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Today’s Bissett Bullet: “How are your clients, really?”

By Martin Bissett

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, accounting firms all over the world went into reactive mode. They adapted, they got their own houses in order – which is an entirely appropriate response to an unprecedented crisis – and then those who really cared reached out to their clients. They called them on a regular basis just to see how they were faring.

This should be something you do routinely in the interests of relationship building. Call your clients, no charge, no sell, no angle, just a commercial hug. Ask how they are, if they need anything and offer your help. That may be in the form of expertise, of monetized help or of goodwill, that is at your discretion; but cement that relationship by showing you care after their signature has dried on the original contract.

Today’s To-Do:

Start with your biggest or most vulnerable clients. Diarize one call a day starting today; pick up the phone and add value.

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Today’s Bissett Bullet: “The great proposal document is one that recreates, in part, the empathy and resonance that the prospect experienced when they met us in person.”

By Martin Bissett

A great proposal document is one that tells a story for you on your behalf. A great proposal can do a lot in terms of creating goodwill to your prospective client if it’s ever read when you are not present with them. So, when writing a proposal, it is important to understand that we are not just quoting for some services in exchange for some money, we are actually telling the story of the business to date, where that business is going next and how we will accelerate the development for that business. It is another opportunity to build on the first impression you have created by demonstrating that you have listened to, understood and given careful consideration to their needs.

Today’s To-Do:

The action today is to revisit the template you use for your proposal or quote documents and make it far more worthy of a prospect’s time and attention than it is right now.

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Today’s Bissett Bullet: “Of all of the components of an effective marketing strategy, your message is arguably the most important.”

By Martin Bissett

If you are known for being accountants, if that is what you tell people you do, then you will find yourself lumped in with all of the other accountants in the marketplace. But what if you reframed the message and were known for something that made you stand out from the competition?

If you help time-poor business owners who are too bogged down with admin for their own business to add value to their own customers and give them a platform to go out and create new sales, then that is your message. You put business owners in control of their finances. Would you not rather be known for that than for being “just another accountant”?

Today’s To-Do:

Think about three outcomes your deliverables have for your clients. How could you use them to describe what you do?

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