here’s what you’re looking for: august j. aquila

marketing & sales

three more strategies for growing your practice

female speaker standing in front of screen, speaking to audience

show people what they stand to lose without your expertise.

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

in my last post i provided you with four basic practice-building strategies that don’t cost you anything other than your time.

more: four strategies for building your practice | eight areas to cover for personal goals | service quality: the key to client retention | how life cycle changes your marketing | clients buy solutions, not features | make sure you know what you will get from your marketing | three pillars support a successful accounting firm | clients have six reasons for needing you | six ways to market your technology consulting practice
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

they were (1) keep in touch with former clients, (2) call existing clients, (3) ask for help and (4) get out and be seen. here are three more strategies for you to consider:
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marketing & sales

four strategies for building your practice

four people eating together

are you meeting new people?

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

i am often asked, “what can i do to acquire new clients?” i usually reply with another question: “what are you doing now to acquire new clients?”

more: eight areas to cover for personal goals | understand the 10 steps of the buying process | calculate the cost of losing clients | eleven possible pitfalls of mergers | six ways to expand your client services checklist | ten questions to refine your successful marketing plan | four questions for choosing your marketing audit strategies | four steps to a successful email marketing campaign
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

the usual responses are: “i have a newsletter, i attend the local rotary and chamber of commerce luncheons, and i talk with my clients.” these are good things to do, but they are not the only things you should be doing to acquire new clients. you might want to add four no-cost strategies to your action plans.
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marketing & sales

eight areas to cover for personal goals

woman holding eyeglasses and looking at laptop screen

you can make yourself more valuable, but it takes some planning.

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

there is never a bad time to set goals and it doesn’t have to take a lot of time to do so. every goal-setting book tells you to write down what you want to accomplish. if you do, you are more likely to achieve your goals.

more: understand the 10 steps of the buying process | market technology services through workshops and training | the secrets of great business developers | dodge the four curses of a production orientation | client acquisition never stops | ‘sales’ is not a four-letter word | 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
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

imagine yourself as a balance sheet. what do you need to do to make yourself more valuable next year than this year? one way is to invest in yourself so that you perform at a higher level.
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marketing & sales

understand the 10 steps of the buying process

two men looking at computer screen

how to become a solution magician.

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

closing a business opportunity refers to the process of finalizing and securing an agreement with a prospective client. it involves bringing the negotiation or sales process to a successful conclusion and solidifying the commitment from both parties involved. the closing stage is critical because it marks the point where the decision to move forward with the opportunity is made, and the terms and conditions are agreed upon.

more: market technology services through workshops and training | service quality: the key to client retention | how life cycle changes your marketing | clients buy solutions, not features | make sure you know what you will get from your marketing | three pillars support a successful accounting firm | clients have six reasons for needing you | six ways to market your technology consulting practice
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

closing an engagement requires that you not only understand the selling cycle, but also the buying process that clients and prospects go through every time they are deciding to purchase something from you or from someone else. if you want to close more new engagements, it’s important for you to fully understand this.
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marketing & sales

market technology services through workshops and training

man training four people in office

eleven questions to help clients explain what they need.

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

there are two keys to developing new business. first, find out what your clients and prospects want and need. second, be able to get in front of them.

more: service quality: the key to client retention | calculate the cost of losing clients | eleven possible pitfalls of mergers | six ways to expand your client services checklist | ten questions to refine your successful marketing plan | four questions for choosing your marketing audit strategies | four steps to a successful email marketing campaign | five reasons to implement change orders | make your practice better
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

most accountants and consultants are quite good when they can get in front of them. the problem is creating opportunities to get face to face with clients and prospects. let’s talk about two methods of solving that problem: training and workshops.
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marketing & sales

service quality: the key to client retention

smiling man talking on phone in office

bonus: a list of 10 best practices.

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

in an earlier post, i discussed the cost that firms incur because of poor service. you may recall that the firm in question (a $7 million firm) lost $435,000 because of its poor service quality. once it realized this, it took immediate steps to improve its service quality. here are four things that became more evident to the firm:

more: calculate the cost of losing clients | the secrets of great business developers | dodge the four curses of a production orientation | client acquisition never stops | ‘sales’ is not a four-letter word | 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
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

  1. the firm realized that when it comes to service quality, there is always room for improvement. the more you give your clients, the more they will expect . don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with this; it’s just a fact of life. the firm started to benchmark the best practices in service quality. a list of the best practices they identified is included at the end of this post.

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management

calculate the cost of losing clients

woman and man working with calculator

follow this simple formula.

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

although most of my posts deal with gaining new clients and bringing in new projects, it’s important to remember that the most valuable asset of any professional services firm is its clients.

more: the secrets of great business developers | how life cycle changes your marketing | clients buy solutions, not features | make sure you know what you will get from your marketing | three pillars support a successful accounting firm | clients have six reasons for needing you | six ways to market your technology consulting practice | sixteen marketing activities to try | the four steps of your personal marketing process
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

losing clients can be costly, but do you really know how much it can cost you? let’s find out.
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marketing & sales

the secrets of great business developers

man in office writing notes at desk

how to turn a goal into action.

