Although written to the accounting profession, this article is just as pertinent for business coaches & consultants, lawyers, bankers, financial planners, recruiters, and the like. ___________________________
The larger accounting firms are getting larger. Grant Thornton has just bought BDO. PwC is purchasing high-powered boutique firms like Ashley Munro. It’s unlikely there will be any shift from this strategy by the players in the accounting world and in fact they may accelerate and delve deeper into the smaller and specialised end of the market. Competition is king and dangerously so for smaller accounting firms.
Will you be able to not only survive but continue to reward yourself and your people adequately to make the effort worthwhile? How might your firm compete and stand firm against the globals and multi-nationals penetrating your market space and client-markets?
Protect your existing book. Today's clients are your foundation to build future worth in increasingly competitive markets and economies. The big boys have already started cold calling and direct mailing. Examine your work with each client frequently, to assure that you are satisfactorily meeting your client’s current needs. Be sure you understand the client’s industry as well as his or her business. Be sure your person to person relationship is in good shape. And above all, pay strict attention to the quality of your own work.
You are not in the accounting business, you are in the relationship business. Your purpose is to grow strong client relationships that guarantee you are remembered and respected by them. The greater the respect and the more deliberate the relationship, the more likely your clients will contact you when things aren't quite right because they feel safe to confront you. You also can expect that when your competitors go duchessing for their business, they will speak with you before making any decision to leave you for them, giving you an opportunity to protect that client and retain their business.
Proactively seek and secure referrals, recommendations and repeat business from existing clients. Your practice should set an objective to achieve 15-20% annual growth in business from existing clients, in spite of turbulent economic factors. Frequency, recency and front-of-mind: the key to making this happen. Have conversations with clients where you are speaking less than 30% of the time. While ever you are talking you're not listening. And, if you're not listening attentively you may miss opportunities to accept referrals, recommendations and additional work with your existing clients. Be cognisant that your client’s business is no more static than yours, and is understandably, changing and evolving, reacting and responding to market conditions.
Delegates from the Chinese Institute of CPAs in Brisbane with Ric Willmot
Don't assume your practice is of no interest or immune from competition. An economy that is facilitating the demise of firms like BDO to GT is an economy that may very well expose your firm's vulnerabilities.
Make certain you, your people and your practice are better today than yesterday. Continually gain the knowledge, skills and experience to be of continual and ongoing value to your clients and prospects. Accounting is a knowledge-based profession¹. Continuing education in technical skills, professional skills, soft skills, people skills and the like should be actively undertaken by everyone within your practice. Be clear: it's a necessity, not a luxury.
Professional accounting isn't solely about the technical skills of the profession. To be the trusted and valued advisor, accountants must know more about all facets of business, economics, finance, trade, globalisation, technology, staffing, etc. The modern accountant is informed and competent about the global village, and is learned about context, not simply technical skills.
Everyone appreciates that marketing is necessary to grow a professional services firm. In light of increased competition from the "big end of town" marketing is vital for survival. Marketing an accounting practice is not the same as marketing a product or commodity. Accounting professionals need to acquire marketing skills and learn to become comfortable working with marketing professionals. You've lost the option to consider marketing as a discretionary function by dint of the improved and aggressive way your competitors are going about theirs.
Organisational Culture: Accountants have naively believed that clients will flock to them and be in awe of their knowledge. Accountants have a business because it's regulated that taxpaying entities must file returns; and audits must be completed where necessary. However, is your practice the immediate choice for these professional services? Competition is everywhere: services, expertise, standards, service, price, and more. To successfully compete, the culture of accounting firms must shift from an intellectual profession to a value-based, service-centric advisory profession.
Organisational Productivity: Control operating costs, invest in technology that delivers time savings, learn what you need to know about technology to make informed decisions, invest in your people and yourself, and eliminate waste. Manage your practice for profit. If you’re profitable you can afford to invest for growth.
Organisational Innovation: Strive for a culture of creativity, innovation, ownership, challenge, and successful failure. Be a dynamic practice that attracts young, enthusiastic, vibrant, intelligent professionals to you. Finding and keeping quality professional staff is becoming more difficult—it would seem—on an almost daily basis. Innovation, challenge and fun are characteristics that are appealing to people even in the smallest firms. Demand these attributes of your people and provide them with the resources to deliver and contribute. Hire for attitude and educate for skill.
