marketing & sales

the three things you represent.

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: three questions about conversion | clients can’t grow without you | seven mistakes in winning new fees | how to develop your communication abilities | five questions for measuring partner potential | five ways to rally your firm to its culture | when would-be partners aren’t candidates
exclusively 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 →

in a sound strategic plan it’s the clientele, not the firm, that’s primary.

by bruce marcus
professional services marketing 3.0

editor’s note: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 was privileged to have a long relationship with bruce w. marcus, who was ahead of his time in his thinking and practice in marketing for accounting. we are publishing some of the late expert’s evergreen work, which retains wisdom for the present. 

it has long been the accepted tradition, in accounting and law firms, that what’s yours is yours and what’s mine is mine. in other words, “i love you charlie. you’re a great guy and a great partner. but keep your hands off my clients.” and thus was the lie put to the myth of cross-selling.

more: when clients think they know marketing | internal communications are underrated | four things better than a company song | let’s lose the word ‘image’ | the risk in not understanding risk | what your marketing program can and can’t do | nine reasons that prospects say yes | how marketing evolved to 3.0 | accountants don’t sell soap.
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

but things change. for example, frank competition, once anathema to the professions, is now well woven into the fabric of professional practice. the nature of the clientele has changed, somewhat drastically. today’s client rarely uses just one law or accounting firm, rarely accepts advice unquestioningly, rarely accepts non-detailed bills (and so will go, eventually, the billable hour). the day of the naïve client is now in its twilight.
read more →