaps you’ve never had to sell before, and it is taking you way out of your comfort zone. you are entering into unfamiliar territory, that alien landscape called “selling.”
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bissett bullet: do you need an accountability partner?
today’s bissett bullet: “positive change in our firms happens when we decide to hold ourselves accountable for achieving the change and hire proven catalysts to help.”
by martin bissett
so many accounting firms look to change but very few actually want to be the change. as a result, the recurring fee model in accounting encourages a degree of apathy and lethargy with regard to growth. with this recurring fee model, there is no commercial imperative to actually have to win new fees week in week out to pay the bills as many of your clients do.
on that basis, the only way growth can happen, and positive change can happen in your firm, is when you decide there is a reason for it and get external accountability to make sure you are held to account for achieving that change. when you are looking to develop your firm’s fee base, talent base or service base, make sure you have got someone you respect cracking the whip to help you to make it happen.
today’s to-do:
today you need to decide what you are really prepared to be held accountable for in terms of positive change in your firm. set that firm goal up right now with the external accountability to make it happen.
see more bissett bullets here
six proven principles for proposal acceptance
also: seven things not to do.
by martin bissett
business development on a budget
what makes a written proposal become accepted by the potential client – every time?
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exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
proposal writing is a micro-science in its own right but here are the proven principles that it takes to get proposals accepted.
- the proposal must clearly demonstrate that we understand what our prospect’s business is going through and that the document is offering outcomes that solve the problem/realize the ambition of the prospect.
bissett bullet: it’s free, now will you buy it?
today’s bissett bullet: “giving away your knowhow for free to potential clients can be dangerous.”
by martin bissett
we want to impress, we want to show ability, we want to show competence, we want to show interest; but i’ve already told you that you do not want to give the answers away and make it easy for the prospective client to avoid having to change accountants.
so how do you avoid giving answers and free advice away? by being prepared for the sort of questions that a prospect may ask that may tempt you to give too much away.
today’s to-do:
practice handling those questions asked by your potential clients that could otherwise result in you revealing the “how” behind the “what” it is that you do.
see more bissett bullets here
six keys to successful proposals
plus seven things you should not do.
by martin bissett
passport to partnership
what makes a written proposal become accepted by the potential client – every time?
more by martin bissett
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
proposal writing is a micro-science in its own right but here are the proven principles that it takes to get proposals accepted.
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bissett bullet: your biggest challenge
today’s bissett bullet: “answers by direct message, please. what do you predict will be the biggest challenge in growing your firm this year?”
by martin bissett
so many practice owners default to current trends to explain the challenges that they are under, whether that be practice technology or change in legislation. the reality is that the biggest challenge for you to grow your firm this year is the same as it was last year, the year before, and every year that you have been in practice. you need to believe in yourself enough to be broadcasting stories of your expertise to people who want to buy that expertise. that is always the biggest challenge in an accounting firm.
today’s to-do:
take a look today at how many publishable case studies or stories you currently have in your vault that demonstrate your expertise, and increase it by one.
see more bissett bullets here
bissett bullet: give me one good reason
today’s bissett bullet: “one reason why accounting professionals find it difficult to sell is that they rarely give a reason to move that the prospect cares about.”
by martin bissett
so much of the profession is focused on fee and service and the prospect, if moving to you for your fee and service, will really only care about those two matters. that is not a trusted advisor relationship. a trusted advisor creates the outcomes that the prospect wants to see in their lives. that is what separates superior accounting firms from the rest of the pack.
today’s to-do:
when reading your most recent proposal document from the client’s perspective, what was the compelling reason for them to sign up? what did you show them that they couldn’t walk away from?
see more bissett bullets here
nine business development metrics to measure
plus seven mistakes to avoid in winning new fees.
by martin bissett
passport to partnership
like it or not, the 21st-century accountant is in the relationship-building business.
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exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
when a qualified accountant learns the art of developing those relationships in such a way as they empower the practice to be able to forecast its new fee income each year, the accountant becomes a profit center and their value to the firm increases tenfold.
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