How Clients Get Underserved and Accountants Get Underpaid

number 5 drawn in sandFive missed opportunities to serve clients.

By Sandi Leyva
The Complete Guide to Marketing for Tax & Accounting Firms

I’m pretty sure that I am not the only accountant who has made the following mistakes with clients.

MORE ON SMALL-FIRM GROWTH STRATEGIES: Five Marketing Mistakes to Avoid | How Much Are Your Clients Costing You? | Spend Your Time on the Most Profitable Tasks | Seven Performance Boosters for Your Firm | Why Your Google Ranking Is About to Tank
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

Here are five ideas to help us remember what we know that the client doesn’t and why it costs us when we forget. READ MORE →

How to Lead in a Crisis

9 steps to pull you through the coronavirus pandemic even stronger.

By Sandi Leyva
The Accountant’s Accelerator

As accounting professionals, we’re on the front lines helping our small business clients and our employees through this crisis in multiple ways. It’s a chance for us to display extraordinary leadership as a profession.

MORE ON SMALL-FIRM GROWTH STRATEGIES: How to Think Straight through the Coronavirus Crisis | Tech Tools for Working through the Coronavirus | 7 Tips to Keep the Clients You Have | Do You Know Your Opportunity Number? | 7 Tips to Boost Your Firm’s Performance in 2020

See All CPA Trendlines Special Coronavirus Crisis Coverage

GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

Here’s a tweet I just love that exemplifies the times:

screenshot of tweet

Here are some reminders for all of us as we step up to lead our firms and help our clients in these times:

READ MORE →

How to Think Straight through the Coronavirus Crisis

Setting priorities in uncertain times.

By Sandi Leyva
The Accountant’s Accelerator

With the Coronavirus crisis coming on top of tax season, the next few weeks may be the most challenging we’ve ever faced.

MORE ON SMALL-FIRM GROWTH STRATEGIES: Tech Tools for Working through the Coronavirus | 7 Tips to Keep the Clients You Have | 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Seeking New Clients | Is Your Client Newsletter Stuck in the 1990s? | Do You Know Your CAC Number? | Change Overload: 5 Simple Coping Strategie
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

Under these conditions, it’s hard for many to figure out what to work on next because there is so much work to be done. It’s easy to lose focus and end up working on unprofitable, yet urgent tasks. That’s not to say we put profit before people. But without profit, we can’t take care of our people.
READ MORE →

39 Advisory Services for Accountants

Two women shaking hands across a tableThe ultimate checklist to get you started.

By Sandi Leyva
The Complete Guide to Marketing for Tax & Accounting Firms

When we think about the word “advisory,” we accountants might think of financial ratios. Advisory is so much more than that. It’s, in effect, everything we do for our clients that is not compliance work – work required because of government regulations and deadlines.

SMALL FIRM GROWTH STRATEGIES: Mix and Match Marketing Channels | Marketing Materials 201: Some Advanced Tips | Make Newsletters Work for You | Technical Aspects of Video and YouTube | How to Schedule Social Media Content | Speaking: How, Where and Getting Leads from It | Partnering: Referrals on Steroids
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

Here is a comprehensive list of advisory services to consider adding to the compliance services and other services you already offer. Each one represents a potential new revenue stream for your business.
READ MORE →

Mix and Match Marketing Channels

Illustration of marketing strategy
marketing concept with financial graph and chart

Don’t forget to track your results.

By Sandi Leyva
The Complete Guide to Marketing for Tax & Accounting Firms

It’s time now to start executing your marketing plan for your business. Let’s review the steps that got us here.

MORE SMALL FIRM GROWTH STRATEGIES: Marketing Materials 201: Some Advanced Tips | Testimonials: Why and How | How to Use ‘Warmed-Up’ Telemarketing | Awards Can Boost Your Reputation | Technical Aspects of Video and YouTube | Social Media Basics for Accounting Firms | How to Maximize Online Profile Sites
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

You created your revenue plan, which gave you the number of new clients you need to attract. You met your ideal client. Then you were introduced to the idea of creating a marketing plan for each channel you use, and only selecting the number of channels you need to get to the number of clients you desire.
READ MORE →

Marketing Materials 201: Some Advanced Tips

Young man working in home office5 ways to wow potential clients.

By Sandi Leyva
The Complete Guide to Marketing for Tax & Accounting Firms

I’ve discussed a lot of basic ways to get the word out about your business.

MORE SMALL FIRM GROWTH STRATEGIES: Testimonials: Why and How | 10 Marketing Materials You Need | Content Marketing Types and Tips | Are You Newsworthy? | Why CPAs Need Video | Make Google AdWords Work for You | Make the Most of Trade Shows | Track Your Online Reputation
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

Today we’ll go over some more advanced marketing materials.
READ MORE →

Testimonials: Why and How

Woman winking and holding thumb upThese pay off HUGE.

By Sandi Leyva
The Complete Guide to Marketing for Tax & Accounting Firms

A testimonial is a short written recommendation from a past or current client. Most accountants I talk to hate testimonials and don’t use them. But here’s what they don’t realize: Other people love them, and they really make a difference.

MORE SMALL FIRM GROWTH STRATEGIES: 10 Marketing Materials You Need | Make Direct Mail Work for You | Write Your Way to Expert Status | Make Newsletters Work for You | How to Schedule Social Media Content | The 5 C’s of Successful Websites | Speaking: How, Where and Getting Leads from It | The A-B-C’s of Getting Started with Advisory Services
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

If you don’t have any, a prospect could assume that you don’t have any clients either. Get rid of that objection easily by posting testimonials so prospects know you’re not just starting out.
READ MORE →

10 Marketing Materials You Need

The number 10Including one to implement RIGHT NOW.

By Sandi Leyva

You need materials with the right messaging to fuel your marketing plan. There is a certain core of materials you need across all marketing channels.

MORE SMALL FIRM GROWTH STRATEGIES: Make Direct Mail Work for You | How to Use ‘Warmed-Up’ Telemarketing | Technical Aspects of Video and YouTube | How to Maximize Online Profile Sites | Build Your Community Reputation | 5 Ways to Get More Referrals | Use Feedback for Service Innovation | Create Your Marketing Plan
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

Crafting a really tight message will get your prospects’ attention and more easily convert them into accounting clients. When you have a bad message, you work much harder and have to meet many more prospects to convert into clients. When you have a great message, you work less, convert more and keep your costs down.
READ MORE →