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

How’s business? – Don’t fall into the easy trap when you reply

By |2023-07-31T10:36:03+01:00August 1st, 2023|Accountants, Business messaging and branding, Networking, Referrals, Reputation, Sole practitioners|

If you’re either a busy accountant and/or a regular at networking events, you probably get asked this question (How's business?") all of the time. You may also be asked by friends and family, ex-colleagues and prospective clients as well as by suppliers, associates and potential advocates. How carefully have you thought about the way

First impressions count but here’s proof that they’re not enough and what to do to fix things

By |2023-07-24T18:44:45+01:00July 25th, 2023|Accountants, Networking, Referrals, Sole practitioners|

Some years ago I enjoyed a very long private business networking lunch. The whole group seemed to enjoy the event - perhaps because many of us had known each other for a while . One of the attendees I had not met previously was a chartered surveyor. After we’d spent a few hours together the

What is the key to accountants’ survival in the AI era?

By |2023-06-13T10:09:07+01:00June 13th, 2023|Accountants, Client servikce, Dependability and trust, Experience and expertise, Key Business skills, Networking, Referrals, Reputation, Sole practitioners, STANDING OUT|

One of the biggest changes to be heralded by the introduction of AI so far as accountants are concerned, links to one of my long-term messages for accountants. How can you stand out from the competition? And, as a result, win more of the business you really want? Even before the launch

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

Some accountants undermine their credibility. Do you?

By |2023-04-03T18:03:32+01:00April 4th, 2023|Accountants, Business messaging and branding, Experience and expertise, Networking, Referrals, Reputation, Sole practitioners|

One of the accountants I mentor has long been proud of how efficiently they look after their own business affairs. Others though are embarrassed at their inefficiencies. And there are some who do not appear to give any thought as to how they are perceived. Some of the accountants in this category may, unintentionally,

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

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

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'

How’s your self confidence and experience?

By |2022-05-21T18:29:21+01:00May 31st, 2022|Accountants, Client servikce, Experience and expertise, Networking, Social Media, Sole practitioners|

In my experience many accountants have more potential to succeed than they themselves believe. They are better accountants than they are prepared to admit. And they deserve to be more successful than they have so far managed to be. Could this be true of you too? Equally there are plenty of accountants

Make it easier for people to remember what you do

By |2022-05-21T18:38:31+01:00May 24th, 2022|Accountants, Business messaging and branding, Experience and expertise, Networking, Referrals, Sole practitioners|

We know, don’t we, that good communication is important in business. In my view, one of the most fundamental pieces of communication is how we talk about what we do.There are many challenges to be overcome here. We want to avoid sounding just like everyone else in the same field. We want our

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,

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.

How to feel more self confident with clients and prospects

By |2022-02-20T17:44:05+00:00September 21st, 2021|Accountants, Dependability and trust, Marketing and promotion, Networking, Sole practitioners|

Do you consider yourself to be a confident person generally? What about in terms of your ability to attract and win over prospective clients? And to keep clients happy and willing to pay you the fees you deserve for the work you do? Whilst many accountants I work with have a fair

What can you do if you want to attract a better type of client?

By |2021-09-10T18:48:26+01:00September 7th, 2021|Accountants, Business messaging and branding, Experience and expertise, Marketing and promotion, Networking, Referrals, Reputation, Sole practitioners|

When I ask accountants what they would like to be different in their practice, one theme is more common than any others. They frequently express the desire to have better quality clients, to increase their average fees and to be doing more interesting work.One sole practitioner accountant I was mentoring expressed this quite

Why you need to build your personal brand – and how to make this work for you

By |2021-07-19T10:28:07+01:00July 20th, 2021|Accountants, Business messaging and branding, Dependability and trust, Experience and expertise, Networking, Reputation|

What do people say about you when you’re not in the room? What would you like them to say? Few accountants seem to think this through. If you are clear about what you want people to say though you are likely to find success a lot faster than anyone who is ‘just

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