Business development

Consider Hiring a Sales Director

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Businesswoman shaking hands across desk with man in officeWhat is the best use of your skill set?

By Martin Bissett

As a partner in an accounting practice, your average day (if there even is such a thing as an average day) is fraught with many calls on your time: producing client work, management of the team, checking the processes, following up unpaid bills and more. And that doesn’t even account for all the personal things you need to achieve every day.

MORE ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Understand the DNA of Business Development Success | Before the Sales Meeting | Your Perception vs. Your Client’s Reality | Do You Deliver on Your Website’s Promises? | Lowballing Is Undervaluing Yourself | Appraise Your Prospects | The Science of Pipelines | Do You Have a Pipeline or Just a List? | Develop the Habit of Consistency | Prepare Your Next Generation of Professionals | Overcome Recurring Fee Apathy | Banish the Idea that Selling is Difficult | How to Win Your First Client | 5 Ways to Make Selling Easier to Swallow | You’re Selling All the Time

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So the thought of adding another skill, that of managing the sales process, might feel like the straw that broke the camel’s back. If that’s how you are feeling, here is some food for thought.
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Before the Sales Meeting

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handshake 1388361357w8dh9Prepare a range of questions.

By Martin Bissett

Do you feel uncomfortable meeting with a new client because you don’t know how to start the conversation?

MORE ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Your Perception vs. Your Client’s Reality | Do You Deliver on Your Website’s Promises? | The Science of Pipelines | Prepare Your Next Generation of Professionals | How to Win Your First Client | You’re Selling All the Time

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If so, you’re not alone, as this is one of the most common issues partners talk to me about. They don’t want to come across as artificial, forced or pushy.
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Your Perception vs. Your Client’s Reality

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Black cat statue and white cat statue, nose to noseAvoid a funhouse mirror effect.

By Martin Bissett
Business Development On a Budget

There used to be an old exercise used in training sessions about customer relations or selling or leadership that went like this. The trainer would ask the group to think about the color green. A few seconds later he would ask them what type of green they were thinking of, and of course there would be many variations of green.

MORE ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Do You Deliver on Your Website’s Promises? | Lowballing Is Undervaluing Yourself | Appraise Your Prospects | The Science of Pipelines | Do You Have a Pipeline or Just a List? | Develop the Habit of Consistency | Prepare Your Next Generation of Professionals | Overcome Recurring Fee Apathy | Banish the Idea that Selling is Difficult | How to Win Your First Client | 5 Ways to Make Selling Easier to Swallow | You’re Selling All the Time

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

The point is that, as the saying goes, perception is reality. Whatever each person perceived as green, that would be the reality for them – but it would be different for each person in the room.
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Lowballing: How to Stop Under-Pricing Yourself

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Coins and small bills in a plastic boxBONUS CHECKLIST: 10 questions to help you reconsider your prices.

By Martin Bissett
Business Development On a Budget

Undercharging – or lowballing as it’s also called – is the scourge of the profession. It has always been present, and unfortunately, it will probably be with us for the foreseeable future.

MORE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT for PRO MEMBERS (Go PRO here): Appraise Your Prospects |The Science of Pipelines |Do You Have a Pipeline or Just a List? | Develop the Habit of Consistency |Prepare Your Next Generation of Professionals |Overcome Recurring Fee Apathy |Banish the Idea that Selling is Difficult | How to Win Your First Client|5 Ways to Make Selling Easier to Swallow | You’re Selling All the Time

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

Undercharging is directly related to fear – fear of rejection.
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The Science of Pipelines

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dollarphoto Screen Shot 2016-02-22 at 12.23.16 PMWhy a list is not the same thing.

By Martin Bissett
Business Development On a Budget

I’ve taken many accounting firm partners through this process, and it’s quite common for them to balk a little at the pipeline idea when they see the amount of work involved.

MORE ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Do You Have a Pipeline or Just a List? | Develop the Habit of Consistency | Prepare Your Next Generation of Professionals |Overcome Recurring Fee Apathy | Banish the Idea that Selling is Difficult | How to Win Your First Client | 5 Ways to Make Selling Easier to Swallow | You’re Selling All the Time

They see it as just another call on their time when they already have far too much to do, and they ask me why they can’t just write down a list of prospects and go to work on them.

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Do You Have a Pipeline or Just a List?

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Golden vintage tap with money flowing outBONUS CHECKLIST: 5 points for grading prospects.

By Martin Bissett
Business Development on a Budget

So you’ve done all the work to get yourself composed and prepared to go out and generate new opportunities, find new business and new clients. Now what? How will you know who to contact for the first step?

Answer: your pipeline.

MORE ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Banish the Idea that Selling is Difficult | How to Win Your First Client | 5 Ways to Make Selling Easier to Swallow | You’re Selling All the Time

Many partners think they have a pipeline, but they don’t. What they actually have is just a list of prospects they’ve

  • met with,
  • would like to meet with or
  • have worked with in the past.

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Inspiration is Good. But Consistency Always Wins.

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Man writing on a calendarYes, even during busy season.

By Martin Bissett
Business Development On a Budget

You may be asking yourself how you will know when you are successful in your selling efforts. Many people have asked me that, but it’s the wrong question because firms have different goals.

MORE ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Banish the Idea that Selling is Difficult | How to Win Your First Client | 5 Ways to Make Selling Easier to Swallow | You’re Selling All the Time

Some want to simply tick over and replace the clients they lose, some want to grow exponentially, some want steady and consistent growth they can measure and monitor. So there is no one definition of success. But no matter what yours is, you will never attain it if you are inconsistent in your process of winning new business.
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Prepare Your Next Generation of Professionals

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Group of four young professionalsFirst, lead by example.

By Martin Bissett
Business Development On a Budget

If you are a partner in your firm, you may already have asked yourself the all-important question: how can I successfully retire and have someone else take over the firm?

MORE ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Banish the Idea that Selling is Difficult | How to Win Your First Client | 5 Ways to Make Selling Easier to Swallow | You’re Selling All the Time

The partner who has a satisfactory answer to that question is the one who is committed not only to developing business and building the firm on a regular basis, but also to developing and preparing the next generation of professionals in the firm.
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