bissett bullet: the mindset curve
today’s bissett bullet: “how long does it take for a technical professional such as an accountant to move out of their comfort zone and build business development habits?”
by martin bissett
marketing & sales
dodge the four curses of a production orientation
bonus: an illustration using two firms, one oriented to both production and marketing.
by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services
an emphasis on production (billable hours) can have negative consequences for an accounting firm. an emphasis on billable hours causes professionals to focus on internal measurements, i.e., the number of hours charged to a client, and not external measurements such as client satisfaction.
more: clients buy solutions, not features | 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 | five reasons to implement change orders | make your practice better | eleven marketing strategies for smaller firms
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
it also emphasizes the technical aspect of accounting work and keeps professionals from developing a marketing mindset. let’s look at the four negative consequences of a production orientation.
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do you want more publicity? or better publicity?
determine the reason you want it in the first place.
by bruce marcus
professional services marketing 3.0
editor’s note: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 was privileged to have a long relationship with bruce w. marcus, who was ahead of his time in his thinking and practice in marketing for accounting. we are publishing some of the late expert’s evergreen work, which retains wisdom for the present.
in the early days of publicity, when it was low-down press agentry and not high-blown public relations, the idea was to get your client’s name in the paper. often. in any context. just spell it right.
more: how to write media releases that capture an editor’s attention | nine ways to choose your pr person | when there’s a leak in your firm | eighteen things advertising can do for your firm | how and why client service teams work | manage knowledge as a marketing tool | secret marketing formula: get one client at a time | marketing a fixed position in a moving world | how to build a marketing culture
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
in the early days of marketing professional services, it became clear that merely to get your firm’s name in the paper, in any context, didn’t help much. ego, maybe, but nothing more. a new approach to publicity had to be developed.
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bissett bullet: make it a ‘no brainer’
today’s bissett bullet: “the best way to talk about price is in terms of what they’re paying already.”
by martin bissett
when you talk to clients (or potential clients) about the price you want them to pay, minimize the impact for them. first, take your proposed annual fee and divide it by 12 to give them a monthly price. then, look at what they pay already and only talk to them about the increase on what they already pay (if any) rather than the amount in full.
today’s to-do:
take out the last proposal you wrote that was unsuccessful, take the price you quoted that client and minimize it as above. what difference could it have made to their mindset if they were presented with only the increase on their monthly fee?
see more bissett bullets here
twelve ways your business card can hurt you
does your card tell your prospect what to do next?
by sandi leyva
the complete guide to marketing for tax & accounting firms
the lowly business card: we don’t give it a second thought before we get the thing printed up, and we just do what everyone else does.
more: how to use chatgpt to create images | how to leverage chatgpt during this crazy tax season | eight steps to getting started with ai: a guide for tax professionals | you don’t have a time problem | three money leaks and how to plug them | eleven ways to serve clients even better | make your prospect kit stand out | six ways to beat the competition | grow your revenue with three marketing strategies
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
many people, new in business, get the business cards printed before they’re really ready to, which causes many of the mistakes i list below. experienced or new, you’re missing huge opportunities to let your business card take some of the work off your shoulders. we may take it for granted, but i feel that your business card is one of your most important pieces of marketing collateral – and the most underutilized.
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clients buy solutions, not features
four elements to consider in every selling situation.
by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services
selling professional services is not as difficult as some accountants and consultants believe. i like to define sales as solving a client’s problem. if you think in these terms, you’ll realize that this is what we do every day.
sales is the lifeblood of every business out there. if we did not sell our services and products, we would not have a firm or business. so, don’t think of sales as something unprofessional. it’s an integral part of growing your practice.
more: six ways to expand your client services checklist | 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
my goal is to make you feel more comfortable with the sales process. here goes! remember, you are selling solutions to problems – or, as i like to say, selling the sizzle and not the bacon. it’s not the service or product that you are selling, it’s the benefits to the clients. clients and prospects aren’t buying the features of the system as much as what those features can do for them.
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how to write media releases that capture an editor’s attention
forget the five w’s and other clichés.
by bruce marcus
professional services marketing 3.0
editor’s note: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 was privileged to have a long relationship with bruce w. marcus, who was ahead of his time in his thinking and practice in marketing for accounting. we are publishing some of the late expert’s evergreen work, which retains wisdom for the present.
a recent business communication book says that in writing press releases, the lead paragraph should include the five w’s – who, why, what, when and where.
a textbook on journalism written in the 1920s says the same thing – the five w’s.
more: nine ways to choose your pr person | when bad news happens to good firms | creating the perfect ad | how hard do you work to keep your clients? | when clients think they know marketing | how to put target marketing into context | everyone in your firm is marketing | accountants vs. lawyers: who wins the marketing battle? | professional services marketing requires flexibility | how to set marketing objectives
nothing has changed in more than 70 years? don’t believe it. just read any good newspaper in the u.s., canada or great britain. and what newspapers do is what press releases must do. why?
