start with research.
by sandi leyva
the complete guide to marketing for tax & accounting firms
highly targeted telemarketing can work well for accounting firms.
more small firm growth strategies: content marketing types and tips | write your way to expert status | make newsletters work for you | how to schedule social media content | the 5 c’s of successful websites | speaking: how, where and getting leads from it | 3 more kinds of referrals | turn to the abcs for client feedback | use client ‘touch plans’ to stay in touch
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i will cover this topic briefly because it is not my expert area. i will share how you can combine telemarketing with other marketing channels to very successfully attract clients, especially those in the mid-market range with higher revenues.
defining telemarketing
telemarketing is most associated with political campaigns, poll takers, market research firms and charitable organizations. calls are made from a phone directory or company database and are often automated. a recorded message can also be used.
when you think about it, telemarketing certainly does not correspond with our other marketing channels when it comes to building trust. when the call is first placed, there is not only zero trust, but there is a huge skeptic barrier to overcome.
most accountants simply won’t do cold calling. everybody i know hates it, but accountants are especially allergic to it. so when the traditional form of telemarketing is used in accounting, it is usually outsourced to sales specialists.
i’ve seen a few accounting firms hire telemarketing staff to place outbound calls to individuals and businesses in their client demographics. this and cold calling is placing calls to strangers and letting them know about your services or a special offer. i’ve seen this done mostly by males offering tax return preparation. i haven’t seen this done by too many females, but there are some exceptions. i have seen this done by software resellers. and i don’t know of any bookkeepers who have employed cold calling but there may be some.
but there is another very effective way to use telemarketing, and that is in a highly targeted, warmed-up fashion.
warmed-up telemarketing
let’s say you’re a bookkeeper who has successfully gotten work from cpas in the past. you’re looking for more. you get the referenceusa list in the library of cpa firms in the three zip codes around your house. you narrow the list to cpa firms with more than five employees. there are eight firms to call.
you look each of them up on the web and review their websites to see if any of their staff have quickbooks certifications. you find that only three do, and you focus on the other five.
you do your homework. you write a letter and mail it to the firms in september. you follow up with a call in november (after oct. 15). and you get several referrals throughout tax season when there is no time for the cpa firm to catch up the messier clients’ work.
in this case, you’ve combined direct mail with telemarketing to produce a great result. the letter “warmed up” the call along with the research you did. you successfully used telemarketing to get new clients and to develop a new referral source.
another way you can use telemarketing is when going after a certain niche of client. let’s say you specialize in dental practices. you know several ways to improve their operations and the billing efficiencies. you have three clients with glowing testimonials already.
you can get the same referenceusa list from your local library and look for the local dentists. look for the zip codes and practice sizes you want and then create your list. place your calls, and invite the dentist for lunch or an initial meeting. perhaps you’re having an open house, and you can invite several dentists to the open house. even if they don’t show up, it gives you a great excuse to call back and follow up.
all of these ideas combine solid research, a great list and a reason to call. this is a step up from the person who interrupts your dinner and wants you to contribute to the policeman’s fund.
preparation
a couple of things you will need are:
- a great script
- people who can make the calls unless you will be doing it
- a highly targeted and scrubbed list
- detailed knowledge of the do not call laws
telemarketing is subject to many federal and state regulations including the do not call registry. i’m not going to cover that because i don’t know anything about that.
a sample script
hi __, my name is __ and i’m calling from abc accounting. we help contractors improve their job costing so they can estimate smarter and make more on their jobs.
i wanted to find out if you are getting everything you need out of your accounting system when it comes to job costing so you can do your estimates accurately and more profitably. can i ask what system you are currently using?
oh, yes, we have several clients we have helped with that system…. do you feel like you might be interested in how to bill for more costs sooner on your progress billings? we’ve helped a couple of our clients speed up their cash flow. if you feel like that might be worthwhile, i can set up a complimentary session for you to talk with our job cost expert. we’re offering complimentary sessions during august, and we only have three appointment spots left. i can fit you in for that on wednesday or friday. which is a better day for you?
please modify this script to fit the people who will be making the calls. it will need to change depending on if they are $10 an hour part-time help or experienced six-figure sales professionals. and then, of course, it will need to change depending on what you have to offer as well as the target industry you’re going after.
track your results – your conversion ratios – and use different versions of your script by changing just one or two words or phrases. measure the difference in the success, and keep updating your script to the one that pulls the best.
proposals or followup materials
once you have attracted a lead, you will need to be ready for the proposal stage. generally, you will need to create a proposal for the leads you’ve generated using telemarketing.
you also might want to be ready to email your prospect some immediate information such as a prospect kit. this will further warm up the lead and help build the trust that is needed to make the sale. if you have worked on your reputation and the prospect recognizes your name, you are that much more ahead of the curve.
review questions
1. which statement is true about telemarketing?
- telemarketing is associated with the retail industry, manufacturing and nonprofits.
- at the beginning of a telemarketing call, there is a lot of trust already between the parties.
- calls are made from a phone directory or company database.
- most accountants use cold calling.
2. to prepare for telemarking you will need all the following except:
- a list of your competitor’s clients
- a great script
- people who can make the calls unless you will be doing it
- detailed knowledge of the do not call laws
3. telemarketing generates leads from:
- a company’s youtube channel
- the use of a teleprompter
- calling a large number of businesses or individuals
- television commercials, including infomercials
solutions and suggested responses
1. which statement is true about telemarketing?
- incorrect. telemarketing is associated with politicians, poll takers, research firms and charitable organizations.
- incorrect. when the call is first placed there is zero trust.
- correct. calls are made from a phone directory or company database and can be automated.
- incorrect. most accountants simply won’t do cold calling.
2. to prepare for telemarking you will need all the following except:
- correct. in preparation for effective telemarketing you need a highly targeted and scrubbed list to call from, but your competitor is the source of the list.
- incorrect. a great script is needed in telemarking.
- incorrect. you need people who can make the calls unless you will be doing it in telemarketing.
- incorrect. in telemarketing a detailed knowledge of the do not call laws is needed.
3. telemarketing generates leads from:
- incorrect. youtube is social media marketing, not telemarketing.
- incorrect. a teleprompter is not necessary in telemarketing.
- correct. telemarketing is often referred to as dialing for dollars, which includes making hundreds of telephone calls.
- incorrect. tv commercials are part of advertising, not marketing.