five tasks that will take some reflection.
by martin bissett
business development on a budget
over the years, many partners have told me about their struggles to grow their firms proactively, the main one being that they feel they must sell, which goes against the grain for them. have you ever felt that way?
more: six keys to getting a proposal accepted | six keys to turning prospects into clients | don’t overlook internal communication | why firm culture matters for partners | three things that rich accountants do | four reasons it’s hard to sell | eight questions to hold yourself accountable | win your first client: yourself | perception is reality, client version
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perhaps you’ve never had to sell before, and it is taking you way out of your comfort zone. you are entering into unfamiliar territory, that alien landscape called “selling.”
in reality, though, you’ve been selling the whole time. to have won the work you’ve won up to now, to recruit the talent you have, to build the relationships you have – you’ve had to sell yourself at each stage. you’ve had to sell the idea that working with you is in the best interests of the other person, so you are always selling in one way or another.
if you are like many partners i’ve worked with over the years, you may feel that selling in some way cheapens the profession, that it doesn’t befit someone in your station. but if you just shift your perspective a little, you will see that professional selling is little more than relationship building, and the more natural and uncontrived it is, the more successful you will be in applying it.
so i ask you to begin by ridding yourself of the stigma you have attached to the word selling. it’s building relationships so that everyone benefits from working together. once you internalize that idea, you will gradually find your approach to clients and prospects change. every time you pick up the phone, present yourself to a client, work with a team – you will start to feel a little more relaxed about what you need to do to win the sorts of new fees that will build your firm.
“how do i do that?” i hear you ask.
business development tasks
1. begin by asking yourself why a business would choose your firm to act for them. make a list of the reasons you believe they might choose your firm over the competition.
2. carefully consider whether you truly believe your firm can help potential clients. this is vital, because prospects will detect if you don’t believe it and choose not to work with you – usually without explaining why. give this a lot of thought.
3. make sure your own house is in order. that means your professional and personal conduct supports the perception a potential client has of someone in your position. note some behaviors that should change.
4. resolve to move out of your comfort zone in small, manageable steps. instill in yourself the desire to learn, grow and develop in this unfamiliar territory, because it’s in the interests of your long-term prosperity. what would be your first steps?
5. schedule specific, non-interruptible time in your diary to do what is necessary to deepen your belief in these convictions. make notes on this as needed.