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
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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.
2. create a results-oriented biography. let people know what you’ve accomplished so far in your career and what you’re capable of doing for them by writing a great bio that represents you well.
3. collect testimonials. the perfect time to ask for a testimonial is when a client tells you the results they’ve gotten from your services or compliments you in some way. simply ask, “could i put what you just said in writing to use for future clients?” and do the work for them.
4. give a speech. make a list of the top things you are always telling your clients, and that’s your speech. present it to local clubs, chambers and networking groups. speaking is face-to-face, the hottest marketing there is, plus it’s leveraged, meaning you’re talking to far more than just one person at a time. so it’s a great way to get business and get known.
5. track your online reputation. if you enter your name in google, what comes up? it should be your website, linkedin profile or an article about you. if not, you have some work to do to boost your online presence.
6. boast and post your client list. there are very few things better for credibility than seeing a full list of happy, well-known clients. if you don’t have confidentiality issues, post your client list with pride, or at least include it in your prospect kit.
7. get press. when you get quoted by the new york times or wall street journal, not only will you get new leads, but you can say “as seen in the wall street journal” in your marketing materials for the rest of your life.
8. build your following. the least expensive ways of staying in contact with thousands of your fans is to build a mechanism for them to stay in touch with you through social media, a newsletter or blog.
9. get published. write articles or a book and have them published by an independent third party for instant credibility.
10. win awards. the key is you have to find them and apply for them. once you do, you can say “award-winning” in your bio.
many professions, such as accounting, finance, legal, coaching, consulting and health care, rely more heavily on reputation building than traditional advertising, and these are some tips on exactly how it’s done.