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, after I spoke at Accountex, I recall being touched by one
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 I recommend a much more practical and realistic way for accountants
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 are in any way special and different from
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 strategy. What do
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 start with ten top accountancy brands. As
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 thought. It's an easy answer
I’m often struck by the difficulty many accountants have when trying to identify what’s special about their firm or practice. Many assume that they do nothing different to any other accountant. Others have been persuaded they need to claim to have a USP. But, when asked, most accountants make the same hackneyed claims as
Have you ever thought you 'should' be doing more on social media and on Linkedin, but are not sure how or what to do? Or maybe you are very active online but are not getting the business benefits you really want? Are you envious or skeptical about the the results others appear to be
Accountants may not always be who they say they are online. If ever accountants needed proof that different social media platforms attract different people I think we now have it. A recent report in The Times revealed something quite shocking about the hashtag accountants. On reading this I then referenced the report on Linkedin
I'm not normal. Normal people, apparently, don't buy anything online these days without first checking for online reviews. I do. Maybe you do too. But, apparently, even when most people are in shops, they will have a quick google to see what other people say about electrical items, furniture and toys. And this informs
It seems I’ve not updated my generic advice on this blog about accountants’ websites for some time. So I have pulled much of that advice together into this post. I say pretty much the same things whenever websites come up in conversation with accountants. They know I do not consult on, build
I have referenced what I call the 5Ms of marketing an accountancy practice before. This blog post is related to the fourth M. That is, which Media should you use to get your chosen Messages to your chosen Market? The answer to the question depends on where you are most likely to find your
One of the many recurring topics in my conversations wth accountants is their approach to quoting fees. Twice in the last week I have been asked my view on fee quotes sent out by accountants I am mentoring. They are not alone. I know from my webinars and group sessions that plenty
A popular approach to getting your attention (and often your money) is to tell you that there is ‘one thing’ you must do to achieve your ambitions and succeed. I see this all over the place, in blogs, articles, videos and social media posts. Those who suggest there is just 'one thing'
When I was asked what are the most common marketing challenges that accountants face, I quickly listed the following: 1 Not enough time Time to set objectives. Time to plan. Time to consider options. Time to brief anyone to help. Time to try to do it myself. Time to test. Time to
Many of the accountants who take up the opportunity to book a call with me start with variations on the same question: How can I attract new clients? How can I grow my practice? What can I do to get more clients? I need more clients, what should I do? I never
Before setting out those marketing distractions that I believe accountants should avoid I need to offer some context. Over 20 years ago, the start of the century(!) was when I began presenting talks to accountants about practice related matters. I quickly learned to avoid any mention of the M-word as, back then,
Not everyone wants to follow the widely promoted advice that you will benefit more from advertising, marketing, networking and referrals if you focus your attention on trying to reach a specific group of people. The idea being that we can then let everyone else continue trying to be all things to all
Do you assume you know what (new) callers will want from you? Are you able to distinguish real prospective clients without devoting too much time to the others? Do you operate like other professionals or by reference to wishful thinking? These are key challenges for all of us. We want to encourage
I have never ‘swiped’ someone’s profile picture, as online dating didn’t exist when I met my wife in the 1980s. The whole concept of swiping is quite alien to me. I was curious though, so a while back, I asked a single friend to show me how the ‘swipe left’ and ‘swipe
You have probably heard the suggestion 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 being
I am frequently surprised when apparently successful accountants tell me that they know they should start being active on social media. And that they want to beef up their marketing activity. Both such aspirations typically reflect a belief in the mystical power of generic marketing and the hype surrounding social media activity.
What do you really need to sell 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 2018 blog post, You are NOT selling your time.
This week I am sharing with you 15 of the key points I referenced during a recent conversation with an accountant who wanted to know what they should be doing in year 3 of their newish practice. Background The accountant had booked a one-off focused mentoring call, having started their practice just
How do you evidence your value to prospective clients? You need to be able to do this effectively if you want to charge more than the absolute minimum for your services. This is a key part of promoting and pitching your services. Your promotional and marketing messages should be designed to attract