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

i speak with a lot of accountants and consultants every week, and i look for those recurring characteristics that make some of them outstanding in various areas of building and managing a professional practice. those who are great at business development all seem to follow the same process, especially when the going gets tough.

more: how life cycle changes your marketing | eleven possible pitfalls of mergers | six ways to expand your client services checklist | ten questions to refine your successful marketing plan | four questions for choosing your marketing audit strategies | four steps to a successful email marketing campaign | five reasons to implement change orders | make your practice better | eleven marketing strategies for smaller firms | five questions for developing your marketing plan | you only have four strategies | the damage that traditional fee methods do
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

briefly stated, these professionals are successful because they have a clear vision of what they want to accomplish. they reinforce that vision with positive phrases and affirmations that reinforce their success. the following quiz will assess your business development acumen. give yourself one point for each correct true-or-false answer. (the correct answers are at the end of this post.)
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marketing & sales

how life cycle changes your marketing

illustration of business life cycle

startups have different needs than mature businesses, so the messaging must be different.

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

the business life cycle refers to the stages that a business goes through from its inception to its eventual closure or exit. each stage presents unique challenges and opportunities, and it is essential for accounting firms to adapt their marketing strategies accordingly.

more: eleven possible pitfalls of mergers | dodge the four curses of a production orientation | client acquisition never stops | ‘sales’ is not a four-letter word | 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
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

here are some marketing strategies that can be effective during different stages of the business life cycle. take a fresh look at your existing clients, and sort them according to their business life cycle: startup stage, growth stage, mature stage and transitional/decline. you want to make sure that as your clients go through these different cycles, your marketing messages and services change and address the right business concern.
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marketing & sales

eleven possible pitfalls of mergers

illustration of merger: four jigsaw puzzle pieces, each held by a different person's hand

what is driving the sale? is your firm ready?

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

the trend for small and midsized cpa firms to merge is accelerating as the competitive environment becomes even more demanding. while hundreds of firms merge every year, history continually shows that at some point in the future, things don’t always work out. like marriage, some mergers are successful while a great majority fail. many of the reasons for failure can be avoided if firms do their homework at the front end before entering the merger.

more: dodge the four curses of a production orientation | clients buy solutions, not features | make sure you know what you will get from your marketing | three pillars support a successful accounting firm | clients have six reasons for needing you | six ways to market your technology consulting practice | sixteen marketing activities to try | the four steps of your personal marketing process | how does your firm measure up? | six questions before asking for all the referrals you deserve | five rules for a marketing orientation | ten keys to marketing success
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

the merger and acquisition drivers are constantly changing. some of the drivers we see today are a constantly changing marketplace, the creation of megafirms beyond the big 4, the sophistication of clients, the high demand for qualified people, technology, the cost of acquiring new clients, and finally, the accounting industry being in a mature market.

as we will see, most mergers fail because of non-financial reasons. unlike the sale of the manufacturing company, mergers of accounting firms are a lot more difficult to accomplish.
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marketing & sales

dodge the four curses of a production orientation

bonus: an illustration using two firms, one oriented to both production and marketing.

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

an emphasis on production (billable hours) can have negative consequences for an accounting firm. an emphasis on billable hours causes professionals to focus on internal measurements, i.e., the number of hours charged to a client, and not external measurements such as client satisfaction.

more: clients buy solutions, not features | six ways to expand your client services checklist | ten questions to refine your successful marketing plan | four questions for choosing your marketing audit strategies | four steps to a successful email marketing campaign | five reasons to implement change orders | make your practice better | eleven marketing strategies for smaller firms
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

it also emphasizes the technical aspect of accounting work and keeps professionals from developing a marketing mindset. let’s look at the four negative consequences of a production orientation.
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marketing & sales

clients buy solutions, not features

woman points to laptop to explain something to a female client

four elements to consider in every selling situation.

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

selling professional services is not as difficult as some accountants and consultants believe. i like to define sales as solving a client’s problem. if you think in these terms, you’ll realize that this is what we do every day.

sales is the lifeblood of every business out there. if we did not sell our services and products, we would not have a firm or business. so, don’t think of sales as something unprofessional. it’s an integral part of growing your practice.

more: six ways to expand your client services checklist | client acquisition never stops | ‘sales’ is not a four-letter word | 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
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

my goal is to make you feel more comfortable with the sales process. here goes! remember, you are selling solutions to problems – or, as i like to say, selling the sizzle and not the bacon. it’s not the service or product that you are selling, it’s the benefits to the clients. clients and prospects aren’t buying the features of the system as much as what those features can do for them.
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marketing & sales

six ways to expand your client services checklist

it’s key to client retention.

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

let’s explore ways to provide additional services to existing clients. here is a short checklist that will help you obtain additional services for your clients.

more: client acquisition never stops | make sure you know what you will get from your marketing | three pillars support a successful accounting firm | clients have six reasons for needing you | six ways to market your technology consulting practice | sixteen marketing activities to try | the four steps of your personal marketing process | how does your firm measure up? | six questions before asking for all the referrals you deserve
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

  1. other than accounting and tax services, what additional services do you provide to this client? create a spreadsheet listing the type of service, the fees, the year of service, the engagement leader and the client’s satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 5. if your list of additional services is lengthy, you are providing good service to the client. if it is short, continue to the following questions.

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