the first step is knowing who you want. (hint: it’s not “everyone.”)
by sandi leyva
the accountant’s accelerator
there are many great things about getting referrals. first, referrals have a built-in trust that helps you move through the sales process faster. second, there’s almost no marketing cost involved. third, they tend to make a better long-term client.
unfortunately, many business owners take a reactive approach to referrals, waiting until they come to them, rather than a more profitable approach, which is to proactively maximize referrals. here are five proactive ways to boost referrals:
more on small-firm growth strategies: 9 ways to boost your value (and your fees) | 3 ways to get to ‘yes’ with prospects | how to calculate your ‘opportunity number’ | 3 tips for following up with prospects | 5 ways a deadline can help close a deal | draw new clients in like a magnet | 3 ways to test your revenue forecast | 8 must-haves for a prospect kit | if you’re a ‘best-kept secret’ cut it out! | four ways to stop leaving money on the table
1. know who you want.
the first step may seem obvious, but it’s important to know what type of client you’d like to do business with. many business owners say “everyone.” but if you say that, the reaction is that people don’t know of anyone. it’s counterintuitive, but it’s far better to provide a narrow description of an ideal referral than it is to ask for any old name. when your friends hear the detailed description, they can search their personal black book to see if anyone meets that criteria. you’re far more likely to get one or two great matches with detailed information than you will asking for anyone.
three ways to capture lost revenue.
by sandi leyva
the accountant’s accelerator
there are dozens (and maybe hundreds) of ways your practice can leak money.
more on small-firm growth strategies: 9 ways to boost your value (and your fees) | 3 ways to get to ‘yes’ with prospects | 5 cures for the summertime blues | design your business around your strengths | two daily rituals: focus and measure | 5 cool ways to streamline data sharing | how to calculate your ‘opportunity number’ | 9 ways accountants throw away profits | 5 ways a deadline can help close a deal | 7 ways to get new revenue from old clients | 11 ways to add value for clients | 3 ways to test your revenue forecast | how to work the same hours and make more money | if you’re a ‘best-kept secret’ cut it out! | four ways to stop leaving money on the table
here are three ideas that are fairly simple to implement and may be some great goals for you to consider.
… unless you want to grow your business.
by wesley middleton
middleton raines llp
this is not only directed at the profession of cpas of which i am a proud member, but to the clients we serve. i see so many posts on how we need to change and evolve that i am almost disgusted. we have what everyone wants: trust. the absolute trust of our clients. more than doctors, more than lawyers, more than any profession that i can think of. and we need to evolve? what we should do is not lose it!
related: why my people take 5 days off (yes, in a row) | four major misconceptions about millennials
well, yes, we do need to evolve. but not from the perspective of being more to our clients than what we are. it is our business model that must evolve as cpas.
read more →
news flash – the business model has changed.
more from crosley: the three elements of growth strategy [video] | defining the new business model [video] | the new growth evolution [video] | at the best firms, growth is no accident | jody padar’s new vision for the ‘new accounting’ | reality check: achieving world-class growth requires real-world intelligence | no shortcuts to sustainable growth | expand your vision and expand your business | leveraging leadership: a new way of looking at growth | are you creating a sustainable firm? | don’t confuse marketing with a true growth strategy | overcoming four imaginary barriers that limit cpa firm growth | how firms unleash the power of diamonds, cash cows and fat cats | how smart firms use market research | got leads? get real. learn how to qualify big opportunities | it’s a new generation in lead generation | four keys to success at seiler cpas | how accounting firms are re-building their sales pipelines | how to get started on ifrs in one easy step | 9 big ideas for turbulent times
try these 6 ideas to stop losing business to competitors.
by sandi smith leyva
it’s rare that i lose business to competitors, and it’s also not an accident.
more: stuck at home right now? here’s 100 good ideas to relieve the stress | how to lead in a crisis | how to think straight through the coronavirus crisis | 16 tech tools for working through the coronavirus | 7 tips to keep the clients you have | do you know your opportunity number? | 7 tips to boost your firm’s performance | 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
if you are losing business to your competitors, here are some strategies you can use to “become a category of one,” as they say in marketing.
read more →
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practice growth is a delicate balance of art, science, intuition and diligence. one thing it isn’t, however, is marketing.
by gale crosley
crosley+company
marketing can be a powerful lever to fuel business expansion. but alone, it will not take you where you want to go. marketing helps till the soil of growth. at the end of the day, however, tilled soil with no seeds taking root is pretty much a useless pile of dirt.
well-intentioned firms often invest a great deal of money in marketing and wonder why it doesn’t result in growth. one reason is that what they’re really spending on is unrelated marketing activities (or tactics) rather than on growth strategies.
it’s an essential distinction that can make all the difference in your efforts.
in this report:
recommended reading:
(and add to revenues.)
by sandi smith
as you build your relationships with your clients, it’s always a good thing to see how you can serve them even better.
here are eleven ways you can add value to your existing services which will enable you to stand out from the competition, serve the client better, and put more green in your bank account.
as you go through the list, check them off to see which ones you are doing, and which ones sound good to add to your business.
1. offer add-on peace of mind services
if you are in the information business, offer to run or set up a backup system, store a backup of what you just did, or otherwise keep copies of your work so that the client does not have to worry about recovery issues. if you offer products, this may translate into an insured package that can be tracked and monitored. what kind of safety net can you think of to create for your clients?
change your thinking. change your results.
by gale crosley
crosley & co.
sometimes it’s not what we’re thinking, but how we’re thinking that keeps us from the success we deserve. in this case i’m referring to the limits we impose on ourselves, which i call thought borders.
while not necessarily geographical, they constrain our forward movement much as the absence of a passport prevents us from entering another country.
more gale crosley at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 for pro members:
how firms unleash the power of diamonds, cash cows and fat cats
how smart firms use market research
got leads? get real. learn how to qualify big opportunities
it’s a new generation in lead generation
at the best firms, growth is no accident
four keys to success at seiler cpas
how accounting firms are re-building their sales pipelines
how to get started on ifrs in one easy step
learning to identify these artificial limitations and move beyond them is a powerful tool for growth. read more →
rosters shrink 1%.
so, when’s the rebound?
the revenue decline is the second in a row for the profession’s largest firms, prompting accounting today managing editor daniel hood to liken the conditions to a “deep freeze.”
lessons from a seasoned firm with steady vision. by gale crosley cpa firm growth consultant crosley + co. seiler llp, based in redwood city, calif., had always served high net worth individuals and privately held companies, especially those in real … continued