the 4 new growth engines in today’s marketplace
things are changing and the old growth model no longer fits.
by gale crosley
crosley + co.
sales
banish the idea that selling is difficult
don’t take rejection personally.
by martin bissett
business development on a budget
if winning new clients is simply a matter of being yourself, why is selling so difficult for accountants? well, it’s a combination of several factors, but there are two main reasons.
more on business development: how to win your first client | 5 ways to make selling easier to swallow | you’re selling all the time
first, accountants have not traditionally been required to sell. maybe your practice has grown by referral – business has come to you and you haven’t had to do much to win that business. unfortunately, however, business doesn’t always walk through the door; you don’t know how often it will, or what caliber it will be when it does.
read more →
it’s not sales. it’s your duty
how to suggest additional services to clients and why you’re doing them a disservice if you don’t.
by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor
question: i always feel awkward telling clients they need additional services that i should perform for them. can you tell something that could “rev” me up for this?
more practice doctor q&a: yes, you should send rejection letters | when to hire an admin assistant | 7 ways to lose a client’s trust | how much should you pay to buy, sell or merge an accounting practice? | why the average fee doesn’t matter | no more printouts at cpe programs? | 6 ways to take a client beyond tax prep
answer: actually, by suggesting additional services you are doing the client a favor and a good deed. also, you are in business and the easiest way to generate additional revenues is to cross-sell services to present clients.
selling on value vs. fees
what’s the difference? compliance sells on fee; advisory sells on value.
by martin bissett
understanding selling
i’ve been asking you to believe in yourself, to get your potential clients to open up to you and to demonstrate to them the outcomes that working with you and your firm would create in their personal and professional lives.
more on selling: 3 ways to convert scheduling practices to new fees | selling vs. attracting to build relationships | when selling, don’t chase new fees, attract them | selling accounting services doesn’t have to be hard! | ‘selling’ isn’t a dirty word | 8 factors in practice development success | in sales, perception is reality | success begins with accountability | do you realize you’re failing? | winning your first client
now here’s a checklist for you to run through before you begin your next business development initiative, and before each new business appointment that you have. read more →
3 ways to convert scheduling practices to new fees
practice these disciplines every day.
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 on selling: selling vs. attracting to build relationships | when selling, don’t chase new fees, attract them | selling accounting services doesn’t have to be hard! | ‘selling’ isn’t a dirty word | 8 factors in practice development success | in sales, perception is reality | success begins with accountability | do you realize you’re failing? | winning your first client
selling vs. attracting to build relationships
break down unspoken barriers. are you just about compliance? by martin bissett winning your first client it’s about time to realize that value is not about time. more bissett: selling vs. attracting to build relationships | when selling, don’t chase new … continued
when selling, don’t chase new fees, attract them
focus on the client’s concerns, not your own.
by martin bissett
winning your first client
let’s start with two simple definitions to avoid any confusion:
- the purpose of marketing is to create the opportunity.
- the purpose of business development (sales) is to convert that opportunity into a paying client.
more on selling: selling vs. attracting to build relationships | when selling, don’t chase new fees, attract them | selling accounting services doesn’t have to be hard! | ‘selling’ isn’t a dirty word | 8 factors in practice development success | in sales, perception is reality | success begins with accountability | do you realize you’re failing? | winning your first client
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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.
selling accounting services doesn’t have to be hard!
four reasons you might be having trouble.
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 on selling: selling vs. attracting to build relationships | when selling, don’t chase new fees, attract them | selling accounting services doesn’t have to be hard! | ‘selling’ isn’t a dirty word | 8 factors in practice development success | in sales, perception is reality | success begins with accountability | do you realize you’re failing? | winning your first client
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.
‘selling’ isn’t a dirty word
don’t like selling? call it something else.
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.
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.
more on selling: selling vs. attracting to build relationships | when selling, don’t chase new fees, attract them | selling accounting services doesn’t have to be hard! | ‘selling’ isn’t a dirty word | 8 factors in practice development success | in sales, perception is reality | success begins with accountability | do you realize you’re failing? | winning your first client
that’s a huge part of successful business development that is not often talked about.
8 factors in practice development success
hint: be successful in life first.
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.
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.
more on selling: selling vs. attracting to build relationships | when selling, don’t chase new fees, attract them | selling accounting services doesn’t have to be hard! | ‘selling’ isn’t a dirty word | 8 factors in practice development success | in sales, perception is reality | success begins with accountability | do you realize you’re failing? | winning your first client
the client is buying the relationship, and they are asking themselves:
in sales, perception is reality
you have to believe in yourself.
by martin bissett
“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 on selling: selling vs. attracting to build relationships | when selling, don’t chase new fees, attract them | selling accounting services doesn’t have to be hard! | ‘selling’ isn’t a dirty word | 8 factors in practice development success | in sales, perception is reality | success begins with accountability | do you realize you’re failing? | winning your first client
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.
success begins with accountability
8 key questions to get you started.
by martin bissett
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 on selling: selling vs. attracting to build relationships | when selling, don’t chase new fees, attract them | selling accounting services doesn’t have to be hard! | ‘selling’ isn’t a dirty word | 8 factors in practice development success | in sales, perception is reality | success begins with accountability | do you realize you’re failing? | winning your first client
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.
if you’re a sole practitioner or if you don’t find being accountable to your partners helpful, then you can be accountable to your life partner, spouse or another person you wouldn’t want to see you fail. read more →
do you realize you’re failing?
be proactive, rather than waiting for business to come to you.
by martin bissett
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?
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.
more on selling: selling vs. attracting to build relationships | when selling, don’t chase new fees, attract them | selling accounting services doesn’t have to be hard! | ‘selling’ isn’t a dirty word | 8 factors in practice development success | in sales, perception is reality | success begins with accountability | do you realize you’re failing? | winning your first client
when it comes to winning new work in professional services, we must first build a relationship. the game hasn’t changed at all in that respect. read more →