take your client’s pulse
don’t assume you know how they feel.
by sandi leyva
small firm
how to use client ‘touch plans’ to stay in touch
bonus: three sample plans plus 31 quick ideas.
by sandi leyva
are your current clients happy? or are they on the verge of leaving you?
more small firm growth strategies: create your marketing plan | how to determine your ideal client | clients need advisory services more than they know | 10 tips for more energy | marketing vs. sales and how to plunge in | when you should answer questions for free
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create your marketing plan
the 13 channels you have … but you won’t need all of them.
by sandi leyva
once you know the type of client you want to go after and the number of new clients you need to get, you can begin on your marketing plan.
more small firm growth strategies: how to determine your ideal client | build your revenue plan in reverse | 5 fast, easy ways to turn annual clients into year-round clients | how to teach financial literacy | how to keep current | 10 easy tips to boost your business cash flow | how to fire a client | how to manage client expectations
there are simply two steps:
- deciding which channels you’ll be using, then seeing how many clients you can get per channel
- converting the number of clients you need into the number of leads you need in order to close the correct number of clients. you won’t get a “yes” for every lead you attract, so you’ll need more leads than clients to make your number. the difference is your close ratio. and it varies for each channel you use.
how to determine your ideal client
plus 4 sample personas.
by sandi leyva
in 2011, there were 28.2 million businesses in the united states. almost all of these businesses are small businesses, and more than 75 percent of them are solopreneurs. more than half a million new businesses are born each year.
more small firm growth strategies: build your revenue plan in reverse | 3 steps to using social media to increase your search rankings | six concrete ways to help business clients reach their full potential | why businesses offer subscriptions | your time has no inherent value | four tools for a millionaire mindset | reconnect with your why | use payroll to grow client retention | 3 ways to work less and earn more | what to do when a client doesn’t pay
the great thing about being in the accounting industry is that every single one of these businesses needs one or more accountants to help them keep their books. what’s even more recession-proof is the requirement that all business owners must file all sorts of taxes and reports each year, requiring by law the type of recordkeeping that accountants are great at.
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build your revenue plan in reverse
calculate exactly how many clients you need.
by sandi leyva
the complete guide to marketing for tax & accounting firms
when i started my business, one of the first things i did was teach a quickbooks class at the local adult education center. i was paid a lousy $20 per hour to teach a six-hour class of up to 12 entrepreneurs how to set up a chart of accounts, create invoices and enter bills. after the first class, some of the entrepreneurs came up to me and said, “this is good, but i don’t want to do it. do you want to do my quickbooks for me?” and i started getting clients.
more small firm growth strategies: 3 steps to using social media to increase your search rankings | clients need advisory services more than they know | marketing vs. sales and how to plunge in
the thing about how i started my business was that it was completely reactive; i was at the mercy of who approached me. i wasn’t actively selling. the result was that my business grew incrementally and slowly. i truly didn’t know where i was going, and i didn’t have a plan.
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3 steps to using social media to increase your search rankings
plus sample posts.
by sandi leyva
there are two main reasons to be active in social media.
more small firm growth strategies: clients need advisory services more than they know | 5 fast, easy ways to turn annual clients into year-round clients | how to teach financial literacy | how to keep current | best practices for growth: network, specialize, share | 10 easy tips to boost your business cash flow | 2 ways to serve clients better | how to manage client expectations | trashing the spreadsheet: best practices in modern expense management | 3 ways to implement value pricing | building reputation to build your business | need more business? focus on referrals
one is to build your reputation as a professional so that your business is visible to prospects who need your services. the other main reason, which is often overlooked, is to increase your website’s search rankings. let’s explore this second reason.
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clients need advisory services more than they know
be aware of your clients’ fears.
by sandi leyva and michelle long
the ultimate accounting virtual conference
5 fast, easy ways to turn annual clients into year-round clients
imagine how catching their books up in november will make march feel.by sandi leyva
the accountant’s accelerator
converting your current clients into higher-paying services is much more cost-effective than marketing for and onboarding new clients.
more small firm growth strategies: six concrete ways to help business clients reach their full potential | 10 tips for more energy this tax season | welcome to the subscription economy | ed kless: what is strategic pricing? | marketing vs. sales and how to plunge in | 5 steps to get clients to say ‘yes’ to cloud applications
here are five ideas on how to create a successful conversation with your clients without feeling like you’re bugging them.
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3 reasons small firms stay small
plus 5 common situations. do you see yourself?
by hitendra patil
accountaneur
when firms want to grow but can’t, the problem is neither economy nor resources.
more on entrepreneurial strategy: how job titles can rebrand your firm | your clients hold a secret key to your practice growth | seven lessons for accountants from self-driving cars | you don’t think technology helps get new clients? | tax season management: multi-tasking is a myth
- there are firms that do not want to grow. as long as it is by conscious, purposeful choice, it is a decision well respected.
- there are firms that believe that they cannot grow beyond what they have already achieved.
- then there are firms that want to grow but struggle to break the shackles of being where they are now.
six concrete ways to help business clients reach their full potential
how financial literacy makes clients better, and makes better clients.
by sandi leyva and michelle long
the ultimate accounting virtual conference
we really need to be compassionate with our clients. if they don’t see our value, we just have to realize they’re afraid of all this.
more small firm growth strategies: 10 tips for more energy this tax season | ed kless on factors affecting price sensitivity | how to keep current | best practices for growth: network, specialize, share | 10 easy tips to boost your business cash flow | 2 ways to serve clients better | how to fire a client
i think we need to be gentle as we communicate our value and help them with their fear. if they stay afraid of it, they will stay close-minded and that will keep their business from reaching the potential it could.
we can make such a difference in our clients, especially these micro businesses we work with. these are people who are struggling to put food on the table in some cases and we can really turn their lives around and make a difference.
let’s talk about six literacy topics that clients desperately need. read more →
surviving busy season: 10 tips for more energy
feel free to keep them going year round, of course.
by sandi leyva
the accountant’s accelerator
how to teach financial literacy
help your clients and maybe learn about your business as well.
by sandi leyva and michelle long
here is how to make more from working less: offering financial literacy and financial services to your clients. they need this so much.
more small firm growth strategies: why businesses offer subscriptions | welcome to the subscription economy | ed kless: what is strategic pricing? | marketing vs. sales and how to plunge in | 5 steps to get clients to say ‘yes’ to cloud applications | when you should answer questions for free | when to turn over client data files | the dreaded ‘quick question’
we’re going to talk about two ways to avoid so we don’t turn off our clients about this. it’s easy to turn off our clients and easy for our clients to get blocked. so we’re going to talk about turning off some blocks.
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why next-gen firms embrace subscription billing plans
zoho president explains the “freemium upsell.”
pricing strategies that work
join the survey. get the answers.
by sandi leyva and michelle long
let’s take a look at some pricing strategies for the subscription economy.
more small firm growth strategies: welcome to the subscription economy | ed kless on factors affecting price sensitivity | how to keep current | best practices for growth: network, specialize, share | 10 easy tips to boost your business cash flow | 2 ways to serve clients better | how to fire a client | how to manage client expectations | trashing the spreadsheet: best practices in modern expense management | 3 ways to implement value pricing | building reputation to build your business | need more business? focus on referrals
there are a number of things that businesses can do related to subscription models, in particular around their pricing strategies. we have the freemium and upsell model, multiple additions, pay as you go, tiered or volume-based pricing and bundling. i’ve got some examples of each one of these. i’d be fairly surprised if we haven’t run across these already as consumers.
our guest for this discussion about subscription-based models is raj sabhlok, president of zoho corp., in his own words…