losing can help you win more

man, woman, man having serious discussion around conference table

someone else got the client. do you know why?

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

this is not another sermon that tells you that each “no” gets you closer to a “yes” when you are selling. the purpose of this post is to improve your proposal success ratio so that you get fewer “nos” and more “yeses.”

more: three more strategies for growing your practice | four strategies for building your practice | 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
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i am an advocate of doing client and prospective client satisfaction surveys. if you aren’t doing followup surveys with lost prospects and clients you have lost to other firms, i suggest that you start now. you can gain a better understanding of why you lose prospects and clients, and then you can change whatever it is that you are doing wrong and be more successful in bringing in new business and keeping it.
read more →

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:
read more →

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.
read more →

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.
read more →

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.
read more →

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.
read more →

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.

read more →

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.
read more →