I’ve seen a lot of accountant marketing over the years. I’ve also seen thousands of LinkedIn and blog posts that were...
Marketing and promotion Articles
Eight ways to focus your marketing without boxing yourself in
There is no doubt in my mind that the more focused you can be about your ideal clients, the more likely they are to...
Why simply saying you’re an accountant is costing you referrals
Do you ever struggle to make a lasting impression beyond the generic label of being “an accountant”? Most of us have experienced it. You meet someone at a networking event, a business gathering or even socially, and the inevitable question arrives: “What do you...
A realistic LinkedIn strategy for UK accountants with limited time and who hate hype
One of the most common questions about Linkedin that I hear from accountants is along the lines of, how can they get real value from the time they spend on the site? One specific such question I was asked was: “How can I actually make LinkedIn work for me, without...
Why your marketing and website aren’t attracting the clients you really want
This is not a blog post about advisory vs compliance. Though, now I’ve said that, you may assume I’m about to wade into that debate. And I will — but only in passing. This post is really about your marketing messages and the related conversations you have. What you...
If nothing changes, nothing changes: 7 things to do differently in 2026
If you run your own accounting practice and want things to be different in 2026, guess what? You’re going to need to do some different things. (Yes, yes — I know. Groundbreaking advice. But stay with me.) This isn’t about grand gestures or sweeping reinventions....
What business are you really in? (Clue: It’s not tax and accounts)
John Russell, former MD of Harley Davidson Europe, was once asked how the motorcycle business was going. He replied: “I don’t know. We’re not in the motorcycle business.” A strange answer — until he explained: “Harley Davidson sells 43-year-old accountants the...
I’m not boring, but my firm is. What should I do?
An experienced accountant recently said to me: “I’m not boring, but my firm looks as if it is - does that matter?” My honest answer? In classic accountancy style: “It depends…” Even if you're the face of your firm and are out meeting clients, networking, building...
How to attract more of the clients you actually want
At the start of this century(!) when I first started writing and lecturing on practice development issues for accountants, I quickly learned to avoid the ‘M’ word. Few accountants wanted to think about actively 'marketing' their practice. They didn’t understand...
Why you’re not attracting your ideal clients – and 6 things to do about it
When I talk to smaller practitioners, I’m no longer surprised when they tell me they struggle to attract their ideal clients. Many say they’ve got a steady trickle of enquiries, via their website, referrals or networking, but the people getting in touch are rarely...
25 ways in which your website is working against you
Some accountants have all the leads and new business enquiries they can handle, want or need. Others want more business and I regularly see questions from such accountants on facebook and other online platforms. They want to know what works best (for others) so...
Unmasking the marketing bullies: how to spot and avoid their tactics
Regular readers will know that, on this blog I share, what I hope is, constructive and unbiased advice for accountants in practice. Today I offer you a cautionary warning about what have been termed ‘marketing bullies’. The Believable Approach A few years back,...
Beyond buzzwords and hype: Discovering what truly differentiates you from your competitors
It's another day, and I've seen another poorly thought through piece of advice for accountants to identify their USP. I have long disagreed with this generic idea of trying to identify your Unique Selling Point (USP) or your Unique Sales Proposition (USP). Instead...
6 ways to show you’re not just another accountant
Imagine you are at an accountancy conference along with dozens, maybe hundreds of accountants from other practices or who run their own firms. Now imagine I have asked you to look around the room at those other accountants and to indicate whether you feel that you...
Avoid this mistake if you want more referrals
I wonder if you make an all too common mistake. We all hope that clients will want us to provide a range of services to them. And we hope that clients will recommend and refer us to other prospective clients too… But, as I frequently point out, ‘hope’ is not a...
Why you should stop trying to build brand awareness for your firm
My advice here re building and promoting your firm's brand is controversial. And of course there will be some exceptions. But I would urge you to read this post with an open mind before deciding whether or not YOUR firm really is one of those exceptions. Let's...
What’s better than saying that your business grows through referrals?
Are you like many of the accountants I meet who claim that most of their best new clients come through referrals? This is certainly great when it's true. But when I dig a little deeper I find that it's often not quite as accurate a statement as the accountants...