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bissett bullet: how are we doing?
today’s bissett bullet: “how often do you ask your current clients for feedback?”
by martin bissett
building great client relationships is a fundamental part of gaining worthwhile referrals for your firm, and understanding which of your clients are the most satisfied will give you an indication of your most passionate advocates.
how do you find out? ask them! ask how satisfied they are, how likely they would be to recommend you to a business and whether they would be willing to provide a short testimonial for marketing purposes.
today’s to-do:
how you gather that feedback is entirely up to you. whether you pick up the phone or send a short feedback survey, keep it simple.
see more bissett bullets here
nine ways to choose your pr person
the rules of the game have changed.
by bruce marcus
professional services marketing 3.0
editor’s note: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 was privileged to have a long relationship with bruce w. marcus, who was ahead of his time in his thinking and practice in marketing for accounting. we are publishing some of the late expert’s evergreen work, which retains wisdom for the present.
there was a time when all you needed was a roll of nickels and a phone booth, and you were in the pr game. of course, all clients expected then was that you get their names in the paper. for most of the publicity clients in those days, that was sufficient.
more: when bad news happens to good firms | why accountants should be nice to journalists | ten keys to crafting ads | four things to know about social media | internal communications are underrated | four things better than a company song | let’s lose the word ‘image’ | the risk in not understanding risk | what your marketing program can and can’t do
“those days” were the late 1920s and 1930s, before pr became public relations, and before we were beset with such glorious concepts as “image,” and “positioning,” and “niche marketing.” today, public relations is infinitely more sophisticated than that, as is the public relations client. the public relations program for any modern corporation is to its publicity ancestor as desktop publishing is to hieroglyphics. and of course, the public relations program for the professional firm is different, too.
but to have a sophisticated public relations program requires not just a sophisticated practitioner, but a sophisticated client. a firm, if it knows how, will always find a good public relations practitioner or consultant, but a consultant is only as capable as the firm he or she serves.
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six ways to expand your client services checklist
it’s key to client retention.
by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services
let’s explore ways to provide additional services to existing clients. here is a short checklist that will help you obtain additional services for your clients.
more: client acquisition never stops | 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 | sixteen marketing activities to try | the four steps of your personal marketing process | how does your firm measure up? | six questions before asking for all the referrals you deserve
- other than accounting and tax services, what additional services do you provide to this client? create a spreadsheet listing the type of service, the fees, the year of service, the engagement leader and the client’s satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 5. if your list of additional services is lengthy, you are providing good service to the client. if it is short, continue to the following questions.
bissett bullet: keep your distance
today’s bissett bullet: “first impressions last. when you meet with a prospective client for the first time, how do you want them to remember you?”
by martin bissett
it is important that you demonstrate enthusiasm for that prospect and their business but it is also important to remember that there is a fine line between “upbeat” and “overbearing” and the latter can be construed as “pushy,” which will do you no favors.
in your eagerness to build rapport, be sure to avoid overfamiliarity. demonstrate that working with you would be a better experience than they currently have, but do so by showing that you care and are excited by the opportunity, without invading their personal space or finishing their sentences for them.
today’s to-do:
be aware of how well intentioned attempts to build rapport and put a prospect at ease could achieve quite the opposite.
see more bissett bullets here
the real math behind the sales pipeline
four business development steps that are worth your while.
by martin bissett
business development on a budget
i’ve taken many accounting firm partners through this process, and it’s quite common for them to balk a little at the pipeline idea when they see the amount of work involved.
more: five questions for grading prospects | 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
they see it as just another call on their time when they already have far too much to do, and they ask me why they can’t just write down a list of prospects and go to work on them.
is that what you’ve been thinking? well, here’s why that doesn’t work.
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when bad news happens to good firms
don’t go spinning out of control.
by bruce marcus
professional services marketing 3.0
editor’s note: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 was privileged to have a long relationship with bruce w. marcus, who was ahead of his time in his thinking and practice in marketing for accounting. we are publishing some of the late expert’s evergreen work, which retains wisdom for the present.
every election campaign produces, among other things, media myths and bad language. during the elections of the last two decades, the language was infected by a new myth called spin control. the phrase, which broke a speed record in becoming a cliché after the 1988 election, implies that a good media relations practitioner can control the nature and texture of a story in the press – can put the right spin on it to get the journalist to tell it the spinner’s way.
more: why accountants should be nice to journalists | when there’s a leak in your firm | eighteen things advertising can do for your firm | how and why client service teams work | manage knowledge as a marketing tool | secret marketing formula: get one client at a time | marketing a fixed position in a moving world | how to build a marketing culture | have you planned how to service your new revenue? | why is change so hard for firms? | why value pricing works
it’s just not so. for all that the myth implies, when it comes to the media, we propose – but others dispose. thus it was, and thus it always shall be, so long as we have a free press.
but is the telling always accurate? no. is it always fair? no. sometimes, despite all of the public relations professionalism, and despite all the cooperation we may offer the media, the story comes out badly. disaster, dispensed in the aura of a supposedly objective media, doesn’t merely strike, it reverberates.
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