Unmasking the marketing bullies: how to spot and avoid their tactics

By |2023-08-14T10:21:25+01:00August 15th, 2023|Accountants, Lead generation, Marketing and promotion|

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

Beyond buzzwords and hype: Discovering what truly differentiates you from your competitors

By |2023-08-07T16:26:48+01:00August 8th, 2023|Accountants, Marketing and promotion, Networking, Referrals|

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

6 ways to show you’re not just another accountant

By |2023-04-22T18:09:37+01:00April 25th, 2023|Accountants, Business messaging and branding, Marketing and promotion, Networking, Sole practitioners|

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

Avoid this mistake if you want more referrals

By |2023-03-20T15:44:29+00:00March 21st, 2023|Accountants, Experience and expertise, Marketing and promotion, Networking, Referrals, Sole practitioners|

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

Why you should stop trying to build brand awareness for your firm

By |2023-02-28T11:56:48+00:00February 28th, 2023|Accountants, Business messaging and branding, Marketing and promotion, Recruitment, Reputation, Sole practitioners, Websites|

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

What’s better than saying that your business grows through referrals?

By |2023-02-21T09:35:33+00:00February 21st, 2023|Accountants, Business messaging and branding, Lead generation, Marketing and promotion, Networking, Social Media, STANDING OUT|

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

Stop talking about your USP – it’s the same as other accountants

By |2023-01-31T08:53:15+00:00January 31st, 2023|Accountants, Marketing and promotion, Sole practitioners, STANDING OUT|

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

Using social media and Linkedin for business and not just fun

By |2023-01-24T16:48:14+00:00January 24th, 2023|Accountants, Linkedin, Marketing and promotion, Social Media, Sole practitioners, Strategy|

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

Beware of this trap if you use social media as an accountant

By |2022-12-05T16:59:24+00:00December 6th, 2022|Accountants, Linkedin, Marketing and promotion, Social Media, Sole practitioners|

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

Boost your referrals with more of the right kind of testimonials

By |2022-10-03T11:56:21+01:00October 4th, 2022|Accountants, Marketing and promotion, Reputation|

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

Debunked: The ‘one thing’ you MUST do. There are 5 if you really want to be successful

By |2022-07-04T16:58:12+01:00July 5th, 2022|Accountants, Business messaging and branding, Linkedin, Marketing and promotion, Networking, Pricing, Social Media, Sole practitioners, Strategy|

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'

The marketing distractions accountants should avoid

By |2022-04-19T10:49:01+01:00April 19th, 2022|Accountants, Linkedin, Marketing and promotion, Networking, Social Media, Sole practitioners, STANDING OUT|

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,

Seven ways for general practice accountants to improve their marketing efforts

By |2022-04-11T11:23:41+01:00April 12th, 2022|Accountants, Business messaging and branding, Marketing and promotion, Referrals|

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

Improving the first impression of your online and website profiles

By |2022-03-22T15:02:37+00:00March 22nd, 2022|Accountants, Business messaging and branding, Linkedin, Marketing and promotion, Social Media, Sole practitioners, Websites|

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

Being Known, Liked and Trusted is not enough!

By |2022-03-15T11:11:06+00:00March 15th, 2022|Accountants, Key Business skills, Lead generation, Marketing and promotion, Networking, Reputation, Social Media, STANDING OUT|

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

Don’t make this marketing mistake especially if you are reliant on referrals

By |2022-04-19T10:52:04+01:00March 1st, 2022|Accountants, Experience and expertise, Marketing and promotion, Networking, Referrals, Social Media, Sole practitioners|

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?

By |2022-02-22T11:27:29+00:00February 22nd, 2022|Accountants, Business messaging and branding, Dependability and trust, Experience and expertise, Marketing and promotion, Pricing, Reputation, Sole practitioners, STANDING OUT|

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.

15 quick tips to grow and build your practice

By |2022-02-14T11:57:24+00:00February 15th, 2022|Accountants, Business messaging and branding, Marketing and promotion, Productivity, Strategy, Websites|

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

4 questions that will help you identify the value you really deliver to your clients

By |2022-01-30T19:08:21+00:00February 1st, 2022|Accountants, Business messaging and branding, Dependability and trust, Marketing and promotion, STANDING OUT|

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

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