yes, you need all three.
by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services
some firms go from one marketing activity to another without much success. the firms that are successful do the basics very well. like any athlete in spring training, accountants and consultants need to practice the basics of building their practices.
more: four questions for choosing your marketing audit strategies | maybe what you need is a marketing audit | three types of marketing message, and which is best | why you need progress billing | five tips for cross-selling and upselling | five keys to successful marketing | twelve fundamentals of planning | one question to guide your growth plans | four ways to prepare for new business development
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
here are the basics:
- creating opportunities to meet people
- developing good listening skills
- learning how to sell benefits rather than services/products
- knowing how to overcome objections
- providing client service that makes the client want to say, “wow!”
but before we get to these basics, let’s recall that there are three pillars that support a successful firm: marketing, selling and client service. you need to engage in all three.
marketing. we can best define marketing as any activity that creates an opportunity for you to get in front of a prospect or client. marketing activities such as blogs, podcasts, articles and speaking engagements create opportunities for you to interact with prospects and clients.
marketing also includes market analysis. it’s a given that you can’t be all things to all people. analyze your practice by industry (health care, real estate, professional service firms, etc.) and by specialty (state and local tax, estate planning, mergers, etc.). each industry has unique needs, and you need to identify them to be competitive in the market. creating solutions to client problems is a marketing issue. part of the equation is how you promote your solutions to the segments and how you will price your services.
selling. selling, on the other hand, is problem solving. if you think of it in these terms, you shouldn’t have any problem embracing it. to solve a problem, you need to learn how to listen and identify their needs. if you can sell the need, you will have a client.
client service. client service is delivering on the promises that you made. in short, it’s doing for the client what you told him you were going to do, meeting deadlines and partnering with the client. complete the following questionnaire to find out how marketing-oriented you are. answer each statement yes or no.
- i believe that marketing time is just as important as billable time.
- the busy season is an excuse not to market.
- i have committed a set amount of time and dollars toward my annual marketing efforts.
- i meet monthly with my partners or an outside consultant to discuss my marketing accomplishments and action plans for the coming month.
- i am using a client relationship management system to track my marketing activities.
- i have a marketing plan with specific objectives and action steps.
- i feel comfortable meeting new people.
- i feel comfortable asking for referrals.
scoring: for each yes answer, give yourself one point; for each no answer, give yourself zero points.
- seven to 8 points: you have the right attitude. now implement.
- four to 6 points: you’re moving in the right direction.
- one to 3 points: start developing a new attitude or be prepared for some tough times.
learn the basics before going on to more complicated marketing activities.