here’s what you’re looking for: martin bissett

bonus: 10 questions to check your comfort level.

by martin bissett
understanding selling

i’ve been asking you to believe in yourself, to get your potential clients to open up to you, and to demonstrate to them the outcomes that working with you and your firm would create in their personal and professional lives.

more: three things that rich accountants do | make your expertise a new-client magnet | don’t think of it as selling | experts: what it takes to become partner | where is your next money coming from? | your website promises. do you deliver? | five reasons firms don’t thrive | good enough is not enough
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

now here’s a checklist for you to run through before you begin your next business development initiative, and before each new business appointment that you have.
read more →

soon they’ll become second nature.

by martin bissett
winning your first client

you may be thinking right now, “well, very good, martin, but we have finite time. we’re very, very busy people and we need to get business in the door, and therefore creation of opportunity becomes the issue.”

more: make your expertise a new-client magnet | attract clients, don’t chase them | success in business comes second | business won’t come to you | win your first client: yourself | perception is reality, client version | 10 questions for reconsidering your prices | would you make yourself a partner? | what the next generation of practice leaders faces
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

regardless of whether we’ve got 20 opportunities on our plate today or none, when the next one comes along we can’t afford to be anything other than confident, comfortable, assured relationship builders who have tremendous value to offer. because people will see that body language, those voice tones and hear those words and it will be attractive. they will want to get to know more – they’ll want to be able to look at options. they’ll want to know what you’ll charge, and they’ll want to know what they’ll get for what you charge.
read more →

we understand our value.

by martin bissett
winning your first client

it’s about time to realize that value is not about time.

more: attract clients, don’t chase them | four reasons it’s hard to sell | eight questions to hold yourself accountable | win your first client: yourself | perception is reality, client version | 10 questions for reconsidering your prices
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

when i look back on the research that has been conducted by various groups as to the biggest obstacles accounting firms cite to growing their practice,

• 50 percent said creating opportunities,
• 25 percent said knowing how to close deals
• and the remainder said having self-confidence in presenting and then being able to positively differentiate from their competition.

read more →

focus on their needs, not yours.

by martin bissett
winning your first client

let’s start with two simple definitions to avoid any confusion:

1. the purpose of marketing is to create the opportunity.
2. the purpose of business development (sales) is to convert that opportunity into a paying client.

more: don’t think of it as selling | success in business comes second | business won’t come to you | forged in fire: the pains of leadership | a lesson in customer service and reputation | prioritize your prospects | good enough is not enough
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

when we meet with prospective clients – and i say this as someone who has sat in on many hundreds of meetings of this nature – we rarely give potential clients a reason to buy from us that they care about.
read more →

what to focus on instead.

by martin bissett
winning your first client

let’s take a look at the last 16 years of my experience and my research as to where new clients come from in an accounting practice. i don’t think there are going to be too many shocks here.

more: don’t think of it as selling | success in business comes second | business won’t come to you | forged in fire: the pains of leadership | a lesson in customer service and reputation | prioritize your prospects
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

what i’ve found is that 82 percent of all new clients in a given year who come into an accounting firm come in from a referral source. this may be a bank or a lawyer or some other source, perhaps an existing client, who has recommended that a particular business meet with your firm and come on board as a client.
read more →

start treating it like a service.

by martin bissett
winning your first client

being a successful person according to your own measurement of that, and your own goals and your own standards is different for everyone.

more: success in business comes second | eight questions to hold yourself accountable | win your first client: yourself | perception is reality, client version | 10 questions for reconsidering your prices | a list is not a pipeline
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

if you’re comfortable with yourself, it’s very likely that others will be too. if you understand the value that you offer (how you can improve a client’s situation to move them closer toward their personal and professional aspirations), you’re likely to be able to convey that value in front of a prospect.
read more →