In all of my consulting work with accountants, lawyers, financial planners, recruiters and the like, I have never been witness to an organisation with unhappy, disgruntled, demotivated staff having happy and satisfied clients.
Ric Willmot sharing his Executive Wisdom with CPA Accountants
To win the Green Jacket at the Masters you do not need to shoot four perfect rounds of golf. You simply need to be one shot better than the next best player. The horse that comes in first wins ten times the purse of the second place mount but it need not run a perfect race and be five lengths in front of the other horses. Just simply be a nose in front when they reach the post. Your accounting practice doesn’t have to be seven times better than your competition. However, your existing and potential clients have to be able to recognise an incremental advantage of you over your competition that relates to a clear benefit for them in choosing to engage your services.
Have a better understanding of your market and their needs. Have more visibility in places where your clients will be. Be more active in reaching out, sharing your knowledge and growing your brand and repute. You just need to be a nose in front!
Media leads for Ric's Forum Members 5 February 2013
If you are a member of Ric's Forum you are able to click on the links to access the details of journalists, media, online magazines, websites and blogs who are seeking contributions. This is a marvelous marketing and promotional opportunity for you and your business.
Articles, advice, products and services pertinent to home businesses required
You will need your username and password to log in.
Not a member yet? Join here and use the discount code (DC-AFFSPEC) for the $200 special offer discount.
Live Webcast Wednesday 6 February 12pm Australian EST
Learn how to make networking a successful rainmaking process to acquire more clients, continually.
Every person in professional services needs to network. But many confuse networking with socialising and indiscriminately handing out a gazillion business cards hoping that someone will call them the next day offering to throw money at them. During this live webinar you will learn:
Setting your strategy.
Develop a plan and be effective with your time.
Know what NOT to do.
How to follow-up on opportunity.
Create memorable impressions and develop relationships by becoming a person of interest to others.
There is a nominal fee of $10 to attend. This is—in some small way—to deter people registering and then not attending the webinar. Because of technology restraints we have limited places available and it is disappointing for any who genuinely wish to attend missing their opportunity.
Ric's Online Business Forums is a password-protected area. And, many ask what is the Forum and what's in the Premium Members Area. Here's just 10 of the many reasons why you should be a member:
Benchmark Research: Access to research reports by Executive Wisdom Consulting Group.
"The Vault": A repository of Ric's newsletters, published articles, premium articles, and more.
Attend all live Webcasts, Webinars, Teleconferences and Teleseminars free and have unlimited access to the recordings via the Library. This way you can view when it's convenient for you.
Management, Marketing and Sales Articles: Get best-in-class advice.
Browse by Category
Browse by topic
Podcasts: Listen to weekly tips and interviews with Ric Willmot, his colleagues and other experts from around the world.
Executive Wisdom Survey Reports.
Premium Templates, Tools, and Guides: Gain practical knowledge you can immediately put to use.
Receive Premium-Member discounts on registration to Executive Wisdom's Public Workshops and Seminars.
Premium Case Studies: Learn what's working in professional services strategy, management, marketing and sales.
Media and Press Leads: Opportunities to gain free media publicity by responding to callouts by journalists in Ric's community or elsewhere. Details of possible interviews, article submissions, etc. are posted daily in Ric's Forums giving you a chance to get your organisation, products and services in the press or on radio and television.
Learn more about Executive Wisdom Premium Member benefits by contacting us.
Ric's Forums and Premium Access Members can Login to immediately gain access to this premium content.
Not a Member? Sign up today! Here are your options:
If you would like to be taken on a live virtual tour of the Forum and Premium Access Area via a webcast with Ric, personally: CLICK HERE to arrange an appointment.
There may be no bigger opportunity for business people than finding other like-minded peers who would benefit from being connected and sharing real-world business ideas, opinions and answers. Not social media connections like Facebook where most of the interaction is replications of information elsewhere, or regurgitations of frivolous jokes, videos and photos. Not like LinkedIn where invariably you get spammed by people trying to sell you something.
No. Something better. An online portal where you can create business value for others and receive value yourself.
