Five Steps to Getting Leads from Former Clients

Handle with care.

By Sarah Johnson Dobek
Inovautus Consulting

I was monitoring LinkedIn answers the other day and saw a post from a business owner asking if it was appropriate to approach former clients for the purposes of lead generation. Someone in the thread recommended that one should not contact former clients and instead, start from scratch.

MORE: Four Tips for CPAs Replacing Clients | Five Lead Generation Mistakes to Avoid | Four Ways to Propel New CPAs into Growing Your Firm | Four Ways to Help Young Rainmakers Build Their Skills | Seven Reasons Your Growth Plans are Stalled | Take the Pressure of ‘Selling’ Out of ‘Cross-selling’
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

I disagree. It is one thing if you failed miserably with the client, but I can’t understand why you would abandon a relationship if you provided the client with good service and guidance.

Posted on August 8, 2022

Sarah Johnson Dobek

About the Author

Sarah Johnson Dobek is President and Founder of Inovautus Consulting, a national consulting firm that develops strategies, programs, and training designed to help accounting firms grow faster and in the right direction.

She is a contributing author to Bridging the Gap: Strengthening the Connection between Current and Emerging Leaders in the CPA Profession

Sarah and her team work with firms to assess their growth goals and execute practical marketing and business development plans. With her unique background in operations, human resources, practice management, and marketing, Sarah delivers insightful, practical advice that guides organizations down the right path toward achieving the growth they desire. Sarah's ability to understand where an organization is starting from, coupled with her disciplined approach to best practices, drives results for firms and helps them to evolve.

Prior to forming Inovautus, Sarah was the Director of Marketing for a Chicago-based accounting firm and the Director of Consulting Services at PDI Global, where she learned the nuts and bolts of public accounting firms and the importance of aligning marketing, people, and practice management strategies to achieve growth.

Sarah is a sought-after speaker for conferences, board meetings, and professional service associations and societies. She is a thought leader appearing throughout the profession through articles, podcasts, and videos in Accounting Today, CPA Society publications, the AICPA Journal, CPA Practice Advisor, and more.

Having been named a "Top 100 Most Influential Person" by Accounting Today in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018, and a three-time "Top 20 Under 40 Vendor" by CPA Practice Advisor, Sarah is without a doubt glued into the profession. Living and breathing her passion, she's also a member and former board member of the Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM) and the past President and member of the CPA Consultants Alliance.

Click here for more by Sarah Johnson Dobek

TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Continue reading your article with a CPA Trendlines Pro membership.