Growing an accountancy practice isn t always plain sailing In a client focussed business, delivering value to your clients always comes first. But often, this can mean we neglect the time spent on growth to the point that it just doesn t get done. This means we spend all year working hard, pushing out work, delivering value, that when it comes to year end, we haven t moved or grown much since the year before. So what can you do to grow your accountancy practice? There s three main ways: So here s my recommendation On the pages that follow I have outlined 53 ways that you can profitably acquire new clients. Pick three that make sense to you the most, and spend time mastering them. Ideally you want to delegate this entire process to your marketing team if you have one. If you don t have one, read this short guide on how to build a marketing dream team with very little budget. I guarantee you that once you have a number of these strategies in place for your practice, you will have a regular stream of new clients coming in continuously, so you never have to worry about where the next client will come from ever again. Increase the number of clients Increase the average value of each project Increase the average number of projects per client I would recommend that you focus on all three of these things if you want to create continuous growth in your practice, but for now, let s focus on increasing the number of clients. You can get more information on the other two in this short article here. There s lots of ways you can acquire new clients for your practice. If you were to try all of them, you d be busy for a very long time.
Active Youtube Channel Having an active Youtube channel is a great way to promote video content to your target audience. Anything from 30 second to 3 minute clips are great for offering upfront value. Write Articles Content is king. Literally. Write articles about subjects that your target market are interested in and that will add value to them. Share these articles across as many channels as possible. Adverts & Listings Place adverts and list your services in the places that your target market spend most of their time. This could be online adverts e.g. via Facebook, or offline adverts e.g. printed magazines. Strategic Alliances Look for companies that also serve your target market, non-competitively, and arrange a strategic alliance with them where you work together on some marketing. Blog A blog is a great place to build a relationship with your prospects and initiate a value exchange. Post a mixture of articles, downloadable content, and offers on here.
Brand Makeover What does your brand stand for? If it doesn t get you excited, chances are it won t excite your prospects either. Building & Vehicle Signage Having prominent signage on your building is key for catching people s attention when they re walking or driving by. A client of mine in Birmingham has his practice name stuck on two smart cars. Prospects are always talking about them! Brochures Having brochures about your practice, who you are, what you do and the results you get are a great way to spread the word. Think strategically about which places you want these brochures to be. Buy A Database There s no quicker way to reach a large group of people than buying a database. You can be specific and drill down into the exact detail of people you want to target. Be careful and make sure you comply with SPAM laws and regulations though. Build Local Credibility By establishing yourself as a credible local supplier, your word of mouth referrals will see a sharp increase. Join in with local business events and be active in looking for new opportunities to help out locally.
Buy A Block Of Fees Inorganic growth is a great way to acquire new clients fast. Make sure you have the systems and resources in place beforehand to deal with this sudden influx of new work. Client Education Program Don t market to your existing clients, educate them. Make them aware of the additional services that you offer and you may find that they either need your services, or know of someone else who does! Client Success Stories These are arguably one of the most important guns in your marketing arsenal. You want as many prospects as possible to see your best client success stories. Data Mining Existing Database If you have a large database, you might find it useful to have somebody do some data mining. This involves analysing the data from different perspectives and using it to increase your revenues or cut your costs. Database Nurturing Program Arguably one of the most important on this entire list. You need a program in place to consistently (this bit is key) nurture your database until they re willing to buy from you.
Direct Mail Still a great way to put your practice in front of the right people. Always good to follow up with prospects using a mixture of online and offline marketing. Email Signatures These are a great place to include different calls to action, links to your website, links to whitepapers, even a comment about referrals. Downloadable Whitepapers This is the bait you use to get people into your database to begin with. You want to offer lots of value upfront and try to solve a problem your target market has. Endorsement Marketing Have people famous or well known to your target market promote your services for a fee. This can work just as well with local celebrities in order to enhance your local presence. Email Marketing This is a great way to nurture and build value with your prospects. Send them links to your latest blog posts and content. Invite them to seminars and other events you might be running.
Enter Business/ Accountancy Awards Entering different awards (and winning) can be a great way to give your practice credibility and let prospects trust you before they buy from you. Friends & Family Have you leveraged your friends and family for people they know that you can potentially work with? If not, ask them to introduce you to people of interest. Guarantees Understandably your prospect will have a number of concerns when joining a new accountant. Offer guarantees through your marketing to make people feel more at ease when joining you. Google Adwords Position yourself at the front of the pack when somebody searches for your services. You only pay if they click through to your website. Information Packs These are a great way to offer some more information about what services you offer and the results you get. Similar to brochures but much more to the point.
Incentivise Team/Clients Similar to family and friends, who do your team know, and even better who do your clients know? Incentivise them to refer potential prospects to you. Invent New Products This can make you stand out compared to different practices and differentiate your offering. Creating business advisory related products can also be a huge revenue booster! Links On Other Sites Backlinking as it s known in the SEO world involves having links on other people s websites pointing back to your site. This will predominantly help with SEO, but may also lead to people clicking through depending which sites the link is on. Internal Marketing Workshops By training your team about the values and beliefs of your practice and how to communicate these with clients + potential clients, you can help them market your services through the work they do. Local Newspaper Adverts Not one I d recommend having at the top of your list but definitely a strategy that can work nonetheless. Make sure you have a strong call to action.