A place where you can go online anywhere in the world and discuss issues, problems, share ideas and ask questions of others from around the world. Of people who are in business and have lived it. Not people who've read a book and instantly become experts at change management for example.
A place where you build networks to generate information useful to others.
A network of business leaders and owners who understand what it's like when business gets tough and what to do about it.
A place where confidentiality is sacrosanct and honesty is non-discretionary.
What would that be like?
What would that be worth?
To you, what would it be worth?
Would you be willing to pay $5,000 per year?
What about $1,000?
Perhaps you'd jump at the opportunity if it was only $500 per year?
Even better if it was only $297 per year?
So, if I said to you, that you can become a member for life for a once-only investment of only $297, the decision wouldn't be a hard one?
Well, that's exactly what I'm offering you. Join my Online Business Forum and all you will ever pay is a once-only membership of $297.
Board Statistics
Our members have made a total of 2,029 posts
We have 153 registered members
The newest member is Carol Cullen
We have 14 countries represented
Now it's your turn. Register before December 30, and at the checkout use the discount code DC-AFFSPEC to receive this special offer.
At conferences and symposiums I sometimes have the opportunity to sit in the back row or skulk in the shadows of the wings and listen to the speaker preceding me. I'm amazed at how much people can talk and not say anything. I'm astounded by how far presenters are willing to beat their audiences up with PowerPoint and not share any insights. I'm flummoxed at how "experts" and "gurus" focus more on the "smiley" sheets and getting a good rating than challenging the delegates to rethink their current behaviours and norms.
Trawl the website scanning the home pages of professional services firms and you achieve the same level of bewilderment very quickly. One example: "Our firm is leading-edge and admired by our competitors in a constantly changing market for legal services by implementing innovative and effective methods of providing cost-effective, quality representation and services for our clients."
What the heck does that mean?
If that's all you've got far better to remain silent.
Brevity reduces not the impact of a message if that message is pertinent, deliberate, and effective. Be provocative, challenging and confronting. Sometimes you not only need to rock the boat, but tip the boat over. Dipping your toes in the water will never deliver splashy results.
Challenge the people in your organisation to change, to improve, to do better, always and repeatedly.
Ask your people: "What can you improve by just 1% to do better?"
How are you delivering exceptional value to your customers so they choose you over all others?
What are you doing every day to deliver sensational value to your customers?
Many work hard to craft the delivery of a message that says nothing at all. Many strive to be liked and receive standing ovations. Your value is not in being liked, but in getting your audiences, employees, stakeholders, partners, etc., to improve organisational and individual performance. In this current economy your organisation needs to stand out from the crowd and get to where the money is. And, where is the money? In value! Not in discounts and price wars. There will always be someone with deeper pockets then you.
Posted Wednesday, December 12, 2012 by Ric Willmot
Here is the list of monthly webinars being hosted by Ric Willmot and Executive Wisdom in 2013.
All live webcasts are held at 12:00NOON Australian Eastern Time. Many people use this as a working lunch with educational learning. These webcasts are 60 minutes, and recordings are available free of charge to attendees and for sale to others who do not attend.
There is a nominal fee of $10 to attend. This is—in some small way—to deter people registering and then not attending the webinar. Because of technology restraints we have limited places available and it is disappointing for any who genuinely wish to attend missing their opportunity when others just don't show up.
The big news is we have passed 2,000 posts in the Forum!
Here is a summary of the latest discussions, questions, opinions, and the like. You will need your username and password to log in, view, and reply to these discussions. We look forward to your contributions:
What I learned in 2012 from this community - Entrepreneurship
Understanding the effects of leadership on organisational performance - Leadership & Management
Marketing to hardly anybody - Marketing
Why you should send handwritten correspondence - Best Practices
Who is getting in your face and making you feel uncomfortable? - Self-Development
Watch me write the book: Whirlpool Marketing - Self-Development
Employer responsibility at the Christmas party - Farrago
Objectives - Measures - Value - Professional Services & Consulting
Effective Prioritisation - Life Balance
A new Case Study Challenge #RF17: Client declines your best technique
The Vault is a repository of Ric Willmot's intellectual property. Here you are able to review past editions and issues of all newsletters and Ric's Forums Articles - never-before-published articles on unusual or provocative subjects.
