Successful Accountants’ Blog
The importance of people skills and KBS generally
Today I share with you the transcript of a recent conversation with Joanna Gaudoin. I hope you will enjoy reading her perspective on a number of issues I have previously addressed on this blog. In summary Joanna's view is that your marketing, business development and career development
Bad advice for accountants that makes me cross
These days it typically takes a lot to get me cross. But one thing that really winds me up is the continuing wave of advice to accountants generally, telling them to do stuff that doesn't work for everyone and is especially inappropriate for most sole practitioners. This is quite
How to avoid giving valuable advice for free to prospects
Most accountants have found themselves in meetings with prospective clients seeking free advice. I know I did it myself when I was in practice. I wish I had known then what I know now. When a stranger/prospect calls you need to set clear parameters. Why give ANY
Does size matter? Are you pretending to be bigger than you are?
I have lost track of how many sole practitioners and two-partner accountancy practices pretend to be bigger than they really are. Some overtly claim that their firm is bigger than it really is by adding words like “and associates” to the name of the firm. Even though,
Fresh marketing insights for accountants
Sometimes a post on Linkedin can start a conversation that runs and runs. This was the case just after the Budget when I posed the question “Is it really worth everyone producing a 'me-too' morning-after Budget summary?” I suggested these were typically simply a re-hash of information
Could HMRC’s approach help you sort out your problem clients?
Over the years I must have heard every reason there is as to why accountants cannot get all of their clients to behave properly. Many still pay late and even more continue to ignore repeated requests to supply their accounting and tax data in good time. Rather
3 ways to avoid time wasters
This relates to another question I was asked recently by an accountant who gets lots of leads but finds that he doesn’t want all of them as clients. Too many are time wasters. He wanted to know how he could weed them out - or even better,
How to rethink client meetings post-lockdown
Were you in practice in 2011? That was when I wrote an article about client meetings in a year I described as "an era of video calls and social media"! That era was underway in 2011 but it took the pandemic in 2020 for everyone to start using
What do you do with RASH clients who don’t want to pay for your advice?
No doubt some accountants found January 2021 was worse then previous years, some will consider it about the same and some will have found it less pressured than previously. The one thing that most accountants will agree on is that, regardless of the impact of the pandemic, some
Ten Resolutions for Accountants in February
Now that January 2021 is behind us, perhaps it is time to consider any resolutions or promises you might want to make to yourself. Certainly you should have more time now than you might have done at the turn of the year. Here are ten resolutions that
How can a mature accountant start to market himself effectively?
During our first mentoring conversation a mature accountant told me how they had been struggling to replace clients who had retired, died or gone bust. The practice was well established and he had never previously needed to spend much time or effort on marketing or promotion. He
5 reasons to ignore the latest shiny distraction
As someone who blogs here every week I aim to provide valuable content, insights and tips that inspire and motivate you to secure greater success and to waste less time on shiny distractions. That's why you won't hear me advocating the new social media (audio) service 'Clubhouse'.
Strategic planning tips for accountants in 2021
This time last year I set out some predictions as to how different things will be for accountants and tax advisers by 2030. Some of the changes i thought would take a few years Long before the world changed as result of the pandemic I suggested that:
Three and a half questions to help you in 2021
This week leads us into the second half of the first month of this third decade in the 21st century. Wow! I would suggest that now is the time to identify and reflect on what worked and what didn't work for you in 2020 and what you
What lessons can YOU learn from my 237 posts on Linkedin during 2020?
Having written 237 posts for Linkedin during 2020 (in addition to the hundreds written in previous years) I have summarised and updated what I have learned so as to help you maximise the engagement and reach of your posts on Linkedin in 2021. I can also offer
