It's all to easy to assume that all clients want the same things. But unless you ask, you won't know for sure. It's probably true that most clients want their accountants to help them pay less tax and to keep them straight with the authorities. Probably true. For most. But these may
You have probably heard the old networking idea that it's important to help people get to know, like and trust you. Only then will they buy from you. Only then will they even consider becoming your client. This idea originated in the book ‘Endless Referrals', written by Bob Burg, who said: “All things
I had mixed emotions when I read Della Hudson's book, The Numbers Business. On the plus side it is a superb guide to growing a successful cloud accountancy practice from scratch. I also felt a degree of envy and frustration. There's a part of me that thinks I should just stop offering
What are you selling as an accountant? This is a simple enough question, and knowing the right answer could make a profound difference to the success of your practice. Let’s start with what you’re NOT selling. As I explained in a recent blog post, You’re not selling your time. And you’re not
In an ideal world, you would simply tell people that you are an accountant and your ideal prospects would then find you and ask to become your clients. Life isn’t like that. Even when these people do find out about your practice you need to have a process which brings them onboard
When you are approached by a prospective new client it is tempting to simply give them what they say they want. Most often this will be a fee quote to help them with their annual compliance obligations. As this area of work becomes more commoditised so you need to distinguish yourself from other accountants.
This is the first of what I anticipate will become a series of cloud accounting related blog posts. Back in 2009 I disagreed with those commentators who were warning accountants about an urgent need to embrace cloud accounting technology. The alternative, warned these merchants of doom, was that accountants who failed to embrace the cloud
One of my talks for accountants, and much of the advice I share generally, concerns WHY it's important to STAND OUT from your competitors - and HOW easy this is to do when you put your mind to it. A related question I've never really addressed in detail is WHO do you need to STAND
There is a wonderful restaurant in Temple Fortune (a suburb in NW London). It doesn't look like a high class place. Indeed it looks quite ordinary and seems to be under the same ownership as the bookshop next door. Unexpectedly the quality and presentation of the dishes they serve at Cafe Also are outstanding and
I am often approached by accountants who started up a year or so ago or who are planning to start a new practice. So when I was asked recently to provide some tips for an online interview on this topic I decided to repurpose my replies for this blog. Let's start with the most common
It is generally accepted these days that you will benefit more from advertising, marketing, networking and referrals if you focus on a recognisable niche. Let everyone else continue trying to be all things to all people. But, if you are like most accountants in practice you don't think you have a specialist focus. You
On one of the business networks I follow a member recently asked for a recommendation to a down-to-earth, friendly, non-judgemental, accountant. He explained his requirements in a little more detail - but not much, although he did state: "To be ABSOLUTELY clear, I am NOT looking for someone who has intentions of turning me
These are not the only ten things you need to do, but they may be the most productive: 1 - Draft a business plan What do you want to achieve in revenues within a year, 2 years, five years? What will you need to do to achieve those objectives and what will be the consequences
