marketing & sales

bissett bullet: why do i need to change to your firm?

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today’s bissett bullet: “we might understand the pressing need for the client to act fast on our proposals but do they?”

by martin bissett

being able to save a client thousands in tax may or may not convince them to use you. explaining how the redistribution of that saving brings them closer to realizing their professional and personal goals, will.

the less commercial urgency there is for a business to engage you, the easier it will be for them to reject your proposal.

today’s to-do:

what are the most common and pressing business issues that you’ve seen motivate businesses to join yours or other firms? are issues of that nature present in those businesses that you are currently talking to?

see more bissett bullets here

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how to put target marketing into context

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three people meeting, "strategy" written behind them

combine the best parts of two approaches.

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 is much ado, these days, about niche marketing and target marketing and using mailing lists and knowledge management. how does it all come together to make sense for the smaller accounting or law firm, particularly when there’s a limited marketing budget, and a limited opportunity to reach out to the marketplace?

more: how to build a marketing culture | professional services marketing requires flexibility | how to set marketing objectives | accounting marketing 3.0: new rules | nine fundamentals for a healthy marketing culture in an accounting firm
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

niche marketing is a valid concept, but unfortunately, it is inflated and distorted by suppliers of niche marketing materials. marketing niche marketing material doesn’t make the concept any less valid, although certainly, a distinction should be made between the products of different suppliers. some are clearly better and more relevant than others.

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bissett bullet: the price is right

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today’s bissett bullet: “in the accounting world, pricing is always an issue and it needn’t be.”

by martin bissett

when you price a new job, there are three prices to consider and we will cover these in more detail later but for now, the first is the ideal price – at which you would feel fairly remunerated for the results you bring to the client. the second is the walkaway price, at which you wouldn’t consider working with the client for any less than; and then the cost price, which is what it costs for you to complete the work.

any job you take on must fall between your ideal price and your walkaway price. do you know what they are?

today’s to-do:

sense check your most recent proposal. what will it cost you to complete the work? what would you ideally be paid for that work and at what price should you have been prepared to walk away? how did the figure you agreed on with that client compare?

see more bissett bullets here

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twelve fundamentals of planning

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man with hand on chin, looking at computer screen

how much control do you have?

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

there is no time like the present to get ready for the future. here is a checklist of 12 things you should thinking about. remember planning never stops. our environment is constantly changing.

more: six questions before asking for all the referrals you deserve | you only have four strategies | one question to guide your growth plans | five rules for a marketing orientation | the damage that traditional fee methods do | four ways to prepare for new business development | ten keys to marketing success
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

  1. what business am i in? are you in the automobile business or the transportation business? one is very narrowly defined and the other can broadly include anything that moves people or products. make sure you understand your business model and purpose.

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six questions before asking for all the referrals you deserve

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woman and man meeting in office; chart on his laptop screen

and how to approach your clients.

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

you would think that if you do a good job, you should get all the referrals you need. unfortunately, this is not always the case. sometimes, you must ask clients and referral sources for referrals. and many times, professionals just don’t know how to ask.

more: you only have four strategies | one question to guide your growth plans | five rules for a marketing orientation | the damage that traditional fee methods do | four ways to prepare for new business development | ten keys to marketing success
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

before you set up that next meeting to ask a client for referrals, ask yourself the following types of questions:

  1. have i provided meaningful service to the client?

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bissett bullet: know when to quit

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today’s bissett bullet: “you know that potential new client who never returns calls or emails? following up with them regularly is disciplined but also desperate.”

by martin bissett

i am always astonished when i go into accounting firms who expect me to be impressed by the fact that they follow up with prospects every month that they met with five years ago.

take the hint guys, it’s a waste of time. while having discipline for following up prospects is good, it is always a good idea to know when to cut your losses too.

today’s to-do:

take a look at any of your prospects who have not returned your last three calls, messages or emails and see if you can make a case to me personally as to why you should continue to be in contact with them. if you can convince me, you should carry on.

see more bissett bullets here

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four things better than a company song

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woman and man in office high-fiving and giving thumbs up

how to nurture motivation.

