shareholders have a role, but less hands-on.
by sarah johnson dobek
inovautus consulting
growing your accounting firm takes a lot of time and effort and, because of this, developing the skills of staff and managers takes a backseat. while each shareholder should take responsibility to contribute to growing the firm, that doesn’t mean they need to do it all themselves.
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engaging your managers and staff is beneficial for three reasons:
- it teaches them growth is important to the firm and helps establish a culture around growth.
- it empowers them to learn how to market and sell, which should be key for anyone who wants to progress in their career.
- it allows you to execute on key problems without everything falling on a shareholder’s plate.
this doesn’t mean shareholders don’t have a role and responsibility in the process, but it refocuses their efforts from being a doer to being a coach, manager and thought leader so that the future leaders are ready when it’s their turn.
here are six ways to engage your managers and staff in your growth:
- have them help develop content. content development is one of the easiest ways to get younger staff involved in marketing activities. having them write a blog post or, better yet, rewriting an article are great ways to give them experience. it teaches them how to write non-technically and can provide you with a good source of regular content. content development can involve everything from article/blog post writing to developing presentations or video scripts. if you do this, make sure you have an excellent quality-control process and a good editor on hand. don’t expect perfection.
- engage them in cross-selling activities. your staff and managers are on the front lines with your clients. getting them involved in identifying opportunities to do more with your clients is an easy way for them to contribute to your growth. consider having them look for opportunities in two or three areas with their clients. then reward them for notifying you of opportunities – even if they don’t go anywhere!
- involve them in client-service initiatives. need to schedule a call with a client, say for a quarterly tax check-in? what about making a phone call to schedule a lunch? consider having a staff member make the initial point of contact on your behalf to schedule and participate in the call or outing with the client. better yet, if you are revamping your client communications (such as the letters you send your clients with their tax returns), consider including them in this process.
- get them out networking and attending prospect meetings. shareholders should never go alone to an event or lunch. they should always have someone else from the firm with them – and not another partner unless it’s a specific sales meeting with a prospect. instead, bring along a staff member so they can observe and begin to build their network. furthermore, encourage staff to attend events simply to get comfortable representing and talking about themselves and the firm. these skills will not only help one day with the firm’s growth but with their client service abilities.
- use them to improve your processes and efficiencies. your staff and managers are closest to the action in your firm and can provide valuable input on how to make this more efficient and more profitable for your firm.
- contribute to your digital marketing efforts. generally speaking, most of your staff and managers are a technology-savvy group. engage those who have a real passion for helping you with your digital marketing efforts. consider training them, then have them work with shareholders who aren’t as comfortable with social media on improving their profiles and growing their online networks. better yet, have them provide ideas and input on how to engage your communities better or contribute content ideas.
not everyone at a firm will be good at all things. that’s true for shareholders and for staff. however, you have to allow them to try things early in their career to determine what they are good at and let them become comfortable before they become seasoned enough not to be afraid to handle those challenges on their own.