bissett bullet: are you their most trusted advisor?
today’s bissett bullet: “be your client’s first, last and ultimate line of defense in making sure that their business and personal aspirations come to fruition.”
by martin bissett
here’s what you’re looking for: martin bissett
keep business development going during busy season
consistency is key.
by martin bissett
business development on a budget
you may be asking yourself how you will know when you are successful in your selling efforts. many people have asked me that, but it’s the wrong question because firms have different goals.
more: health, wealth, stealth: challenges on the path to partnership | it’s time to prepare the next generation | who are you more committed to, your firm or your clients? | nine checkpoints before every prospect meeting | three questions about conversion | six keys to turning prospects into clients | don’t overlook internal communication | four reasons people struggle with communication | why firm culture matters for partners | competence is step one of seven | three things that rich accountants do
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
some want to simply tick over and replace the clients they lose, some want to grow exponentially, some want steady and consistent growth they can measure and monitor. so there is no one definition of success. but no matter what yours is, you will never attain it if you are inconsistent in your process of winning new business.
read more →
bissett bullet: do i know you?
today’s bissett bullet: “what is your linkedin connection strategy? do you have one?”
by martin bissett
a vast number of connections on your linkedin profile page may look impressive but there is a compelling argument for knowing at least the vast majority of your linkedin contacts personally.
there will of course be people connected to you that you have never met in person. you may have worked with them remotely, may have presented with them on a virtual panel or you may have engaged with their content and identified them as somebody with whom you could build a mutually beneficial relationship; but there is a genuine connection there.
your linkedin network is a potentially valuable referral source and time spent nurturing those relationships is time well spent. the better the relationship you have with your connections, the more likely they are to champion your firm when someone in their network is in need of a recommendation.
today’s to-do:
take a look at your strategy moving forward. start to be more selective about who you connect with and prioritize people you know, would like to work with or who can introduce you to your ideal clients.
health, wealth, stealth: challenges on the path to partnership
and why we need them.
by martin bissett
passport to partnership
now we move on to our sixth “c” in the passport to partnership – challenges.
again the heading has more than a single application, which we’ll explore here.
more: it’s time to prepare the next generation | walk the commitment walk | two steps toward mastering selling | thirteen ways to show commitment | clients can’t grow without you | seven mistakes in winning new fees | how to develop your communication abilities | five questions for measuring partner potential | five ways to rally your firm to its culture | when would-be partners aren’t candidates | make your expertise a new-client magnet
ultimately, the partners interviewed in our research broke “challenges” down into two key areas:
- the ability for a manager to pull the firm out of the mire when there’s a problem
- the ability for a manager to pull the client out of the mire when there’s a problem
it’s time to prepare the next generation
they’ll learn from someone. shouldn’t it be you?
by martin bissett
business development on a budget
if you are a partner in your firm, you may already have asked yourself the all-important question: how can i successfully retire and have someone else take over the firm?
more: walk the commitment walk | don’t let recurring fees kill your practice | rate your personal purpose | six keys to getting a proposal accepted | tell the world your worth | four surprising keys to communication | 10 can’t-skip steps for business development | attract clients, don’t chase them | success in business comes second | business won’t come to you | forged in fire: the pains of leadership | 10 questions for reconsidering your prices
the partner who has a satisfactory answer to that question is the one who is committed not only to developing business and building the firm on a regular basis, but also to developing and preparing the next generation of professionals in the firm.
read more →
bissett bullet: speaking their language
today’s bissett bullet: “identifying an ideal client and sharing a definition of that ideal client internally is only worthwhile if it is consistent with and supported by your marketing.”
by martin bissett
your firm’s messaging must speak to the needs of your ideal client, do so in their language and demonstrate exactly why you are best placed to help them.
without educating the general market as to what you offer and how you have helped similar businesses – communicating that through social media posting, the firm’s website or other means of advertising – you are relying purely on the market’s perception of an accounting firm to dictate whether they reach out to you or not.
today’s to-do:
ask a friend or family member to look at your website and social media. ask them based on what they see there, what it is that they think you do for your clients. if they get it right, your messaging is on the money. if they don’t, the assumptions that they made are likely to be the same ones that your prospective clients are making.
see more bissett bullets here
walk the commitment walk
five ways to show it.
