Here’s what you’re looking for: Martin Bissett

You only get one chance at that first impression.

By Martin Bissett
Business Development on a Budget

There’s an overall sameness to the majority of accounting firm websites, and typically they make a lot of promises – promises like

• we’re big enough to cope and small enough to care, or
• we are proactive, or
• we’re not just bean counters, or
• we have your best interests at heart, or
• your business is our business.

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You’ve seen all those, haven’t you? Are these or similar promises on your website?
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Today’s Bissett Bullet: “Your proposal document is what will differentiate you from the competition and show why that business should break away from their current accountant. To do so, it must speak to them on a level they understand.”

By Martin Bissett

Most proposal documents focus on one area. The accountancy firm, the services on offer and their associated cost. You must operate to a higher standard than that.

Your proposal must tell the prospective client’s story. What their obstacles have been, their major business goals and what the opportunities now are, as you see them.

It must demonstrate that you are a better option than they currently have, because you are invested in their goals and are in the business of achieving them by removing their obstacles and maximizing their opportunities.

Today’s To-Do:

Take a proposal of yours that has yet to be sent and review it. Does it fit the description above of a higher standard of proposal document? If not, there is still time. Reflect on the notes you took at the first meeting and use them to update it.

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Today’s Bissett Bullet: “Business owners are busy people. If they already have an accounting firm and have asked or agreed to spend time meeting with you, you can safely assume they’re open to change. Don’t lose momentum.”

By Martin Bissett

Picture this scenario. You’ve met with a potential client and it’s gone well. They may have given you a tour of their offices, you’ve talked through their issues and you know you can help them but the meeting has reached its natural conclusion and this is when you say goodbye and promise to send a proposal. Don’t do that.

Instead, tell them that you have identified several ways in which you can help them and need to put some thought into the best solution. Suggest the second meeting for a date that gives you sufficient time to prepare your proposal. If they are resistant to meeting again when they’ve been willing to invest time into speaking with you, then that should be a red flag that something has gone wrong during your meeting.

Today’s To-Do:

There is a very real possibility that the above approach will be met with a request for your proposal to be emailed. Practice doing the following so that it feels natural when you next have a conversation with a potential new client:

Ask who else in the business is involved in the decision to hire another accounting firm and when would be convenient to get everyone involved in the process in a room so you can share your thoughts with them all and give everyone a feel for what it would be like to work together.

See more Bissett Bullets here

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