marketing & sales

bissett bullet: the next level of advisory

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today’s bissett bullet: “if advisory stage one is client care then advisory stage two is simply about providing the basics. by doing so, you help your clients to take control of their current situation and their future – today!”

by martin bissett

advisory is about helping your client to provide for both worst-case and best-case scenarios with the knowledge, skills and experience that you have. support them with budgeting, tax planning, financial forecasting, management reporting and so on.

remember to charge them appropriately for your advice, knowledge and skills.

today’s to-do:

are you supporting all of your clients in this way? who among them presents an opportunity for fee growth? arrange a meeting with them.

see more bissett bullets here

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three types of marketing message, and which is best

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woman stands facing three open doors

what are you trying to accomplish?

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

there is no silver bullet when it comes to marketing. that does not mean that having a focused marketing plan is not of critical importance to the success of your consulting practice. at last count, there were more than 15 different marketing tools that you can use to support your sales efforts, to generate leads and to get prospects to select your firm.

more: six ways to market your technology consulting practice | five reasons to implement change orders | make your practice better | eleven marketing strategies for smaller firms | five questions for developing your marketing plan | you only have four strategies | the damage that traditional fee methods do
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the first question that comes to mind is, “which of the marketing tools should my firm use?” only you can answer that question, but here are some other things to consider in reaching your decision:
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seven steps to keeping your clients forever

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two businessmen shaking hands at a restaurant table

bonus: you’ll probably see more revenue from them, too.

by sandi leyva
the complete guide to marketing for tax & accounting firms

it’s far less expensive to keep your existing clients happy than it is to find new clients, especially since the trust factor between people is at an all-time low.

more: ten ways to make your business irresistible | eleven ways to serve clients even better | eight ways to build busy-season stamina | make your prospect kit stand out | six ways to beat the competition | grow your revenue with three marketing strategies | what can chatgpt do for accounting professionals?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

so you might want to think about redirecting a portion of your marketing attention on your existing client base instead of networking for new clients.

i’ve met a lot of business owners who have trouble getting their employees to sell while they’re on-site, and i’ve also heard from some customers who’ve remarked that their vendors don’t stay in touch with them. so here are some tips to mine the pot of gold that lies right before you: your current clients who already trust you and are eager to hear about new solutions that will ease their pain and problems.
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bissett bullet: ask for the business

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today’s bissett bullet: “some accounting firms like to do as much as they can to win a prospect’s business except actually asking for it. what else are you meeting with them for?”

by martin bissett

it never ceases to amaze me how much work an accounting firm will put into winning a client and yet not have the guts or fortitude to actually ask for the business when the time comes. what other reason was there for the two of you meeting all this time? there was only one commercial imperative. shall we work together or not? the superior accounting firm does not struggle in asking for business.

today’s to-do:

today, practice a phrase that you feel comfortable with using at the conclusion of a conversation with a prospective client. this could be, “so on that basis, can we now proceed?” or it could be, “so can we schedule a date for the first meeting?” or any other of your choosing, whatever is comfortable for you, but make sure you use it.

see more bissett bullets here

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how hard do you work to keep your clients?

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woman in white office meeting with man

keep your clients out of the competitive pool.

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.

the conventional wisdom is that getting a new client costs more than keeping an old one. and for once, the conventional wisdom is correct.

yet, many professionals too readily take clients for granted. or don’t look for opportunities to increase revenues from perfectly satisfied clients.

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ten ways to make your business irresistible

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magnet drawing in three people

draw new clients in like a magnet.

by sandi leyva
the complete guide to marketing for tax & accounting firms

if you’re an expert at something, don’t be the best-kept secret on your block. get the word out about what you can offer others, and one way to do that easily, especially if you’re an accountant, is to build your reputation.

more: eleven ways to serve clients even better | give to receive, and eight more ways to boost sales | five things that clients don’t know about accountants | five ways to wow your clients | how to fight feeling overwhelmed | you’re missing 60% of your revenue | make the most of cpe conferences | beyond compliance: six tips for adding value | track six figures to test your marketing | when you don’t know what you don’t know
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

here are 10 quick tips to boost yours.