by martin bissett
passport to partnership
there’s no doubt that consistent commitment is not as widely practiced as current partners of accounting firms might like to think.
more: don’t let recurring fees kill your practice | who are you more committed to, your firm or your clients? | nine checkpoints before every prospect meeting | three questions about conversion | six keys to turning prospects into clients | don’t overlook internal communication | four reasons people struggle with communication | why firm culture matters for partners
business success is built on a dedicated team with a shared vision giving their all for the realization of that vision and the development of the next one.
read more →
bissett bullet: remember the golden rule
today’s bissett bullet: “please do not talk to your clients and prospects about services but rather the achievement of their desired objectives and outcomes.”
by martin bissett
despite us having discussed this subject earlier on, nevertheless you will already have forgotten about it because it takes time to form a habit. remember the golden rule. people buy outcomes and people buy you. is your approach from a personal meeting perspective and a firmwide marketing perspective, demonstrating that you are the right person to work with and that you are focused on creating outcomes that they want to see realized?
today’s to-do:
if your website talks more about your services than it does about your results, change it today.
see more bissett bullets here
bissett bullet: the next level of advisory
today’s bissett bullet: “if advisory stage one is client care then advisory stage two is simply about providing the basics. by doing so, you help your clients to take control of their current situation and their future – today!”
by martin bissett
advisory is about helping your client to provide for both worst-case and best-case scenarios with the knowledge, skills and experience that you have. support them with budgeting, tax planning, financial forecasting, management reporting and so on.
remember to charge them appropriately for your advice, knowledge and skills.
today’s to-do:
are you supporting all of your clients in this way? who among them presents an opportunity for fee growth? arrange a meeting with them.
see more bissett bullets here
bissett bullet: ask for the business
today’s bissett bullet: “some accounting firms like to do as much as they can to win a prospect’s business except actually asking for it. what else are you meeting with them for?”
by martin bissett
it never ceases to amaze me how much work an accounting firm will put into winning a client and yet not have the guts or fortitude to actually ask for the business when the time comes. what other reason was there for the two of you meeting all this time? there was only one commercial imperative. shall we work together or not? the superior accounting firm does not struggle in asking for business.
today’s to-do:
today, practice a phrase that you feel comfortable with using at the conclusion of a conversation with a prospective client. this could be, “so on that basis, can we now proceed?” or it could be, “so can we schedule a date for the first meeting?” or any other of your choosing, whatever is comfortable for you, but make sure you use it.
see more bissett bullets here
don’t let recurring fees kill your practice
there’s comfort and then there’s complacency.
by martin bissett
business development on a budget
as you know, the traditional accounting firm model is firmly based on the reality of recurring fees that come in from clients every year. we can rely on these and forecast accurately how much revenue they bring in – which hopefully covers overheads and direct expenses of the business.
more: who are you more committed to, your firm or your clients? | two steps toward mastering selling | thirteen ways to show commitment | clients can’t grow without you | seven mistakes in winning new fees | how to develop your communication abilities | five questions for measuring partner potential | five ways to rally your firm to its culture | when would-be partners aren’t candidates | make your expertise a new-client magnet | don’t think of it as selling
this is a good thing, right? well, maybe not as much as you think.
read more →
bissett bullet: this too shall pass
today’s bissett bullet: “you will undoubtedly encounter challenges in business, just as there will be good times. the important thing to remember is that neither lasts forever.”
by martin bissett
when you are experiencing bad times, keep perspective and plan for when circumstances are different and you’re able to grow. when times are good, build your cash reserves to weather any storms that may be ahead.
today’s to-do:
if today is a bad time, what would you do differently once the storm has passed? if today is a good time, are you building your cash reserves to cushion you from harder times ahead?
see more bissett bullets here
who are you more committed to, your firm or your clients?
sometimes silence is the best approach.
by martin bissett
passport to partnership
ask yourself and answer these questions when considering the current and future “commitment” behaviors that you’ll employ.
more: two steps toward mastering selling | rate your personal purpose | five ways to make selling easier | six keys to getting a proposal accepted | tell the world your worth | four surprising keys to communication | culture can’t be ignored | three questions about your competence | 10 can’t-skip steps for business development | attract clients, don’t chase them
1 – what is my first reaction to being asked to work outside of my normal hours?
read more →