While these most recent filing seasons have come with added stressors, you cannot ignore marketing to new clients. You may think your firm has reached a comfortable workload/cash flow level but what happens when client attrition starts happening (and it will).
If you do not have work in the pipeline, you do not have the flexibility in your own cash flow to adjust to your clients’ needs when necessary.
Marketing does not have to take up all your time or start to feel like you are studying to complete brain surgery. The easiest thing you can implement is to start to anticipate client needs and then put it out there—i.e., write articles, do social media posts and offer free webinars—that address the needs you know are the most common.
Here are the most common questions CPAs get asked:
- What can I deduct?
- How long will it take you to prepare my return if I work with you?
- How much will this work cost me?
- What can I do to pay less in tax?
- What kind of business entity should I be?
If you already know what keeps your clients up at night it is easy to direct your marketing efforts towards showcasing the solutions you offer that you already know they need. The key then becomes showcasing it in a way that demonstrates how and why you can do it better.
Here’s an example using the client’s concern about the time it takes to prepare their return. I get this question with almost every new prospect because one of their biggest frustrations is that their prior accountant is not having proactive conversations with them and/or the accountant is extending a return even though the client has everything ready.
- Hook line (focused on their challenge) — Are you still waiting for your accountant to explain last year’s tax return to you?
- Provide a clear solution — At XYZ CPA Firm we use [insert your unique process that solves this challenge] to process our returns in a timely manner. That means that clients who are ready to file are not waiting or being asked to extend.
- Call to action — If you feel like you are always ready to file on time but your accountant is not, our solution may be right for you. Contact us at xxx-xxx-xxxx for a free consultation.
Then perform. Make good on your promises to your client because they came to you for a specific solution. Keep your solutions list short as well. Take a look at what your firm really does well, after all, you are looking to showcase why you are better at this particular solution than your competition and focus on sharing that.
Lastly, make sure you have the resources to support your new work.
