thirteen choices for true commitment

high angle view of business people stacking hands in a teamwork gesturehow to show the partners you mean business.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

rising from senior manager to partner often means being promoted ahead of our peers and contemporaries. it creates a gap in earnings, stature and influence compared to those who were our colleagues on a level playing field just yesterday.

more: selling happens all the time | five questions about your network | seven things that good advisors skip | internal communication can’t be overlooked | the seven levels of communication management | make firm culture work for you | sailing the seven c’s to partner | you can’t land your next client without this
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

it can also mean that if we are coming into a firm from the outside, we are being promoted over people who have served at that firm for many years and understand the firm’s culture much better than we do now. we may have to lead these people as the head of a department and if so, they’d better be on our side.
read more →

selling happens all the time

man's hand writing "people buy from people they trust" on a chalkboardfive ways to make it easier to swallow.

by martin bissett
business development on a budget

selling is not something you abruptly need to go and do, and it’s not a suit you wear or a personality you adopt. you don’t need to suddenly be nicer or different because you are out of your comfort zone.

more: five questions about your network | why clients struggle with growth | nine biz-dev metrics for making partner | communication isn’t about you | how to measure partner potential | checklist: partner-ready metrics | checklist: 10 keys to landing your next client | focus on your client’s concerns, not yours | 8 questions for business success
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

for you, going forward, selling means a constant quest to build a perception of yourself and your firm. once you buy into that idea, you can relax and realize that selling is not the enemy but the conduit through which you access new areas of business by demonstrating the value cpas bring to clients.
read more →

five questions about your network

man with pipe dollarphotodetermine how to describe your successes.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

ask yourself and answer these questions when considering the current and future conversion tactics that you’ll employ.

more: why clients struggle with growth | do you make your firm look good? | seven things that good advisors skip | nine biz-dev metrics for making partner
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

  1. if i were to start today, could i name four businesses that i’d like to reach out to?
  2. what is our firm’s net fee growth goal this year and what can i do to contribute to it?
  3. what do i need to do to be able to handle the tough stuff like negotiation, pricing and handling objections? what start to learning these skills can i make today?

read more →

why clients struggle with growth

woman's hand pressing words "ask an expert"they need you. do they know why?

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

please start understanding, valuing and respecting your own value in the marketplace with clients who could not reach their goals without you.

more: do you make your firm look good? | seven things that good advisors skip | internal communication can’t be overlooked | the seven levels of communication management | make firm culture work for you | sailing the seven c’s to partner
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

businesses are in need – sometimes desperate need – of your technical expertise and caring approach.

take that to them instead because, speaking as one who is looked after well myself, we love it and we are prepared to pay a premium without ever asking for discounts.
read more →

five biz dev steps that aren’t so scary

several businesspeople talking and shaking hands, silhouette against city skylineyou’re selling all the time, whether you realize it or not.

by martin bissett

over the years, many partners have told me about their struggles to grow their firms proactively, the main one being that they feel they must sell, which goes against the grain for them. have you ever felt that way?

more: do you make your firm look good? | seven things that good advisors skip | nine biz-dev metrics for making partner | how to communicate your value | internal communication can’t be overlooked
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

perhaps you’ve never had to sell before, and it is taking you way out of your comfort zone. you are entering into unfamiliar territory, that alien landscape called “selling.”
read more →

do you make your firm look good?

angry boss in chair staring down at tiny businessmana cautionary case study.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

the passport to partnership study collated a number of responses in a conversational style. the main example that really stood out as the major indicator of a need for each future leader to be able to convert new business is showcased below and was repeated many times in various different ways.

if this person wants to be considered for partnership in the future, we look at how are they promoting the firm to potential clients now.

meaning: if you’re trusted enough to represent the firm publicly, what perception are clients and potential clients getting about the firm based on their interactions with you?

more: seven things that good advisors skip | nine biz-dev metrics for making partner | communication isn’t about you | how to measure partner potential | checklist: partner-ready metrics | checklist: 10 keys to landing your next client
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

read more →

seven things that good advisors skip

businessman expressing refusal with open handsplus four reasons why selling is difficult.

by martin bissett

what makes a written proposal become accepted by the potential client – every time?

more: nine biz-dev metrics for making partner | how to communicate your value | 4 top communication habits | three questions to evaluate firm culture | sailing the seven c’s to partner
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

proposal writing is a micro-science in its own right but here are the proven principles that it takes to get proposals accepted.
read more →

crafting the perfect proposal

six vintage keyssix keys to turning prospects into clients.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

what makes a written proposal become accepted by the potential client – every time?

more: nine biz-dev metrics for making partner | how to communicate your value | internal communication can’t be overlooked | communication isn’t about you | 4 top communication habits | the seven levels of communication management
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

proposal writing is a micro-science in its own right but here are the proven principles that it takes to get proposals accepted.
read more →

nine biz-dev metrics for making partner

businesswoman in wheelchair meeting with potential clientto build a book of business, you need to master “conversion.”

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

like it or not, the 21st-century accountant is in the relationship-building business.

more: how to communicate your value | internal communication can’t be overlooked | communication isn’t about you | 4 top communication habits | the seven levels of communication management | how to measure partner potential | three questions to evaluate firm culture | make firm culture work for you | checklist: partner-ready metrics
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

when a qualified accountant learns the art of developing those relationships in such a way as they empower the practice to be able to forecast its new fee income each year, the accountant becomes a profit center and their value to the firm increases tenfold.

read more →

how to communicate your value

confident businessman turning away from desk and smilingbonus: exercises to define your worth and tell the world.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

an advisor is trusted when they can show that they

  • took responsibility for their end of the bargain in the client engagement,
  • educated the client of their responsibilities,
  • offered prompting and assistance throughout but then allowed the client to ultimately govern themselves in terms of following through on their commitments.

more: internal communication can’t be overlooked | communication isn’t about you | how to measure partner potential | checklist: partner-ready metrics | checklist: 10 keys to landing your next client | focus on your client’s concerns, not yours | 8 questions for business success
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

this then empowers the advisor to make a commercial decision when the client now faces the consequences, as to whether they want to communicate even more assistance to make things all better for the clients and gain huge appreciation and emotional capital.
read more →

internal communication can’t be overlooked

businesspeople in business fightingbonus checklist: five questions to evaluate yourself.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

the passport to partnership study collated a number of responses in a conversational style. several examples really stood out as the first steps in effective communication:

more: 4 top communication habits | the seven levels of communication management | make firm culture work for you | sailing the seven c’s to partner | you can’t land your next client without this
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

would we put this person in front of a client?
read more →

communication isn’t about you

older and younger businessmen talkingbonus: three outlooks from our exclusive expert council: pipe, dobek, grundy.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

what does communication mean at the partner level?

more: 4 top communication habits | the seven levels of communication management | make firm culture work for you | sailing the seven c’s to partner | you can’t land your next client without this | if you’re selling, you’re doing it wrong
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

ask yourself and answer these questions when considering the current and future communication tactics that you’ll employ.
read more →

4 top communication habits

component parts of how the other person perceives your in-person communication
component parts of how the other person perceives your in-person communication

show that you value your clients – and yourself.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

i’ve had the benefit of meeting, speaking and observing hundreds of very successful and unsuccessful partners over the last two decades and there is indeed a set of differentiating factors that set a partner apart from the chasing pack.

more: the seven levels of communication management | how to measure partner potential | checklist: partner-ready metrics | checklist: 10 keys to landing your next client | focus on your client’s concerns, not yours | 8 questions for business success
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

here are the four “best-selling behaviors” that i’ve observed:
read more →