Most accountants have found themselves in meetings with prospective clients seeking free advice. I know I did it myself when I was in practice. I wish I had known then what I know now. When a stranger/prospect calls you need to set clear parameters. Why give ANY free advice? Over the years
Sometimes a post on Linkedin can start a conversation that runs and runs. This was the case just after the Budget when I posed the question “Is it really worth everyone producing a 'me-too' morning-after Budget summary?” I suggested these were typically simply a re-hash of information already in the public domain
This relates to another question I was asked recently by an accountant who gets lots of leads but finds that he doesn’t want all of them as clients. Too many are time wasters. He wanted to know how he could weed them out - or even better, avoid having to spend any
No doubt some accountants found January 2021 was worse then previous years, some will consider it about the same and some will have found it less pressured than previously. The one thing that most accountants will agree on is that, regardless of the impact of the pandemic, some clients are beyond help. Previously
Now that January 2021 is behind us, perhaps it is time to consider any resolutions or promises you might want to make to yourself. Certainly you should have more time now than you might have done at the turn of the year. Here are ten resolutions that I think many accountants should
During our first mentoring conversation a mature accountant told me how they had been struggling to replace clients who had retired, died or gone bust. The practice was well established and he had never previously needed to spend much time or effort on marketing or promotion. He had done the basics. He
This time last year I set out some predictions as to how different things will be for accountants and tax advisers by 2030. Some of the changes i thought would take a few years Long before the world changed as result of the pandemic I suggested that: Given the pace of change
This week leads us into the second half of the first month of this third decade in the 21st century. Wow! I would suggest that now is the time to identify and reflect on what worked and what didn't work for you in 2020 and what you want from 2021. This should
Having written 237 posts for Linkedin during 2020 (in addition to the hundreds written in previous years) I have summarised and updated what I have learned so as to help you maximise the engagement and reach of your posts on Linkedin in 2021. I can also offer you a key piece of
There are two types of accountants who use social media and Linkedin. Those who understand what works and those who have bought into the hype and hope that what they do will work. Chances are you are in that second category just like most of the accountants I know. Indeed, the vast
We've all had them. The client who sends a detailed letter/email listing a load of issues and problems. Sadly I can recall having the odd one or two such missives when I was in practice. I remember the feeling of indignation. The frustration at the unfairness of the accusations. The unreasonableness of
I recently spoke with Guy Clapperton, an old friend, and I thought it was worth sharing his media tips with the accountants who read my blog, and those who receive my weekly 'Magic of Success' emails. In this short interview you will find your preconceptions challenged by the insights and advice that
Survey after survey tells us that most accountants get most of their best new clients through referrals. And many experienced accountants claim that no other activities and no marketing investment ever seems worth the effort. The following sentiment is typical of what I hear: “I get all the new clients I want
I have long noticed a tension between the desire to stop acting for difficult clients and a conflicting desire to avoid losing a chunk of fees. The higher the fees paid by the difficult client, the more difficult it is to end things with them. This leads to much muddled thinking -
Long ago I realised that "Hope is not a strategy". Even if it worked in the past it would be foolish to assume that we can simply 'hope' our way out of the current situation. That goes for me as regards my business activities, for you and your own practice and also
"When can I stop supporting clients that aren't going to make it?" This was the tough question I was asked last week by an accountant who has many clients whose businesses may not survive the COVID-19 crisis. Like many other accountants she has always been supportive in the past when the odd
I was shocked to realise that it's over two years since I last wrote about Linkedin on this blog. Given its value to accountants I thought I'd offer a quick update. What follows is taken from the start of my talks about using Linkedin to stand out and win more business. I
Attitudes to work life balance are changing. So are the needs of firms when it comes to offering long-term career prospects. How will this affect your firm and your prospects? Last year I wrote a piece in which I suggested that 'Generation X' accountants (born in the 60s and 70s) are those
With all the annual fuss about new year's resolutions, why does no one suggest checking backwards? It's all very well making promises about what you want to do differently, but how strong is your resolve? I've never been one for doing the same as everyone else, so I've rarely made new year
There is a popular old adage: If you carry on doing what you’ve always done, you’ll carry on getting what you’ve always got. Its origin is unknown and it is typically attributed to either Henry Ford, Tony Robbins, Susan Jeffers or Jessie Potter. Typically the statement is used to discourage people from
If your firm has yet to invest much in new tech I hope the following list will help you overcome your reluctance. And if you have been investing then maybe you can just reminisce as to what life was like beforehand. Or perhaps things have stalled and you'll recognise why when you
Everyone tells us about the pace of change and how fast it is. But when we step back for a moment, there are three separate issues to consider and the real rate of change for your practice may well be slower than others would have us believe. Too many people seem to
In recent years a number of commentators have suggested that we need to adopt a new mindset. Instead of distinguishing our marketing and sales activities dependent on whether our focus is 'B to B', or 'B to C', they want us to recognise that, today, everything is 'H to H'. The idea
When I am invited to speak at a firm’s away day the organisers often want me to influence the older partners whom the management team consider to be complacent. They tell me that some of these partners, with their well established client portfolios, are resistant to change and to doing things differently.
My conversations with sole practitioner accountants over the years suggest that many are happy enough once their practice is generating sufficient income for them. They have reached the stage where they feel comfortable, some might say, complacent. To the outsider the practice, the business, has plateaued. 'Happy enough' is hardly an enthusiastic
