By Michelle Weinstein.
One of the greatest challenges many tax and accounting firm owners face is the need to generate new leads. But what if you could increase your firm’s revenue without having to constantly find new clients? What if you could generate more revenue from current clients, or even from people who have said no to working with you in the past?
There is a way to do this, and it’s actually incredibly simple: Following up. A solid follow-up system will eliminate 90% of the time-wasting strategies you may have been doing, while enabling you to build lasting relationships, provide lifetime value to your clients, grow revenue for your firm, and maximize your marketing efforts.
5 reasons why follow up matters
#1: It builds trust
Trust is the foundation of any relationship, including the ones you have with current clients and new prospects. Nobody wants to work with someone they don’t trust. When you follow up, you create genuine connections and allow people to get to know, like, and trust you—and see you as a trusted advisor.
#2: Finding new leads is expensive and time consuming
Following up can take a little bit of time, but it doesn’t require the kind of money or time on the front end that organic marketing and paid advertising does. Plus, reaching out to people who already know, like, and trust you will give you MUCH better results and return on your investment!
#3: It can make you lots of money
Did you know that 80% of successful sales take at least five follow ups? If you’re like most firm owners, you’ll give up after hearing just one “no!” That means a LOT of missed opportunities and money left on the table, but there are many reasons why someone says no to working with you. Following up ensures you are always top of mind. It keeps you in contact with prospects who may just not be ready yet and keeps lines of communication open with current clients so you’ll always know exactly what services they need.
#4: It will make you stand out
Most firm owners will never follow up with old leads or have minimal contact with their current clients. Just by taking the initiative to make contact, you’re already making an impression. When you follow up consistently, people will know that you truly care.
#5: It’s easy!
Following up is incredibly simple, and once you have a follow-up system in place, you’ll save time, money, and the stress of feeling like you constantly have to find new clients.
3 groups for follow up
There are three groups of people that should be on your follow up list:
#1: Potential partners/referrers
Sales karma is real! Building relationships with peers that do what you do, or compliment what you do, increases your value, and provides a support network and lifeline for your firm. Like the saying goes, your network is your net worth!
After you meet a new referral partner or someone who may be a referral source for you, send a text, email, or thank you card. Schedule regular follow ups or send regular communication every 30-90 days.
#2: Prospects and potential clients
If someone says NO to working with you right now, it almost never has anything to do with you … but you want to be on their mind when they are ready to say YES. Following up also continues to build the trust and familiarity that is required for someone to want to work with you.
The KEY is to provide value. Send information every 30-90 days that is relevant to their situation or may find interesting based on what you know about them. This is NOT about closing the sale. It’s about providing value, continuing to build rapport, positioning yourself as the expert, and staying top of mind.
It’s important to note that not every prospect is worth following up with. Consider moving on if someone isn’t your ideal client, or they are just price shopping or keep asking for discounts. Trust your gut and don’t follow up with someone you know isn’t a good fit.
#3: Current clients
Checking in regularly with current clients is NOT just a nice thing to do; it is an opportunity to go deeper with them, and find out more about what they need and want from you. It’s much easier and more cost effective to retain your current clients, and sell them new services because they already know, like, and trust you!
Make it a point to regularly find out about any changes or new problems, and keep notes from all of your interactions. Be genuinely curious about your clients and ask strategic questions to find out about any changes or new problems. Some examples might be:
- What is having the biggest impact at this moment for you in your business?
- What is the best/most positive outcome you’d like to see in the next 3-6 months?
- What opportunities (no matter how small) do you have right now to improve your current situation?
- What would make an impact or a difference in 10 weeks in your business?
Once you have a clear understanding of their situation, you’ll know what additional services you can offer them. This could include:
- Different premium services packages. For example, you are currently offering tax compliance, but now you want to convert to fractional CFO packages.
- A “Concierge” value-added maintenance plan for a premium price that even non-business clients can use.
- Audit protection plans—check out Protection Plus from Intuit® Accountants.
- Maintenance packages.
- Consulting calls and consulting services.
If you aren’t regularly checking in with your clients about these things, you’re doing yourself and your clients a disservice! They may be missing out on something they truly need, while you are leaving money on the table.
Implementing a simple follow-up process in your firm will allow you to provide better service, and build better relationships with peers, prospects, and current clients. You can reduce stress and anxiety about where the next dollar will come from and maximize revenue from every client that walks through your door.
As simple as this is, there are many ways to mess this up. I have shared a lot of information with you that has been used as a proven method by many tax and accounting firm owners. We are here for you as a coach to help you execute on these strategies. Leveraging a coach or mentor keeps you accountable and drives more success. If you would like help implementing these systems into your firm, head over to The Abundant Accountant to learn how!
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Michelle Weinstein is a time-tested entrepreneur, master of selling, and founder of The Pitch Queen and The Abundant Accountant. In her 20 years of sales experience, she’s worked with multiple CEOs at billion dollar companies, landed contracts with national retailers such as Costco and The Vitamin Shoppe, and pitched her way onto ABC’s Shark Tank. Her business journey started in finance, which is why her mission today is to help accountants, EAs, CPAs, and bookkeepers discover their true value, and sell high-level services to their clients with ease and confidence.
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Tags: Firm Management
