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

10 reasons accountants struggle to prioritise what really matters

By |2023-05-14T19:08:32+01:00May 16th, 2023|Accountants, Productivity, Sole practitioners, Strategy|

One of the topics that often comes up is the challenge of prioritising anything (non-billable) you might think you want to do when there is client work that could be done. Certainly, some of the accountants I work with tell me that they struggle to make time to prioritise developing, building and promoting  their

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

Is your complacency costing you peace of mind?

By |2023-02-13T18:06:37+00:00February 14th, 2023|Sole practitioners, Strategy|

Over the years, my conversations with sole practitioner accountants reveal 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. ‘Happy enough’ is hardly an enthusiastic summation of how things are going as it can imply a

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

12 ways you could make more money in your accounting practice

By |2022-12-20T10:30:11+00:00December 20th, 2022|Accountants, Lead generation, Productivity, Sole practitioners, Strategy|

Most of the accountants who approach me start by talking about their problems and what appears to be an immediate challenge. As the conversations progress I am typically able to help them consider the real issues that are causing the challenge that prompted their call. This is much the same as the way that

How to make the 80:20 rule work for you

By |2022-10-12T09:45:54+01:00October 11th, 2022|Accountants, Productivity, Strategy|

Although many people have heard of this 'rule' very few accountants consciously think about how applying the rule could help them and their clients. The 80:20 rule is also known as the 'Pareto principle', the 'law of the vital few' and the 'principle of factor scarcity'. Simply stated, the 'rule' suggests that for many

When growing your practice is NOT the solution you need

By |2022-08-08T09:48:23+01:00August 9th, 2022|Accountants, Strategy|

Many management consultants would argue that if your practice fails to grow it will stagnate. Is that true actually? I think it depends on what one means by ‘grow’. Grow the client base? Turnover? Profits? Range of services? Efficiency? I prefer the word ‘evolve’ as I’ll explain below. Many years ago I was headhunted

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'

Debunked: Can you really rely on referrals to sustain or grow your practice?

By |2022-05-17T08:49:57+01:00May 17th, 2022|Accountants, Lead generation, Referrals, Sole practitioners|

Most established accountants running their own firms claim to get most of their new clients via referrals. I see at least three potential flaws with this perception. Firstly, it’s rarely based on empirical evidence. Often it is simply an easy answer to the question: 'Where do most of your new clients come

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

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

The 5 key issues to consider re your competition

By |2021-12-12T17:59:59+00:00December 14th, 2021|Accountants, Business Strategy, Lead generation, Marketing and promotion, Sole practitioners, Strategy|

In this blog post I explain five key issues in the context of your competition as an accountant. I have discussed them many times with clients during mentoring sessions. Often I find an accountant's perception as to who is their competition is blinkered and limited. They are often shocked to realise they

An essential new way to categorise your clients and focus to boost your marketing efforts

By |2021-09-27T18:33:56+01:00September 28th, 2021|Accountants, Marketing and promotion, Strategy|

Do you ever think about how your practice and your client base might be impacted by changes and developments over the next few years? Historically most clients stay with their accountant for many years. They generally move only when they feel their accountant doesn't care enough about them, puts their fees up

What can you do about all the competition from other accountants?

By |2021-08-19T17:02:16+01:00August 17th, 2021|Accountants, Business messaging and branding, Experience and expertise, Lead generation, Marketing and promotion|

Not everyone who calls me for my input becomes a client. I sometimes offer some simple advice to accountants who are not yet in a position to need or afford my mentoring services (even though these are much more affordable than you might expect). One of the accountants I spoke with recently

Why you’ll find more success if you have an angle

By |2021-07-13T11:06:26+01:00July 6th, 2021|Accountants, Business messaging and branding, Lead generation, Marketing and promotion, Networking, STANDING OUT|

Too many accountants struggle to distinguish themselves from their competition. This is a shame as it is what makes each of us different that makes us memorable and the reason why we are referred and recommended. And then why we are engaged by clients. Challenge this if you must. Tell me that

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