they need you. do they know why?
by martin bissett
passport to partnership
please start understanding, valuing and respecting your own value in the marketplace with clients who could not reach their goals without you.
more: do you make your firm look good? | seven things that good advisors skip | internal communication can’t be overlooked | the seven levels of communication management | make firm culture work for you | sailing the seven c’s to partner
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businesses are in need – sometimes desperate need – of your technical expertise and caring approach.
take that to them instead because, speaking as one who is looked after well myself, we love it and we are prepared to pay a premium without ever asking for discounts.
the expert council
in your opinion, what are the greatest opportunities for growth in accounting firms?
“more and more we’re seeing things that we only dreamt about coming true and totally changing the game. for example, i’ve always believed that the customer/accountant relationship was always about connection. and in those early computer days i used to talk about the customer bringing you in a floppy disk instead of a shoebox.
“so now, thanks to the cloud and the brilliant exploitation of it by firms like xero, you see that connection is there, 24 hours a day. and that’s a total game-changer because it means that we now have to look for opportunities to deepen that connection in other ways, so that means two things. one is niching – seriously becoming the expert in, for example, flower arranging businesses or dentistry or it or whatever. going 1 inch wide yet 1 mile deep as they say.
“and the second thing i think is to focus on lifestyle – the lifestyle your ideal customer seeks to have. and then you develop the services and expertise to help them get it. oh, interestingly, that’s not about wealth planning necessarily. customers are, i think, looking for much more than extra wealth in the accepted sense – 2008 and the global financial crisis or turmoil changed our definition of what real success means.” – paul dunn, chairman, b1g1
why do you feel today’s practice leaders are still struggling to grow their firms proactively, in general?
“because growing by merger or acquisition is easier than growing by market penetration. because they have too often ignored relationships that help keep the firm’s practice relevant to the changing and dynamic needs of the economic environment. the antiquated ethical rules limit growth, at least by not allowing outside capital. obviously, so many firms have little sense of marketing, markets and client relations, and the role of professional and experienced marketers. stop thinking ‘we’ and instead, think ‘you.’” – bruce w. marcus, professional services marketing 3.0