Let’s dive in:
81. Pick Up The Phone:
Start your day returning calls to those who have enquired about your services (or get one of your team to) and also call back everyone who hasn’t yet called you back. It can take up to 8 calls to get through to someone, and then it will take a further “7-24 hits” to get them to want to do business with you. The biggest profit leak that I see accountants have is that they don’t follow up:
- You get an enquiry
- You call them back
- No one is there so you leave a message
- They don’t call back
- You don’t call again
- Lead lost
You need to pick up the phone, send emails and nurture these enquiries.
82. Follow Up:
Let me share with you a recent experience when I was looking to change accountants. I decided to find an accountant local to me. My PA called 3 accountants. Left a message at two of them, one she got through to straight away.
No one called me back from the other two accountants. They lost £3k immediately by not following up. But it doesn’t stop there.
My PA booked a meeting with the accountant she spoke to. We went to the hour long meeting, they seemed good. We left the meeting and said we would talk to our current accountant and see about getting everything transferred over. She said OK, and she looked forward to working with us.
We went back to the office. We never heard from her again. In the meantime our current accountant was determined to keep our business, pulled out all the stops and made us feel loved again.
We never heard from the accountant we had planned to go with. Because of this we ended up staying with our current accountant.
So the moral of this lesson to all accountants. Follow up.
83. Carry Business Cards:
So this may seem such a simple one, but never leave home without them. You never know who you will bump in to, and if you are a specialist accountant (for example work with Property Investors) make sure you say this on your business card.
84. Talk To Your Clients:
The nature of the accounting firm tends to mean that for the smaller accounts you only need to speak with your clients once a year. The reason most businesses leave their current accountant is because they feel unloved and undervalued. A couple of phone calls checking in with your clients, and sharing valuable insights or ideas with them will secure their business for the long term. And it’s easier to keep a client than get a new one.
85. Get Testimonials
: So obvious, yet rarely done. Nothing works better for marketing than getting genuine testimonials from a happy client. If you haven’t yet got a book full of testimonials you need to make it a priority. Give yourself the task of 5 testimonials a month.
86. Make The Most Of Your Email Signature:
You can link your website, your social media (especially your LinkedIn) and have your firms tag line listed in your email signature. Remind those you email why you are so great.
87. Create An eBrochure:
Have a brochure with your key services and an outline of why you are “the” accountant to move business to. Have it available for download on your website, in exchange for an email address. Once you have their email address you can then follow up with a call. They have shown they are interested in your services by downloading the brochure. You can show them you are interested in them, by getting in contact and having remarkable customer service.
88. Use Direct Mail:
Mail-drop campaigns are simply pushing marketing leaflets through doors or sending out postcards to your existing client database. They might be old school but they shouldn’t be underestimated. They will still work and you will stand out.
89. Teach Your Expertise:
Organise talks, classes or workshops based on your expertise. An example of this would be Robert Frith, from Frith & Co in Surrey. He is an absolute expert on Property Tax Traps, and holds events explaining the pitfalls and how to overcome these traps. His talks attract around 40 people, last an hour, he supplies coffee and biscuits in a wonderful setting, and from it he raises his profile and shows his expertise. His talks are so good that the information can be actioned on straight away. Why does he do this? Because by positioning himself as the expert he then gets the work when they need their accounts doing.
90. Invest In SEO:
SEO is all about ensuring people find your website if they’re searching for your products and services. Don’t hesitate to make this a priority. Either hire an agency like TwentyTwo to help, or learn about SEO yourself. Moz is an excellent place to start if you wish to learn.
Enjoyed reading these 10 ideas on marketing an accounting practice?
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At TwentyTwo Agency we specialise in helping you create a strategy, attract ideal prospects, convert them into clients and get remembered and referred. Our specialities include content marketing, blog writing, email newsletter management and social media management. We are a content marketing and digital experience agency for accounting firms. We ensure you get remembered, recommended and referred.
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