plus how to craft your biography.
by sandi leyva
reputation is a very common way that experts get business, and the power of this method for marketing is often overlooked.
more small firm growth strategies: partnering: referrals on steroids | 3 more kinds of referrals | turn to the abcs for client feedback | use client ‘touch plans’ to stay in touch | build your revenue plan in reverse | 5 fast, easy ways to turn annual clients into year-round clients | how to teach financial literacy | best practices for growth: network, specialize, share | 10 easy tips to boost your business cash flow | 2 ways to serve clients better | how to fire a client | how to manage client expectations
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
when you are hired through repute, the client initially learns about you from some other source other than yourself or your firm’s employees. they may see your work or discover your work ethic in a variety of ways:
- articles you wrote in a newspaper, magazine or blog
- speeches you’ve given at a conference or local club
- media mentions – something a journalist wrote about you
- a book you wrote
- a product you created or were mentioned in
- a credential you earned
- an award you won and the related publicity
- social media, to a very minor degree
- participation in a leadership position for a professional association or nonprofit
- leadership in your community, church, school board or city council
building your accounting reputation works a lot like referrals. in fact, the media outlet, the publisher, the conference host, the credentialing body, the award host, the association or the church acts as a referrer of sorts by “endorsing” you and your work. when you receive a prospect via your reputation, the prospect already knows something about you, likes you and has some level of trust.
although it can cost money and time to build your reputation, the prospects who come from this method are easier to close than others. this is a great method for accountants to use because it requires limited selling. your reputation precedes you, so to speak.
tip: become an expert, and people will treat you differently.
in most cases, you will need to have at least one of the following skills in order to benefit from this marketing channel:
- writing
- speaking
- leadership
- a large number of supportive clients, associates, friends or a following
- some degree of charisma, when being interviewed by the media, running for office or getting elected to a board position
there are varying ways you can leverage your reputation. we’ll discuss building your reputation through credentials and creating the core materials you’ll need to develop your reputation.
credentials
it’s definitely worth it to get certified in your area of practice. the cpa continues to rank high in trust among all professions, even over doctors. getting certified in specialty areas, such as cpp for the payroll area, denotes a level of expert knowledge that conveys trust. earning a software certification like the certified quickbooks professional advisor lets your clients know you have expertise in the quickbooks software packages.
list of accounting credentials:
- cpa or ca, chartered accountant
- cgma, aicpa’s newest global management accounting designation
- cma, certificate in management accounting
- cfp, certified financial planner
- ea, enrolled agent
- cia, certified internal auditor
- cqa, certified quality auditor
- citp, certified information technology professional
- abv, accredited in business valuation
- pfs, personal financial specialist (aicpa)
- pb, professional bookkeeper (aipb)
- cpp, certified payroll professional
- intuit (advanced) certified quickbooks proadvisor
- sleeter group certified consultant
and hundreds more!
you can also get several add-on certifications for software that you might be working in. one example is bill.com, which has an expert and guru status.
be sure to mention your credentials in all of your marketing materials including your bio. also, look for the logo for each certification, and display them on your webpage prominently.
materials you’ll need to boost reputation
your biography
it’s important to understand the difference between a resume and a bio. a resume will get you hired for an employee position. a bio will mark you as an entrepreneur and a small business owner, which is what you want. in a bio, results and accomplishments are more significant than where you went to college or what your title was in a particular job. when you write your bio, stay results-focused and list the money and time you saved clients, awards you’ve earned and other accomplishments.
your bio should be about four paragraphs long and should focus in on what’s in it for the client. when i write bios, i use the following formula:
paragraph 1: write your elevator speech and include what you are passionate about.
paragraph 2: describe benefits of how you have helped past clients and continue with any media, awards, credentials or association memberships, or if none, list industries you’ve served.
paragraph 3: describe your experience prior to starting your firm, but keep it brief and summarized.
paragraph 4: list your education, and wrap it up with a personal statement about your hobbies, favorite tv shows or sports teams.
it’s truly best if you have a professional writer create your bio. it’s a lasting investment in your company and will put you in the best light.
if you’d like us to write your bio for you, we do offer this service as an a la carte or included with every web package we sell. http://acceleratorwebsites.com/services-2/la-carte-services/
biography sample
al bee, ea, of abc taxes helps detroit-based corporations and individuals keep more of what they make through his tax planning, tax representation and tax return preparation services. for 20 years, al has enjoyed digging into complex tax issues for his clients and has developed a reputation for tackling the toughest cases. other tax professionals often give al their complex cases.
recently, al represented a five-physician office on a multi-year, multi-entity irs negotiation, resulting in a favorable result for his clients. he also recently completed an estate settlement, working with a team of attorneys and other accountants to provide the best outcome for his client. al earned his ea, enrolled agent, designation and attends several tax conferences annually. he is a member of the national association of tax professionals and the national association of enrolled agents.