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.

at microsoft, they worry about motivation. when everybody who holds any kind of a responsible job is making more money than any of them ever dreamed they would, and when they’re in an industry that would pay anything to hire them away, how do you motivate people? how do you get them to stay, and to produce at the high levels demanded by microsoft and other high-tech companies?

more: secret marketing formula: get one client at a time | everyone in your firm is marketing | accountants vs. lawyers: who wins the marketing battle? | professional services marketing requires flexibility | how to set marketing objectives | how marketing in accounting has evolved | accounting marketing 3.0: new rules | nine fundamentals for a healthy marketing culture in an accounting firm
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

two ways. first, microsoft appeals to what creative people crave most – the opportunity to do great work, and then recognition for it by seeing it used. then they build a culture and a business to sustain that creativity. second, they hire the right people. they hire only those people who are motivated by what they have to offer. and it works. it’s one of the things that makes microsoft a great and successful company.
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bissett bullet: i just haven’t quite got round to it yet

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today’s bissett bullet: ‘why do we find it so hard to implement what we learn in marketing and business development courses? unfamiliarity? time? apathy? resources?’

by martin bissett

having pondered this for a long time, i’d suggest that while all of the above are contributory factors, it’s the lack of self-belief that is the ultimate barrier.

if that conclusion is correct, what about all the big claims on your website? are they true? then what’s stopping you from calling a new prospect this morning before you fire up the laptop?

today’s to-do:

action beats lip service. pick up the phone and speak to someone you want to do business with. don’t end the call until you have a meeting arranged in the diary with them.

see more bissett bullets here

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secret marketing formula: get one client at a time

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three arrows in center of bull's-eye

think of reputation-building and name recognition as pre-selling.

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.

here’s a little secret about professional services marketing.

it always comes down to selling the individual clients – one by one.

more: everyone in your firm is marketing | let’s lose the word ‘image’ | the risk in not understanding risk | what your marketing program can and can’t do | nine reasons that prospects say yes | how marketing evolved to 3.0
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

you can talk about strategies, and image, and niche marketing and branding. you can talk about articles, and brochures, and media releases and seminars. but it always comes down to selling the individual clients – one by one.

well … if you’re going to have to do that anyway, why not start with target marketing to begin with?
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one question to guide your growth plans

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businessman looking at question mark sketch on the walleven services need to be packaged.

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

marketing and business development do not have to be a painful experience. if it is, then i suggest that you simply stop what you are currently doing. how many of us are successful in doing painful activities? i know i’m not.

more: five rules for a marketing orientation | the damage that traditional fee methods do | four ways to prepare for new business development | ten keys to marketing success
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

start your marketing thinking with the following question: “what kind of firm do i want to have?” while i can offer some suggested answers, the real answer must come from you, and it shouldn’t be determined in two minutes.
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everyone in your firm is marketing

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every activity performed in an accounting firm is visible and of concern to prospective clientele.

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 following article appeared in the september 1980 issue of the virginia accountant. it is probably the first – or at least one of the first – articles on post-bates professional services marketing.

when, a few years ago, the codes of ethics were changed to allow straightforward marketing by professionals, there came into play a new configuration of circumstances and activities that will reverberate throughout the accounting profession for years to come.

more: let’s lose the word ‘image’ | 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 | why competition matters most
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

for generations, concepts of probity have pervaded public accounting. accountants were to be not merely independent, but well beyond the fray of public quarrel or exposure. the sword of the cpa has always been independence and, it was long felt, independence is compromised by public debate. and now comes marketing, the crux of which is visibility.
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bissett bullet: being best > being better > being different

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today’s bissett bullet: why are our clients paying us to serve them? what do they receive from us that they can’t get elsewhere for a similar or better price?

by martin bissett

please don’t say service and partner-led attention. everyone says that. seriously, what do we deliver that our competitors do not? the secret sauce is not found in service lines or technology. it’s found in outcomes and impact.

there will always be a firm with a wider service offering, larger marketing budget, more resources and greater technology. so, let’s not try to compete on things many businesses don’t understand or care about.

today’s to-do:

your current clients, including those who have joined you recently, chose you and not the others. establish a consensus on why that is and you’ve found your differentiation.

see more bissett bullets here

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let’s lose the word ‘image’

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it projects an infernal and involuted picture of things manipulated, unreal and untrue.

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.

some years ago, in a remarkably successful marketing move, a graphic designer specializing in logos, letterheads and the like came up with the concept of the corporate image. a brilliant concept, but more mirage than image.

more: marketing a fixed position in a moving world | accountants vs. lawyers: who wins the marketing battle? | professional services marketing requires flexibility | how to set marketing objectives | accounting marketing 3.0: new rules | nine fundamentals for a healthy marketing culture in an accounting firm
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

now one of the most successful operations in the marketing business, this company has managed to persuade its clients that corporate image is the key to corporate success. “image,” it seems, is the magic elixir. at many thousands of dollars a dose.
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