Market To A Niche This is really important when crafting any marketing message. This doesn t mean your practice has to cater for only 1 niche, you can market to several niches using specific marketing for each one. Media Releases Another great way to promote your practice and the services you offer. Pick specific news outlets that your target market read and craft your media releases for those. Offer Free Reports Similar to whitepapers, offering free reports is just another way to get people to opt-in to your database. Newsletters Both a combination of printed and e-newsletters are a great way to regularly push content out to your target market. You can include client success stories, media releases and calls to action in here. Open Additional Offices If your growth allows for it then consider opening additional offices in nearby towns/ cities. You may find that you can now target people who weren t previously willing to travel to your initial office.
Promotional Gifts As part of your nurturing program you should offer promotional gifts to your prospects. These could be gift cards for local restaurants (see strategic alliance point) or tickets for local sporting events. Networking Join local BNI groups or network at relevant events to meet people who could either 1. Be a potential prospect or 2. Know of other people they can refer to you. PR Campaigns Similar to media releases, create full PR campaigns for anything new and exciting that you and your practice are doing. Radio & TV Ads Like newspaper adverts, I wouldn t recommend having this at the top of your list. This is still a great way to promote your brand and services to a large target market SEO How does your website rank in google if you search for accountancy practices in your local area? Consider hiring an expert to get you onto the 1st page at least.
Sit On Industry Boards Get yourself out there and be involved with your target market. This can potentially lead to introducers and lots of referrals. Speaking Engagements As well as organising your own seminars you should actively seek out other speaking engagements you can present at. This will be made easier if you are actively networking and getting involved with your target market. Referrals These are the backbone of most accountancy practices. Systemise your referrals strategy so that you ask the question at every opportunity. Social Media Having a social media presence is almost expected from businesses today. You can promote your content, media releases and seminars/workshops via your social channels. Sponsor Community Events This can help when developing your local presence and credibility. More people locally will become familiar with your brand and what you re about.
Telemarketing This is still a very powerful way to get prospects booked into your diary. Make sure you only pay for kept appointments. Testimonials Similar to client success stories, having a mixture of written and video testimonials on your website and other marketing collateral can help convert prospects into clients. Seminars/Workshops These are great for both prospects and current clients. Offer value and advice on things they typically have problems with e.g. productivity, staff etc. Time Relevant Marketing Create marketing campaigns for specific things happening e.g. tax return deadlines, Christmas, new government legislation etc. Webinars These online seminars are another great way to offer lots of value to your target market. They can be leveraged much more than seminars as they don t require as much time to set up.
Use Marketing Specialists A number of the points in here will require a specialist to look at them. Think about it this way, if you had a brain injury would you go see your GP? Or a brain surgeon? Website your website is one of your most important assets. Make sure that you have a modern design, with all the relevant information a prospect needs to make a choice. Speak to their pains and include calls to action. Write A Book This definitely isn t for everyone, but can be an incredibly powerful way of establishing expertise in an industry.
1 Active Youtube Channel 2 Adverts & Listings 3 Strategic Alliances 4 Write Articles 5 Blog 6 Brand Makeover 7 Brochures 8 Build Local Credibility 9 Building & Vehicle Signage 10 Buy A Database 11 Buy A Block Of Fees 12 Client Success Stories 13 Client Education Program 14 Data Mining Existing Database 15 Database Nurturing Program 16 Direct Mail 17 Downloadable Whitepapers 18 Email Marketing 19 Email Signatures 20 Endorsement Marketing 21 Enter Business/Accountancy Awards 22 Friends & Family 23 Google Adwords 24 Guarantees 25 Information Packs 26 Incentivise Team/Clients 27 Internal Marketing Workshops 28 Invent New Products 29 Links On Other Sites 30 Local Newspaper Adverts 31 Market To A Niche 32 Media Releases 33 Newsletters 34 Offer Free Reports 35 Open Additional Offices 36 Promotional Gifts 37 PR Campaigns 38 Radio & TV Ads 39 Networking 40 SEO 41 Sit On Industry Boards 42 Referrals 43 Social Media 44 Speaking Engagements 45 Sponsor Community Events 46 Telemarketing 47 Seminars/Workshops 48 Testimonials 49 Time Relevant Marketing 50 Webinars 51 Use Marketing Specialists 52 Website 53 Write A Book
Want some help? Growing a practice today is not an easy task - especially with all the changes going on in the industry. Many of the partners in practice I meet are frustrated with where they are currently at, and often ask for help on growing their practice. It s hard for me to get back to each individual question (although I do try my best). Which is why I ve created an online training session that I think will truly be of value to you. It s called... How to increase your profits, work less hours and create a hands-free practice that gives you freedom. In this online training session you will learn: The 3 keys to predictable practice growth & how to leverage them to increase your profits year on year The EXACT process for finding and developing a self-reliant A+ team meaning you work less hours in your practice The step-by-step blueprint for creating scalable systems in your practice that enables you to go hands-free and gives you freedom After you've registered, you will receive a copy of my BlackBelt Practice Growth Blueprint priced at 179 completely free of charge. This blueprint is the exact system my BlackBelt clients follow to grow their practices and become hands-free. Click here to save your seat I look forward to helping you and answering any questions you might have in the online training session. To your success, Rudi Jansen The Accountant s Coach