four checklists and 40 factors for sales success.
by rob nixon
think of the most successful salespeople you know.
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if you were to list their traits and characteristics then i would imagine that this list would apply.
- ethical
- problem solver
- personable
- trustworthy
- good communicator
- persistent
- passionate
- good product knowledge
- service-focused
- good listener
who am i am talking about here? it is the direct traits of the modern-day accountant. sure, some accountants do not openly display their passion, however i do know that some are having a party on the inside!
accountants make great salespeople because they have the inherent traits right now. what you are missing is a process. i am going to demystify sales and introduce you to a sales process that works.
marketing is not sales
accountants are not very good at marketing – marketing people are. my definition of marketing is “salesmanship multiplied.” my definition of sales is “finding out what the other person needs and then transferring emotion.” these definitions mean that marketing is a “one to many” strategy and sales is a “one-on-one” strategy.
marketing is a leveraged activity – such as seminars. writing, emails, letters and sales are not a leveraged activity. you can certainly “sell from stage” in a leveraged way at a seminar but what you are really doing is generating leads so you can speak with the prospects at a later date.
every accounting firm that has serious growth plans needs to hire full-time marketing people. the job of the marketing team (or initially a singular person) is to enhance your company brand – make you look good – and to generate inquiries from your existing and future client base. branding and leads – that’s all. make sure that your marketing person(s) is capable of doing this.
your marketing team might start with a marketing coordinator and you may end up with a full-time marketing manager and a small team that directs the marketing strategy of your business.
checklist: job duties in marketing
the role of your marketing team is to:
- manage your prospect database – add to it and keep it up to date with all contact details.
- manage your client database – see above.
- liaise with outside branding people to keep the image fresh.
- coordinate your regular newsletter.
- manage your website – freshness, words etc.
- liaise with your “centers of influence” and referral sources.
- edit and prepare your articles for distribution.
- manage your social media presence – blog, facebook, twitter etc.
- send out news releases, email blasts, mailers etc.
- organize and manage events – breakfast seminars, boardroom briefings, prospect luncheon meetings, cocktail receptions, seminars, webinars, teleseminars, conferences etc.
- book and manage nurturing visits (with existing clients) for the partners to turn up to.
- generate x number of leads per month using the above strategies.
the entire list above is leveraged activities. outside of the administration aspects of marketing, the best marketing people know how to sell. if your marketing people are good at selling then the words that they use (and how they use them) will have a great impact at generating leads.
often an accounting practice will look at the team and see who has a flair for marketing – and put them in the role. no accounting businesses will hire professionals who know what they are doing into the roles.
when hiring marketing people, make sure their primary focus is on generating leads. marketing people are great at spending money on “awareness” and “image” type campaigns that do not generate any leads at all. they need measurement metrics (just like everyone else in your business does) to go by and the best one (key performance indicator) is the number of leads generated each month.
members of my communities (my coaching club and the proactive accountants’ network) are hiring marketing people who are using our position descriptions all the time with great results. just like any position, you do not always get it right the first time. persevere with the strategy, pay the right amount of money and find the best people you can to market your business – you’ll be glad you did.
the 10 keys to selling accounting services
salespeople typically have a bad image around the world. even the word “sales” can make a lot of accountants cringe with distaste. the reason often is because you associate “salespeople” with words like: dishonest, unethical, convincing, unprofessional, high pressure and fast talker!
make no question many salespeople are like that. however, they will not be that successful at sales if they stay like that.
after more than 25 years successfully selling all sorts of products and services i think that being successful at sales is all about finding out what the other person needs and then transferring emotion.
that means …
- you need to ask the right questions.
- you need to actively listen.
- you need to show empathy.
- you need to solve problems.
- you need to have product knowledge.
- you need to really believe in your product.
- you need to be ethical.
- you need to be personable.
- you need to promote your product so the other person gets excited by it.
- you need to be persistent if you believe it is the right thing for the client.
it sounds a lot like being a good accountant!
what do you do every day as an accountant? you find client issues and you solve them. every day you are doing this. it’s the same with being successful at sales. you find what your clients need and then you convey the benefits of them buying what they need to buy.
to be successful at sales you have to proactively speak with people. that means you have to get out from behind your desk and go and visit people or meet with people who would be classed as a qualified inquiry. to do that you need to shake out of what i am calling “limiting sales beliefs.” it’s all the “mind chatter” that goes on when you are confronted with the reality that to serve your clients properly you need to make some sales.
the following diagram is a great example of some of the “chatter” that goes on with most accountants. i am sure you can relate to some (or maybe all) of them.
remember this.
- you can be good at sales if you have the inclination.
- yes, you are busy but there is nothing more important than properly serving your clients.
- you will come back with more work – more valuable work for your clients.
- your clients do not know what they do not know – you are the finance expert, not them.
- your clients do not have everything they need – they don’t know what they need.
- what the clients think is none of your business – it’s theirs.
- they will say no from time to time – every no is closer to a yes.
- if you act ethically in the sales process you will be seen as a professional.
as a professional accountant you have lots to offer your clients – you have to believe that. your job is to have relationships with your clients, to increase the average fee per client and to win new business. you must ensure all of your clients’ needs are met. you just need to get comfortable in talking with people to find out what they need.