Are you making the most of your membership? Do you log in every day or so to see what's new? Do you share your expertise and knowledge with other members seeking guidance in the Forum? Do you ask questions to help you improve your results? Those who are involved in the Forum the most appear to be the individuals making dramatic improvements in their business.
If you have forgotten your username and password in order to gain access to this members-only forum, or if you would like assistance in setting up your signature file, contact us by e-mailing: RicsForum@ExecutiveWisdom.com
If we can be of help, contact us. We're here to help.
When this book lands into Amazon, Barnes & Noble, QBD, and other bookstores it will be retailing for $39.95 in Australia and the U.S.
By pledging your support for the book before the crowd funding project concludes, you are able to secure a copy for only $25 which includes postage to you anywhere in the world.
Pledge $80 and receive 4 copies of the book sent to you—postage included—that's $20 per book!
Marketing Whirlpool guides professionals and those responsible for marketing service-oriented organisations on how to build a quality client base of which their competitors would be proud. With this book, the reader is taught and learns every aspect and skill required to build and grow a successful service business by attracting quality clients who pay handsome fees.
The readers discover how to identify or create their special market niche, how to initially contact a prospective client, gather the necessary data, reach conceptual agreement with the client (even before a proposal is offered), write a proposal that’s geared towards receiving a positive response, and even how to dominate and own the sector specific to their area of expertise in the marketplace.
In the past decade, consolidations, mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring of tier-one and tier-two professional services firms (accounting firms, advertising agencies, consulting practices, financial & insurance institutions, law firms, and a host of others), has seen hundreds of thousands of professionals start their own, or have joined other, smaller organisations. The challenge for these professionals, who are no longer sheltered and protected within the major organisations, is that to survive and thrive, they must necessarily learn how to attract and acquire clients who will be an asset to their enterprise and business longevity. This book has the answers to their challenges and to the many “unasked” questions.
With 34 days remaining, already we've received $6,715 in support to guarantee this book is published globally. Publishers rarely accept proposals from Australian business authors. Their excuse is that Australia isn’t a large enough market.
I'm determined to change all that not just for me but for every other non-USA author. Books take a long time to research, write, edit, produce, and go on sale. All of that work happens on faith, followed by frenzied promotion, as the publisher and author find out if there’s desire for the book. My quest is to find a smarter way to do this.
Please become a supporter—you can back this project for as a little as $5—and receive a deep discount on the bookstore price of the book if you pledge $25 or more. Plus, you'll receive the book before Amazon and the bookstores!
Pledge $1,000 and your amazing marketing story will be written in the book. Pledge $2,000 and not only will you have your story told, but you'll receive 50 copies of the book to use as a marketing instrument and/or goodwill gift.
By using Pozible early in the process, we eliminate book publisher skepticism and create the excitement they need to stock and promote the book. Here’s the link: http://pozible.com/ricsbook1 and please forward this on to others asking them to support this project. I sincerely thank you for your support.
Ric Willmot
Supporter Options:
Platinum Supporter—Your story told. I'll interview you and write at least a half-page about something brave or powerful or remarkable you've done with your business. Like the $1,000 pledge, I can offer this without fear or compromise. Plus 50 COPIES of the book—and delivery anywhere in the world included.
Your story told—I'll interview you and write at least a half-page about something brave or powerful or remarkable you've done with your business. I can offer this without fear of compromising the work because everyone has something brilliant and inspiring in their history. Includes an autographed book.
Add Your Name Inside—ONE COPY personally autographed by me, delivery anywhere in the world. All purchasers of this level will be invited to have their name added to a page inside the book.
8 Copies—8 COPIES personally autographed by me, delivery anywhere in the world included. All purchasers of this level will be invited to have their name added to a page inside the book.
$80 Supporter—4 COPIES, delivery anywhere in the world included. This is a MUCH better deal than the single copy and you can share with friends and colleagues.
$45 Supporter—2 COPIES of "Whirlpool Marketing", delivery anywhere in the world included. This deal lets you share a copy with a friend or colleague.
$25 Supporter—One book, delivered anywhere in the world. This option is a cheap way to get a copy, but I'm hoping that you will buy the 4-pack because it's such a good deal.
$5 Supporter—The digital edition, available to you first, before the hardcopy books are delivered. Download the entire book from our website for five days only.
