here’s what you’re looking for: martin bissett

plus: 10 more questions to check your comfort level.

by martin bissett
understanding selling

i’ve been asking you to believe in yourself, to get your potential clients to open up to you, and to demonstrate to them the outcomes that working with you and your firm would create in their personal and professional lives.

more: the three habits of the rich accountant | you can’t land your next client without this | if you’re selling, you’re doing it wrong | what partners don’t tell you
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

now here’s a checklist for you to run through before you begin your next business development initiative, and before each new business appointment that you have.

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how can expect any prospect to buy into us?

by martin bissett
winning your first client

it’s about time to realize that value is not about time.

more: focus on your client’s concerns, not yours | 4 reasons selling is hard | if you’re selling, you’re doing it wrong | 8 questions for business success | why believing in yourself matters | what partners don’t tell you | don’t wait for business to come to you | your first sale is to yourself
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

when i look back on the research that has been conducted by various groups as to the biggest obstacles accounting firms cite to growing their practice,

• 50 percent said creating opportunities,
• 25 percent said knowing how to close deals
• and the remainder said having self-confidence in presenting and then being able to positively differentiate from their competition.

let’s not sell, let’s attract.

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attract new fees instead of chasing them.

by martin bissett
winning your first client

let’s start with two simple definitions to avoid any confusion:

1. the purpose of marketing is to create the opportunity.
2. the purpose of business development (sales) is to convert that opportunity into a paying client.

more: 4 reasons selling is hard | if you’re selling, you’re doing it wrong | 8 questions for business success | why believing in yourself matters | what partners don’t tell you | don’t wait for business to come to you | your first sale is to yourself
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

when we meet with prospective clients – and i say this as someone who has sat in on many hundreds of meetings of this nature – we rarely give potential clients a reason to buy from us that they care about.

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but it doesn’t have to be.

by martin bissett
winning your first client

let’s take a look at the last 16 years of my experience and my research as to where new clients come from in an accounting practice. i don’t think there are going to be too many shocks here.

more: if you’re selling, you’re doing it wrong | 8 questions for business success | why believing in yourself matters | what partners don’t tell you | don’t wait for business to come to you | your first sale is to yourself

exclusively for pro members.
log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

what i’ve found is that 82 percent of all new clients in a given year who come into an accounting firm come in from a referral source. this may be a bank or a lawyer or some other source, perhaps an existing client, who has recommended that a particular business meet with your firm and come on board as a client.
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start treating it like a service.

by martin bissett
winning your first client

being a successful person according to your own measurement of that, and your own goals and your own standards is different for everyone.

more: 8 questions for business success | why believing in yourself matters | what partners don’t tell you | don’t wait for business to come to you | your first sale is to yourself
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

if you’re comfortable with yourself, it’s very likely that others will be too. if you understand the value that you offer (how you can improve a client’s situation to move them closer toward their personal and professional aspirations), you’re likely to be able to convey that value in front of a prospect.
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perception, even your own, is reality.

by martin bissett

“no man has the ability to step outside of the shadow of his own character.”
— robespierre

as far as our potential clients are concerned, how they perceive us is how we really are to them, regardless of the truth of the matter.

more: what partners don’t tell you | don’t wait for business to come to you | your first sale is to yourself
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

because of this, it’s important to realize that when we are meeting a new potential client who has not been referred to us, it does not matter what the reality of our value proposition is; it matters how that potential client perceives our value proposition. therefore, to be effective
in winning work, we must understand how we can positively influence their perception of us at each stage of the relationship-building process.
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