client referrals are not enough.
by russ alan prince
the phrase “the rich are getting richer” is right on point. but, in today’s economy, it is a little deceiving.
more: growth during a recession? here’s how | wealthy drive expansion of family offices | does wealth management make sense for your firm? | five business models for wealth management | the life insurance that your firm needs | create family dynasties and add value, roi | four core principles for elite wealth management
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
looking at what’s happening, we find that the affluent are under pressure while the wealthy and especially the ultrawealthy, and even more so the super-rich, are still financially distancing themselves from everyone else. what we are seeing is a greater bifurcation of the wealthy.
one of the most effective ways to excel for accountants with high-net-worth practices is to work with ever-wealthier individuals and families. whereas those less affluent still need professional expertise, significantly greater revenues and profits are with the very wealthy. this is not at all a new revelation.
to achieve substantial success, you need to be able to connect with and deliver value to the very wealthy. for many accountants, the most problematic aspect of growing their practices is connecting with the wealthy, let alone the very wealthy.
the most common way accountants with high-net-worth practices get new clients is through client referrals. this approach becomes less and less viable when connecting with the wealthy. so as the very wealthy further distance themselves from the everyday wealthy and affluent, client referrals will be less likely to produce new opportunities.
a very effective way for accountants to connect with the very wealthy is by getting introductions from other professionals such as wealth managers and attorneys. only some accountants are even modestly good at facilitating such introductions. however, some methodologies enable accountants with high-net-worth practices to get a steady stream of new very wealthy clients.
one such methodology is ultimate rainmaker. with ultimate rainmaker, the aim is to build a pipeline of new, very wealthy clients who can benefit from your expertise now. not only do you and the very wealthy benefit, but so do the professionals who are introducing you to their best clients.
a central objective of ultimate rainmaker is for you to help other professionals become more successful. this is easy to accomplish and never necessarily entails introducing these other professionals to your clients. instead, through discovery, you develop a deep understanding of each professional and the nature of their practice. with this information, you can draw on various perspectives and processes to help the professionals you work with meaningfully grow their practices. with ultimate rainmaker, everyone wins.
ultimate rainmaker is not viable for a large percentage of accountants because it requires a different orientation that is “uncomfortable” for many of them. therefore, if you master ultimate rainmaker, you will be able to be constantly introduced to the very wealthy.
to be clear … because of the bifurcation of the wealthy, the very wealthy are, in many respects, the preferred clients of accountants with high-net-worth practices. moreover, if you want to grow your practice seriously, the very wealthy will become your best, if not only, option. at the same time, methodologies such as ultimate rainmaker are the best way for you to connect with the very wealthy.