1. get credentialed, certified or educated. a good credential – and the cpa is pretty much the gold standard – will get you instant credibility with your prospects and clients. you are simply treated better and respected more when you’ve earned a credential that others recognize.
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bissett bullet: this too shall pass

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today’s bissett bullet: “you will undoubtedly encounter challenges in business, just as there will be good times. the important thing to remember is that neither lasts forever.”

by martin bissett

when you are experiencing bad times, keep perspective and plan for when circumstances are different and you’re able to grow. when times are good, build your cash reserves to weather any storms that may be ahead.

today’s to-do:

if today is a bad time, what would you do differently once the storm has passed? if today is a good time, are you building your cash reserves to cushion you from harder times ahead?

see more bissett bullets here

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six ways to market your technology consulting practice

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hands on keyboard, network illustrated with connected dots

plus how to decide what services to offer.

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

computer consulting has evolved over the last 30 years and there are more choices than ever before. in fact, it is much more than just a computer and is now rebranded as technology consulting. recent changes in technology will force us to learn a new type of technology consulting. despite your current level of technology consulting sophistication, you will still need to market your services.

more: five reasons to implement change orders | 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 | four ways to prepare for new business development
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

get started by asking yourself (your team) the following three questions:
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bissett bullet: who do you know?

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today’s bissett bullet: “we convert high-profit clients by creating peer-level relationships and earning respect. we convert low-profit ones by discounting and devaluing.”

by martin bissett

if you ever hear an expert or practice guru advising you to lowball fees in order to win work, stop listening to them immediately, burn all the books you have in their name and understand that this is a profit-first business. lowballing always creates a profit-last scenario in your future.

today’s to-do:

take a look today at how many relationships you have with introducers in your locale, be they bank managers, be they financial advisers or be they somebody else altogether. if you do not have many of those, you need to strengthen your peer-level relationships in the town that you are in.

see more bissett bullets here

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bissett bullet: the tortoise will always beat the hare

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today’s bissett bullet: “when times are tough, choose short-term lifestyle changes over sacrificing long-term investments.”

by martin bissett

the temptation will always be to cash in an investment in order to enjoy the spoils of your previous discipline and maintain the lifestyle to which you have become accustomed. before you sacrifice your future with no guarantee that you’ll ever catch up on that lost income, have you considered cutting back?

play the long game for your future. run a budget at home and in your business that ensures that you spend less than you earn and that allows you to invest even when times are hard. stay the course slowly but surely and resist the urge to keep up with the joneses.

today’s to-do:

where could you cut back if you had to in order to avoid sacrificing an investment you’ve worked hard toward? make a list of unnecessary outgoings that could be canceled in the event of a reduction in income.

see more bissett bullets here

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give to receive, and eight more ways to boost sales

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confident businesswoman handing man a business card in networking session

these tips work for referrals, too.

by sandi leyva
the complete guide to marketing for tax & accounting firms

networking is an essential part of building your business.

whether you network locally, nationally or internationally, there are some tips that are common to all businesses:

more: five ways to target the low-hanging fruit | eight ways to build busy-season stamina | make your prospect kit stand out | six ways to beat the competition | grow your revenue with three marketing strategies | what can chatgpt do for accounting professionals? | generative ai: should you avoid it or adopt it? | want better clients? here’s how | get your name in the news
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

1. be crystal clear about what you do and how people can use you. also know exactly who your ideal client is in case you’re asked. if you don’t do this, you’ll leave people scratching their heads about you and they won’t know how to connect with you even if they want to.
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two steps toward mastering selling

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two women shaking hands across a table

it’s a new skill. you have to practice.

by martin bissett
business development on a budget

if winning new clients is simply a matter of being yourself, why is selling so difficult for accountants? well, it’s a combination of several factors, but there are two main reasons.

more: rate your personal purpose | nine checkpoints before every prospect meeting | three questions about conversion | six keys to turning prospects into clients | don’t overlook internal communication | why firm culture matters for partners | competence is step one of seven
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

first, accountants have not traditionally been required to sell. maybe your practice has grown by referral – business has come to you and you haven’t had to do much to win that business. unfortunately, however, business doesn’t always walk through the door; you don’t know how often it will, or what caliber it will be when it does.
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four things to know about social media

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man's hand writing social media strategies on a whiteboard

talking to prospects when prospects can talk back.

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 are four things to know about what we now call the social media.

first, it’s media – a means of communication, a medium, not of itself a magic carpet. which means that its value lies in its ability to convey ideas and facts to a vast world of viewers. which means, as well, that we’re back to the old computer nostrum of “garbage in, garbage out.” or to paraphrase another (if contrarian) view, it’s not the medium, it’s the message.

more: how and why client service teams work | 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
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

second, it substantially changes the world of marketing. in the old marketing, we talked to people who couldn’t really talk back (other than by buying or not buying what we were selling). very primitive and cumbersome.
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