OUTLOOK & ANALYSIS

Retaining Clients Through Value-Based Solutions

How does today’s CPA firm improve retention? In one word, “value.”

By Scott H. Cytron, ABC,
Cytron and Company

Value isn’t something intangible; it’s a concentrated effort to give your clients the services, intellectual capital and strategies to help their businesses grow.

I recently presented a seminar, “How to Maintain Client Retention” to the Houston Chapter of the Association of Accounting Marketers. It was amazing to me how many attendees wanted to discuss retention. There’s no doubt about it, it’s easier to keep a client than recruit a new one, so retention should be high on anyone’s list for practically any CPA firm.

One retention strategy I find very compelling is the way a firm educates clients in an orchestrated manner that goes beyond traditional one-off conversations. Web seminars and live seminars on technical topics are very popular.

How do you do this cost effectively? I recently discovered a new opportunity called the QuickBooks Conference Kit, designed for QuickBooks® ProAdvisors and Intuit Solution Providers who don’t have the time or resources to develop their own educational materials, yet want to demonstrate their value in helping clients who want to get the most out of their software. Co-developed by Kevin Cumley of Forepoint LLC and Irene Bushnell of Anderson Zurmuehlen & Co., P.C., Kevin and Irene report firms are beginning to use the Kit to schedule and hold conferences. Not only are clients smarter; the firms continue demonstrating their value as a credible business partner.

What is your firm doing to provide value? Let’s start the conversation!

2 Responses to “Retaining Clients Through Value-Based Solutions”

  1. AgilityCPA

    Retaining clients through value-added services: http://tinyurl.com/ngl2nq. Business continuity solutions make sense.

  2. Edward W Greenlee

    I provide clients with an extranet that focuses on all the interrelated issues of running a business and being successful individually. It has audio visual guides on QuickBook lessons and other accouting, tax, legal,finance, business management and human resources, as well as downloadable forms, spreadsheets, etc. We also provide a terms dictionary so that they can become infomred when all the legalese becomes overwhelming. For $19.95 per month clients receive unlimited, 24/7, worldwide access.