marketing

how to win new clients with a freebie strategy

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build trust by giving prospects a small sample of value.
[for another view, see when not to offer a free initial consultation]

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

today’s biggest marketing challenge for soloists and small firms is getting people’s attention, then getting their trust. one way to completely overcome the trust issue is to let prospects receive a small sample of value from you at no charge.

sandi smith
sandi smith

related: the success secrets women already know  •    why you’re missing out on 98% of your new business potential  •  the missing ingredient in your marketing that will make all the difference • 3 steps to start running on millionaire time  •  on the road to a stress-free life: identify your character strengths   •  the power of deadlines in closing a deal   •   his and her brains at work in tax and accounting • 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients • the top 12 business card blunders accountants make •

because the trust factor is at an all-time historical low, as a practitioner you need to do one or more of several things before clients will do business with you in most cases:

  1. spend a lot of time developing individual relationships until people trust you,
  2. provide a complementary sample of value up front,
  3. spend a lot of time in the proposal stage wooing the prospect. read more →

de-bunking the myth about niche marketing for tax and accounting firms

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plus, five more essential pieces to the profit puzzle.

by marc rosenberg, cpa
author of “what really makes cpa firms profitable?”

i want to de-bunk a myth about niche marketing. many cpas that i have talked to think that niche marketing means that most, or all of their business, needs to be in their niche.

marc rosenberg
marc rosenberg

related:  practice development is no longer an optional activity • 10 good ways the achieve partner accountability • pick your partners right to begin with  •  the first nine questions your partner team needs to embrace for optimal profitability  • profitability and the value of strategic thinking  • the five essential building blocks for creating a strong accounting firm • the seven signs of great leadership in a cpa firm • compensation issues for the new managing partner  •

they think they will have to stop being generalists or will have to give up all their clients outside the niche. this is absolutely not the case. read more →

the success secrets women already know

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who gets more out of their employees, men or women?

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

if you guessed women, you’re right. women possess natural relationship skills that help them build loyalty, foster productivity, and spark motivation.

sandi smith

related:   why you’re missing out on 98% of your new business potential  •  the missing ingredient in your marketing that will make all the difference • 3 steps to start running on millionaire time  •  on the road to a stress-free life: identify your character strengths   •  the power of deadlines in closing a deal   •   his and her brains at work in tax and accounting • 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients • the top 12 business card blunders accountants make •

according to a study by the guardian life small business research institute, women’s skills provide: read more →

managing risk in client relations

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wishful thinking? by bruce w. marcus professional services marketing 3.0 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research has uncovered the startling fact of the wide disparity between how accounting firm management perceives their own performance and how their clients see their performance. (join the … continued

your clients love you? what if you’re wrong?

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a short discourse on random and statistical risk. by bruce w. marcus author of professional services marketing 3.0 risks are different in context and magnitude. a good mathematician can often statistically quantify the boundaries of risk, such as telling you … continued

why you’re missing out on 98% of your new business potential

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three ways to master the art of follow-up.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

it seems there are hundreds of questions swirling around how to follow up with prospects. the raw truth is that very few people follow up at all. on average, only 2 percent of people buy on the first contact with a vendor.

so if you’re not following up, you’re walking away from 98 percent of your sales.

sandi smith

more for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 pro members:  the missing ingredient in your marketing that will make all the difference • 3 steps to start running on millionaire time  •  on the road to a stress-free life: identify your character strengths   •  the power of deadlines in closing a deal   •   his and her brains at work in tax and accounting • 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients • the top 12 business card blunders accountants make •

here are my tips to maximize sales and take the pain out of following up: read more →

the three degrees of risk

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r-i-s-k: it’s amazing that so simple a four-letter word can be so complicated. by bruce w. marcus professional services marketing 3.0 there are risks with dire consequences and risks with negligible consequences. there is risk in every human enterprise; in … continued

his and her brains at work in tax and accounting

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three things that are different.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

are men’s and women’s brains different, when it comes to the workplace? the answer is a resounding yes, and more importantly, science is finding that men and women work differently. when a woman works like a man does, her health suffers

sandi smith

more for soloists and small firms from sandi smith at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间: 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients • the top 12 business card blunders accountants make • seven tips to keep the clients you have • how to attract clients like a magnet • eleven easy ways to deliver more value to clients • five things accountants take for granted that costs them revenue• what’s in your new client funnel? • what’s in your welcome kit for new prospects? • five fun and easy ways to wow your clients • six ways to give yourself a raise • strategies to stop losing business to competitors

here are three things that are different in men’s and women’s brains. read more →

the power of deadlines in closing a deal

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headache or dream come true?

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

in the accounting profession, there are a ton of deadlines. month-end, quarter-end, and year-end. payroll taxes, sales taxes, and corporate taxes. and extension deadlines, filing deadlines, and payment deadlines, to name just a few.

sandi smith

more for soloists and small firms from sandi smith at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间:  on the road to a stress-free life: identify your character strengths •  the missing ingredient in your marketing that will make all the difference •  3 steps to start running on millionaire time • 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients • the top 12 business card blunders accountants make • seven tips to keep the clients you have • how to attract clients like a magnet • eleven easy ways to deliver more value to clients • five things accountants take for granted that costs them revenue• what’s in your new client funnel? • what’s in your welcome kit for new prospects? • five fun and easy ways to wow your clients • six ways to give yourself a raise • strategies to stop losing business to competitors

all of these deadlines may be a headache to business owners and accountants alike, but they are a marketer’s dream come true. how can you use deadlines to your advantage in marketing your services? and what if you are selling a service that is not in the accounting profession? keep reading and we’ll answer these questions and provide you with five ways to woo your prospect with deadlines. read more →

on the road to a stress-free life: identify your character strengths

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and put them to work.

by sandi smith, cpa

how many times a day do we tell ourselves with the little voice in our head that we’re falling short of the ideal we have for ourselves? “i forgot to add the salt, so i ruined the recipe.” “i’m not good enough.” “i was mistaken.” “i’m not smart enough.” “i didn’t get picked for the finals.” “nobody likes me.” and so on.

sandi smith

more for soloists and small firms from sandi smith at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间: 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients •  the top 12 business card blunders accountants make •  seven tips to keep the clients you have • how to attract clients like a magnet • eleven easy ways to deliver more value to clients • five things accountants take for granted that costs them revenue• what’s in your new client funnel? • what’s in your welcome kit for new prospects? • five fun and easy ways to wow your clients • six ways to give yourself a raise • strategies to stop losing business to competitors

instead, why don’t we focus on our strengths? a university of michigan psychology professor undertook an extensive research project to discover 24 positive character strengths that each person has to varying degrees.

they are: read more →