prior to starting his own firm, al worked for five years in the corporate tax department at kpmg, one of the “big four” accounting firms, and another five years for a detroit law firm in the estate area. he currently teaches tax law at wayne state university.
al received his degree in accounting from the university of michigan and earned his master’s in taxation. when he is not working, he is speeding around the great lakes on his motor boat.
headshot
social media has pretty much demanded we put our photo on our profiles and webpages. to not do so these days looks like we are hiding something.
do take the time to go to a professional studio with quality lighting and a good backdrop. make sure your photo is approachable with you smiling and good eye contact. you should also be wearing professional work clothing. what’s important is that you invested in your marketing materials and have not taken shortcuts that look unprofessional.
it’s not as important what you look like, so please do not procrastinate on this step. we had one member (you know who you are) who waited a year to get his photo done (it’s much harder to get the guys to go for the photo!). as soon as we posted it on his website, the phone started ringing more. do not wait! (it will cost you, and please do not shoot the messenger.)
one word of warning for the ladies. one of my elite clients told a story about how she and another woman were ranked high in the intuit proadvisor profile page listings for their city. the other woman used a candid shot from a formal party where she had a low-cut evening dress on. other prospects told my client that they would not consider calling someone who advertises like that. ladies, even if it’s the best smile you’ve ever seen of yourself in a picture, it must not be a glamour shot, and you must be covered up, dressed in business attire. anything that could be construed as sexual will drop the rates you can charge in business, studies show.
if you are in the san jose area, we recommend michael soo photography, and let him know it’s for business. if you have employees, be sure and get them done, too. http://www.capturethelook.com/index.html
testimonials
a testimonial is a short written recommendation from a past or current client. most accountants i talk to hate testimonials and don’t use them. but here’s what they don’t realize: other people love them, and they really make a difference. if you don’t have any, a prospect could assume that you don’t have any clients either. get rid of that objection easily by posting testimonials so prospects know you’re not just starting out.
if you have a stable full of happy clients, gather some testimonials and post them on your website. i just did this for an accounting client, and she said it really made a difference in how new prospects perceived her. if you do not have clients yet, you can use character testimonials, similar to what you would use when an employer asked for your references. as soon as you get clients, and even if you just have one or two, ask them for a testimonial. do not procrastinate on this step either! it has a really big payoff.
testimonials that are honest and not hype-oriented are one of the best ways to improve your credibility among strangers. they will especially help with highly social decision-makers. to get started, all you have to do is ask for them. i do this in a short email, right after i’ve completed the project i’ve been hired for.
here’s a sample of what we recommend sending out via email to each client, in separate emails. just modify the last four questions to fit your business services.
you can’t have too many testimonials. the more, the better. it will look like you have vast experience and that you have seen and are prepared for everything. you want your prospect thinking, “this many people can’t be wrong about how good this person is.”
testimonial request
subject: please let us know how we are doing
or request for feedback
or a favor, please
hi ___,
i appreciate doing business with you and wonder if you would be willing to write a testimonial for me? just a couple of sentences back in an email would be great. what made a difference if anything? what will you tell friends about? anything you can quantify would be very helpful. did we save you money or time on your accounting expenses and/or with your cpa? if so, would you be willing to share a figure? has your bookkeeper improved via our training? is your accounting team providing you with the reports you need?
i really enjoyed working with you and i very much appreciate your time.
best regards…
displaying the testimonials
one of the fastest ways to wow your web visitors is to make your testimonials come alive through graphics, audio and video. add a photo of your client next to the text of the testimonial. better yet, videotape them and post the video file. you can do this the next time you are onsite, at a networking meeting with them, or in my case, when i am at national conferences with you guys.
i was really surprised by how many of you were willing to provide video testimonials for me. it’s easy to do with a flipcam, just figure out how to work the video recorder part, find a place where the background is decent, record your client and download the recording to your pc.
you can set up a youtube channel and upload them there. almost any format works. then create a webpage like we did here: http://accountantsaccelerator.com/testimonials/
when you can make your website testimonials come alive with photos, sound and video, they become even more effective in drawing new business to your firm.
testimonial formats
when you have a really good testimonial, pull the best line out and use it as a headline. if possible get a picture of your client (facebook or their website), and put the whole thing in a box with a border around it for emphasis.
here are some visuals so you can get the idea.
a second way to format your testimonial is shown below. bold the best line so that people who skim instead of read will get the best part.
some things to do with your testimonials:
- scatter the testimonials on every page of your website, especially your home page and the pages that describe your services
- format them nicely in a word doc and include it in your prospect kit
- add them to a flyer, trifold brochure or rack card
- tweet and post them via social media
- mention them as examples during your sales talks
- include them in your speeches as an example of a client who is benefiting from accounting services
testimonial limitations
if you have certifications in the financial planning field, posting testimonials may be against your code of ethics, so please check with your license and firm restrictions.
also, if your testimonials contain results in dollar figures or percentage increases, you will likely need to comply with the 2009 ftc guidelines on testimonials: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm