Most people, including most accountants, seem to approach lead generation from entirely the wrong angle and, like many aspects of business life, this only becomes obvious when you pause and reflect on it.
It is also why so many of us dislike the cold calls and unsolicited emails we receive from salespeople.
We recognise the dynamic immediately, so we worry about being seen in the same light. That discomfort often sits quietly in the background and shapes how we approach our own lead generation, whether we realise it or not.
So, when we try something we tend to replicate our own experiences. And so, the focus of most lead generation activity tends to be on what we want from the interaction, whether that’s a call, a meeting or an email sign-up.
The underlying implicit assumption is that if we can just get someone into a conversation, we can explain what we do, ask a few questions, and move them towards becoming a client. It feels logical. It is also where most lead generation quietly fails.
The alternative approach that I explain below, starts with considering why a prospective client would want what we’re offering in the first place. That sounds obvious when written down, but we rarely have it in mind when planning our lead generation activities. And, again, we know how ineffective such an approach is when done inauthentically.
The timing problem no one talks about
The difficulty is timing. Most of the people you are trying to reach are not currently looking to replace their existing accountant. They are not ready to buy and, more importantly, they know they are not ready.
They are not waiting for a sales conversation, and they are not especially keen to discuss their problems with someone they have only just met – whether face to face, or online. Even if they may one day become your perfect client, that moment is usually some time away.
So when the “offer” is essentially a conversation about your services, or a diagnostic discussion about their issues, it simply does not land. It asks too much, too soon, and offers too little immediate value in return.
A better question to ask
A more useful question is this: what would make this interaction worthwhile for them right now? Not in the future when they might be ready to engage properly, but today, in the middle of everything else they have going on.
Why would they choose to spend even half an hour with you? Do you know enough about them specifically to know this or are you going to base your approach on a bunch of assumptions; you know, just like the salespeople who assume all accountants are all facing the same issues?!
When you start to look at lead generation through that lens, you can refocus how you approach conversations and interactions. The objective is no longer to secure a meeting for its own sake, but to create something that makes the meeting an attractive and worthwhile use of their time.
There’s more to it than this of course. As is evident from all those pesky invitations we get to breakfast, lunch or drinks events where we suspect the REAL reason is to promote a new product or service in which we have no real interest. No matter how helpful the sales person thinks we should find it – often because they don’t understand enough about how you operate, your priorities or your past experience of such things.
Making the meeting valuable in its own right
In my own work, one of the most reliable approaches I have adopted has been to centre conversations around what is coming next for the sole practitioner, rather than what I do.
That is why I invite sole practitioner accountants to contact me to have a no-obligation call; and where the emphasis is on listening first and offering some initial thoughts without any pressure attached.
I rarely speak to anyone who has nothing to discuss, and that is entirely the point. The conversation has to feel useful in its own right. If it leads to a mentoring relationship or involvement in the Sole Practice Club, that is a natural next step rather than the objective of the call.
I’m fortunate that I have built a large network and have been posting and sharing (what I hope is) valuable content online for many years. So I can afford to wait for sole practitioners to contact me when they have an issue.
In your case, a short, well-considered discussion about emerging industry trends, regulatory shifts, or commercial pressures can give people a reason to engage that feels relevant and timely. It meets them where they are, rather than where you would like them to be. It also helps if you have degree of specialism in their sector or in supporting people facing similar issues, challenges and opportunities.
That is not the only approach, of course. It might be a tightly focused case study that mirrors the prospect’s situation, or a practical briefing on an issue that is becoming more visible in their sector. The format matters less than the principle: the interaction must stand on its own as something they will genuinely find useful.
Why this changes everything
Once that is in place, something interesting happens. The mechanics of lead generation, whether through LinkedIn, events, referrals or email, become noticeably easier.
You are no longer trying to persuade someone to have a conversation they did not particularly want; you are offering one that already makes sense to them.
It also changes the tone of those early interactions. Instead of a slightly awkward exchange around services and needs, the conversation starts with shared ground and genuine relevance. Trust builds more naturally and, when the timing is right, the transition into a commercial discussion feels far less forced.
A simple test of your current approach
There is a straightforward test worth applying to your current approach.
If you step back and look at your invitations to connect, whether that is a message, a post, or an event, would a busy business owner see immediate value in saying yes?
Or would they have to take it on trust that something useful might emerge later?
If it is the latter, that is where the work is. And I have work to do here myself too as I currently have 3 spaces for new mentoring clients and space for new members of my (online) sole practice club too.
A more effective place to start
Consider the types of clients you most want to work with and ask yourself what will genuinely be useful to them at this stage of their journey. This is what I do although I only recently started focusing here, rather than continuing to share much more varied content online.
Some accountants are happy to focus on people just starting in business and who should be thinking about appointing their first accountant. That’s fine. But many accountants don’t really want to focus here. Sadly, all too often, their website and messaging still speaks directly to start-ups and may well imply this is their focus rather than experienced business owners seeking a fresh accountant.
You can focus on both of course, but we always attract more of the clients we really want if we make clear who they are. Too often we resist doing so.
For those clients you most want to attract, what are they curious about? What is changing around them? What would help them think more clearly about the future of their business? And perhaps more importantly, what might their current accountant not be raising or addressing?
If you can answer those questions well, you can build something around them. That might be a conversation, a briefing, or a short series of LinkedIn posts, that gives prospects a reason to engage with you before they are ready to buy.
At that point, lead generation stops feeling like persuasion and starts to look more like positioning. You are no longer trying to convince people to spend time with you; you are giving them a reason to want to.
And that is a much easier place to operate from.
If you would like help shaping a lead generation approach that your ideal clients are naturally drawn to, it may be worth us having a conversation. Equally, if you are looking to build a more consistent pipeline without relying on constant outreach, the Sole Practice Club offers practical support from others working through similar challenges.
