here’s what you’re looking for: martin bissett

soon they’ll become second nature.

by martin bissett
winning your first client

you may be thinking right now, “well, very good, martin, but we have finite time. we’re very, very busy people and we need to get business in the door, and therefore creation of opportunity becomes the issue.”

more: make your expertise a new-client magnet | attract clients, don’t chase them | success in business comes second | business won’t come to you | win your first client: yourself | perception is reality, client version | 10 questions for reconsidering your prices | would you make yourself a partner? | what the next generation of practice leaders faces
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

regardless of whether we’ve got 20 opportunities on our plate today or none, when the next one comes along we can’t afford to be anything other than confident, comfortable, assured relationship builders who have tremendous value to offer. because people will see that body language, those voice tones and hear those words and it will be attractive. they will want to get to know more – they’ll want to be able to look at options. they’ll want to know what you’ll charge, and they’ll want to know what they’ll get for what you charge.
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we understand our value.

by martin bissett
winning your first client

it’s about time to realize that value is not about time.

more: attract clients, don’t chase them | four reasons it’s hard to sell | eight questions to hold yourself accountable | win your first client: yourself | perception is reality, client version | 10 questions for reconsidering your prices
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

when i look back on the research that has been conducted by various groups as to the biggest obstacles accounting firms cite to growing their practice,

• 50 percent said creating opportunities,
• 25 percent said knowing how to close deals
• and the remainder said having self-confidence in presenting and then being able to positively differentiate from their competition.

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focus on their needs, not yours.

by martin bissett
winning your first client

let’s start with two simple definitions to avoid any confusion:

1. the purpose of marketing is to create the opportunity.
2. the purpose of business development (sales) is to convert that opportunity into a paying client.

more: don’t think of it as selling | success in business comes second | business won’t come to you | forged in fire: the pains of leadership | a lesson in customer service and reputation | prioritize your prospects | good enough is not enough
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

when we meet with prospective clients – and i say this as someone who has sat in on many hundreds of meetings of this nature – we rarely give potential clients a reason to buy from us that they care about.
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what to focus on instead.

by martin bissett
winning your first client

let’s take a look at the last 16 years of my experience and my research as to where new clients come from in an accounting practice. i don’t think there are going to be too many shocks here.

more: don’t think of it as selling | success in business comes second | business won’t come to you | forged in fire: the pains of leadership | a lesson in customer service and reputation | prioritize your prospects
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

what i’ve found is that 82 percent of all new clients in a given year who come into an accounting firm come in from a referral source. this may be a bank or a lawyer or some other source, perhaps an existing client, who has recommended that a particular business meet with your firm and come on board as a client.
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start treating it like a service.

by martin bissett
winning your first client

being a successful person according to your own measurement of that, and your own goals and your own standards is different for everyone.

more: success in business comes second | eight questions to hold yourself accountable | win your first client: yourself | perception is reality, client version | 10 questions for reconsidering your prices | a list is not a pipeline
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

if you’re comfortable with yourself, it’s very likely that others will be too. if you understand the value that you offer (how you can improve a client’s situation to move them closer toward their personal and professional aspirations), you’re likely to be able to convey that value in front of a prospect.
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eight questions to make sure your personal life is in order.

by martin bissett
winning your first client

you know the identity of your first client, and if you buy into you, then there’s a good chance of potential clients being prepared to do so, too.

more: eight questions to hold yourself accountable | experts: what it takes to become partner | where is your next money coming from? | your website promises. do you deliver? | five reasons firms don’t thrive
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

this is what we must remember about the purchasing of professional services such as accounting. if your prospective client is a grade a or b style opportunity for your firm, then they are not buying the services you provide per se. the services are the vehicles of delivery; the means to the end.
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perception, even your own, is reality.

by martin bissett
 business development on a budget

“no man has the ability to step outside of the shadow of his own character.” — robespierre

as far as our potential clients are concerned, how they perceive us is how we really are to them, regardless of the truth of the matter.

more: eight questions to hold yourself accountable | experts: what it takes to become partner | where is your next money coming from? | your website promises. do you deliver? | five reasons firms don’t thrive | four biz dev tasks to start the new year | what the next generation of practice leaders faces | five ways to show commitment
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

because of this, it’s important to realize that when we are meeting a new potential client who has not been referred to us, it does not matter what the reality of our value proposition is; it matters how that potential client perceives our value proposition. therefore, to be effective
in winning work, we must understand how we can positively influence their perception of us at each stage of the relationship-building process.
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what are you selling on?

by martin bissett
business development on a budget

the secret to overcoming failure to correctly implement a successful business development strategy is by “winning your first client” and this starts by being accountable to someone for your performance.

more: experts: what it takes to become partner | business won’t come to you | forged in fire: the pains of leadership | a lesson in customer service and reputation | prioritize your prospects | good enough is not enough
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

now that “someone” may be your fellow partners in the firm. if you are a senior manager, that may be the partner to whom you report.
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a proactive approach is where many fall short.

by martin bissett
business development on a budget

have you noticed all of those titles in the local bookstore or at the airport offering us the “key” to this and the “key” to that, the “six keys” to one thing, and the “four keys” to another?

more: where is your next money coming from? | forged in fire: the pains of leadership | a lesson in customer service and reputation | prioritize your prospects | good enough is not enough
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

it also seems that every book is a “game-changer” now, to the point where it is difficult to understand what the game is anymore, never mind how to play it.
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do you project confidence?

by martin bissett
the martin bissett practice growth system

winning your first client is all about understanding why someone would buy from you before you ever speak to them, before you ever meet them before you ever start the preparation for talking to them.

more: where is your next money coming from? | forged in fire: the pains of leadership | a lesson in customer service and reputation | prioritize your prospects | good enough is not enough | consistency is key to business development
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

this discipline too often goes unexplained by most sales training programs offered to the accounting profession, but ultimately we have to be comfortable with who we are and the value that we offer.
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