marketing & sales

eight questions that target personal accountability

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young man facing image of himself

what are you selling on?

by martin bissett
business development on a budget

the secret to overcoming failure to correctly implement a successful business development strategy is by “winning your first client” and this starts by being accountable to someone for your performance.

more: how to prepare for partnership | stop waiting for business to come to you | four key questions about leadership | showing leadership through customer service | the real math behind the sales pipeline | keep business development going during busy season | walk the commitment walk | two steps toward mastering selling | thirteen ways to show commitment | clients can’t grow without you | seven mistakes in winning new fees | how to develop your communication abilities | five questions for measuring partner potential

 

now that “someone” may be your fellow partners in the firm. if you are a senior manager, that may be the partner to whom you report.
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what makes a great website? 

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two women looking at a screen as they design a website

nine things to ask as you build.

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

don’t kid yourself: creating a great website takes a lot of time and creative talent. websites must also be constantly updated with new material.

more: losing can help you win more | three more strategies for growing your practice | understand the 10 steps of the buying process | calculate the cost of losing clients | eleven possible pitfalls of mergers | six ways to expand your client services checklist | ten questions to refine your successful marketing plan | four questions for choosing your marketing audit strategies | four steps to a successful email marketing campaign
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

if you plan to update your current website or prepare one for the first time, or if you plan to do it yourself or just hire a marketing communication specialist with website-building experience, make sure you have clear answers to the following questions:

  • who is your target market? accounting firms usually have more than one market they are going after. consider how your various markets will find themselves on your site.

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losing can help you win more

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man, woman, man having serious discussion around conference table

someone else got the client. do you know why?

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

this is not another sermon that tells you that each “no” gets you closer to a “yes” when you are selling. the purpose of this post is to improve your proposal success ratio so that you get fewer “nos” and more “yeses.”

more: three more strategies for growing your practice | four strategies for building your practice | market technology services through workshops and training | the secrets of great business developers | dodge the four curses of a production orientation | client acquisition never stops | ‘sales’ is not a four-letter word | maybe what you need is a marketing audit | three types of marketing message, and which is best
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i am an advocate of doing client and prospective client satisfaction surveys. if you aren’t doing followup surveys with lost prospects and clients you have lost to other firms, i suggest that you start now. you can gain a better understanding of why you lose prospects and clients, and then you can change whatever it is that you are doing wrong and be more successful in bringing in new business and keeping it.
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three more strategies for growing your practice

by

female speaker standing in front of screen, speaking to audience

show people what they stand to lose without your expertise.

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

in my last post i provided you with four basic practice-building strategies that don’t cost you anything other than your time.

more: four strategies for building your practice | eight areas to cover for personal goals | service quality: the key to client retention | how life cycle changes your marketing | clients buy solutions, not features | make sure you know what you will get from your marketing | three pillars support a successful accounting firm | clients have six reasons for needing you | six ways to market your technology consulting practice
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

they were (1) keep in touch with former clients, (2) call existing clients, (3) ask for help and (4) get out and be seen. here are three more strategies for you to consider:
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the irs tidal wave is here

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man silhouetted against open doorway in tidal wave

what you need to know now.

by eric green

for over a year now, we’ve been saying that the irs was properly funded and warned it would unleash a tidal wave of work. we also warned you that we would be dealing with all sorts of untrained employees. the bad news, at least for clients, is that day has come.

more: s corp clients beware | four ways to handle federal tax liens | the irs is coming! get your clients into compliance | tax chat: eric green reveals the tax rep guide to tax season | what i wish clients knew about tax liens | tax: explaining the bad news about canceled debt to clients | offers in compromise aren’t for everyone
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

the good news for tax pros is that with this wave of enforcement spells opportunities for representation work. what you do still have to navigate is the impact of untrained employees, who are creating their own set of challenges.
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stop waiting for business to come to you

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hand using key to unlock door

a proactive approach is where many fall short.

by martin bissett
business development on a budget

have you noticed all of those titles in the local bookstore or at the airport offering us the “key” to this and the “key” to that, the “six keys” to one thing, and the “four keys” to another?

more: are you projecting confidence? | five questions to help forecast your firm growth | do you deliver on your website’s promises? | five questions about facing challenges | be clear about your roi proposition | it’s time to prepare the next generation | who are you more committed to, your firm or your clients? | nine checkpoints before every prospect meeting | three questions about conversion | six keys to turning prospects into clients | don’t overlook internal communication | four reasons people struggle with communication | why firm culture matters for partners
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

it also seems that every book is a “game-changer” now, to the point where it is difficult to understand what the game is anymore, never mind how to play it.
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four strategies for building your practice

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four people eating together

are you meeting new people?

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

i am often asked, “what can i do to acquire new clients?” i usually reply with another question: “what are you doing now to acquire new clients?”

more: eight areas to cover for personal goals | understand the 10 steps of the buying process | calculate the cost of losing clients | eleven possible pitfalls of mergers | six ways to expand your client services checklist | ten questions to refine your successful marketing plan | four questions for choosing your marketing audit strategies | four steps to a successful email marketing campaign
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

the usual responses are: “i have a newsletter, i attend the local rotary and chamber of commerce luncheons, and i talk with my clients.” these are good things to do, but they are not the only things you should be doing to acquire new clients. you might want to add four no-cost strategies to your action plans.
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are you projecting confidence?

by

woman with ponytail reflected in window

you are your first client. what’s your first impression?

by martin bissett
 business development on a budget

winning your first client is all about understanding why someone would buy from you before you ever speak to them, before you ever meet them, before you ever start the preparation for talking to them.

more: five questions to help forecast your firm growth | four key questions about leadership | showing leadership through customer service | the real math behind the sales pipeline | keep business development going during busy season | walk the commitment walk | two steps toward mastering selling | thirteen ways to show commitment | clients can’t grow without you | seven mistakes in winning new fees | how to develop your communication abilities | five questions for measuring partner potential | five ways to rally your firm to its culture
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

this discipline too often goes unexplained by most sales training programs offered to the accounting profession, but ultimately we have to be comfortable with who we are and the value that we offer.
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eight areas to cover for personal goals

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woman holding eyeglasses and looking at laptop screen

you can make yourself more valuable, but it takes some planning.

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

there is never a bad time to set goals and it doesn’t have to take a lot of time to do so. every goal-setting book tells you to write down what you want to accomplish. if you do, you are more likely to achieve your goals.

more: understand the 10 steps of the buying process | market technology services through workshops and training | the secrets of great business developers | dodge the four curses of a production orientation | client acquisition never stops | ‘sales’ is not a four-letter word | maybe what you need is a marketing audit | three types of marketing message, and which is best | why you need progress billing | five tips for cross-selling and upselling | five keys to successful marketing | twelve fundamentals of planning | one question to guide your growth plans
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

imagine yourself as a balance sheet. what do you need to do to make yourself more valuable next year than this year? one way is to invest in yourself so that you perform at a higher level.
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