Bissett Bullet: A.C.C.O.U.N.T.S.

Today’s Bissett Bullet: “A pipeline is essentially a list of people we would like to bring value to, but how can we use it to forecast new business?”

By Martin Bissett

How can you tell which of your potential clients are really looking to work with you and which are wasting your time?

Introducing the A.C.C.O.U.N.T.S system. Grading your prospects using a binary scoring choice – 0 for no, 10 for yes – to each of the following criteria will help you to determine who will want to work with you and who may just be comparing prices.

Answer – Can we solve their problems?
10 = yes, 0 = no

Cash – Can they afford us?
10 = yes, 0 = no

Convince – Do we need to convince anyone else in the business?
10 = yes, 0 = no

Objections – Are there any major objections unresolved?
10 = yes, 0 = no

Undertake – Is this work we actually want?
10 = yes, 0 = no

Necessity – Do THEY feel the need/urgency for change?
10 = yes, 0 = no

Timing – Is the next meeting date in the diary?
10 = yes, 0 = no

Signatory – Does your proposal need someone else to sign it off?
10 = yes, 0 = no

The higher your score, the more likely you will win the work. Got 6 yeses? There’s a 60 percent chance you will win the work. Now, what do you need to do to change the 0s to 10s?

Today’s To-Do:

Start to grade your pipeline against the A.C.C.O.U.N.T.S. system to help you prioritize your efforts and forecast new business in any given week or month.

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Posted on August 8, 2026

Martin Bissett

About the Author

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Martin Bissett is the author of

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Winning Your First Client,
Passport to Partnership, and
Meet Your New Best Client

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He is the founder of The Upward Spiral Partnership Ltd., the UK-based consulting firm that specializes in the implementation of professional selling and leadership skills in the next generation of accounting professionals.

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Previously, Martin served ten years on the board of directors of the UK’s leading provider of high-quality new business appointments for accountancy firms. There, he held the responsibility for the nurture and organic growth of the organization’s new client base, including six of the UK’s top 30 firms of accountants.

Martin became fascinated by the apparent juxtaposition of partners not vocalizing what they were looking for in terms of an accomplished skill set from their potential future partners and their managers not asking to discover what that skill set included, despite wanting to reach that very position. In a profession with a supposed “Succession Crisis” on the horizon, this apparent stand-off struck him as curious.

This has led Upward Spiral Partnership to personally interview several hundred partners and managers in the US and UK to learn what partners are looking for and how the managers see their own future in the firm. There are, of course, firms that have addressed this issue already, and their initiatives have also been captured.

The results of the research, including both the consensus and the exceptions to the general opinion, is called “Passport to Partnership.” This study provides the highlights of each factor that the majority of partners interviewed use as their criteria when evaluating whether someone in their organization can make it to the top.

As a result of the combination of his experience, intellectual property, and this proprietary research, Martin now consults with accounting firms in the UK, Europe, and the USA to support them in their transition through to the next stage of their development and growth.

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Today’s Bissett Bullet: “A pipeline is essentially a list of people we would like to bring value to, but how can we use it to forecast new business?”

How can you tell which of your potential clients are really looking to work with you and which are wasting your time?

Introducing the A.C.C.O.U.N.T.S system. Grading your prospects using a binary scoring choice – 0 for no, 10 for yes – to each of the following criteria will help you to determine who will want to work with you and who may just be comparing prices.

Answer – Can we solve their problems? 10 = yes, 0 = no

Cash – Can they afford us? 10 = yes, 0 = no

Convince – Do we need to convince anyone else in the business? 10 = yes, 0 = no

Objections – Are there any major objections unresolved? 10 = yes, 0 = no

Undertake – Is this work we actually want? 10 = yes, 0 = no

Necessity – Do THEY feel the need/urgency for change? 10 = yes, 0 = no

Timing – Is the next meeting date in the diary? 10 = yes, 0 = no

Signatory – Does your proposal need someone else to sign it off? 10 = yes, 0 = no