Tips for Finding New Accounting Clients

There is no doubt that acquiring new clients for an accounting practise can be difficult at times. To locate fresh business prospects, however, is not difficult if you take the appropriate approach. The following are some suggestions that will assist you in getting started. First things first, zero in on your ideal customer. Who are the perfect customers for your business? When you have this information, you may direct your marketing efforts towards contacting these specific people.

Second, in order to connect with prospective customers, you should participate in networking events and utilise web directories. Finally, in order to bring in new leads, you should provide free content such as ebooks and white papers. If you follow these guidelines, finding new clients for your accounting business will be easy, and it will help your company grow.

Are you a certified public accountant who is looking to expand your client base? Here are some strategies that can assist you in finding new accounting clients, whether your company is just starting out or you simply want to increase the size of your clientele. To begin, you should determine your targeted audience and then conduct research on the companies that operate within that industry.

As soon as you have a list of possible prospects, you should make contact with them and inform them of the services that you can provide. In addition, there are professional organisations in your sector that you can join, and there are events that you can go to where possible customers will be present.

Surprising Ideas for Getting More Accounting Clients

You are aware that you should ask current customers for referrals. You are aware that you should sign up to be a member of your community's Chamber of Commerce and that you should attend group meetings in your region. But what can you do when the typical methods for getting new accounting clients begin to yield less results?

If the traditional approaches are no longer producing results for you, it's time to start thinking outside the box. Here, we have compiled 27 unconventional pointers that might be used to find new accounting clients. Including even a small number of these tactics in your marketing and promotional initiatives will help you maintain a consistent flow of new customers entering your place of business.

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Include new goods or services

There are customers whose business you won't be able to get until such time as you take the necessary steps to expand your company's service offerings. This is due to the fact that you do not provide the products or services that are required by these customers.

The provision of virtual CFO services and accounting services to clients is currently a trending issue and an easy approach to extend the reach of your company's core skills to a new audience. Consider taking a look at the Cloud CFO service that Orba offers as a working illustration of this concept.

Put your contact details and business name on display

Transform yourself into a moving advertisement by donning t-shirts or other articles of clothing that feature the name of your company as well as its contact information. This strategy was employed by the proprietor of a digital marketing agency, Sujan Patel, to generate over one million dollars in additional revenue.

Make some cold calls

Nobody wants to dial for bucks, which is precisely why businesses that are willing to invest the time to make it work have a chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity. According to what Nicholas D. Keseric Jr., a contributor to Accounting Today, explains:

It's the same thing as when a highway shuts down one of the lines on the highway if you don't use cold calling to promote your company. You might reduce the number of lanes from four to three. The expansion of services to existing customers, referrals from existing customers, referral sources who introduce their customers to you, walk-in business, marketing efforts, and your website are the primary avenues through which you can expand your company. Why did you stop people from doing cold calls? Open it up.

Cold emailing

If making cold calls is too scary for you, an alternative that might be more appealing is sending cold emails. Look for tried and tested templates for cold emails to cut down on your learning curve.

Reactivate Dormant Customers

Your company may be laying on a financial goldmine without even realising it, despite the fact that re-engaging with dormant clients won't make them officially "new" consumers. This is particularly true if, after previous clients became inactive, you have offered new services or made big changes to the operations of your company, such as providing payment methods that are more tempting to customers.

Place a LinkedIn ad

It's possible that marketing in printed media or in local news sources is the promotional tactic of choice for your company. However, you might want to think about redirecting part of this money to LinkedIn, which is sometimes overlooked. In addition to communicating with those customers in a setting geared towards business, you'll have the opportunity there to personalise your advertisements for the customers who are most likely to buy from you.

Publish your work using the Publishing Platform provided by LinkedIn

A more general recommendation is to transition away from outbound advertising methods and place a greater emphasis on developing thought leadership, which refers to the kind of content that attracts inbound leads, for both yourself and your company. Publishing contributions on the Publishing Platform offered by LinkedIn is one way to accomplish this goal.

Create a Group on LinkedIn

You can also take advantage of the professional network's Group-building option to establish a community in which you can demonstrate your level of knowledge and engage with potential clients in a manner that is not as direct.

Maintain a Facebook Group

While both Facebook and Instagram offer capabilities for creating groups, there is an essential distinction to be made between the two when it comes to community development. They can also provide great opportunities to develop a following around your company, but they also require frequent upkeep on your part, as groups that do not have framework will quickly fizzle out.

You should carefully consider if you have the resources, both time and talent, to engage in a group on social media on an ongoing basis. Resources include both time and talent.

Challenges on Social Media to Run

It's possible that a social media challenge will be successful for your company if it caters to customers rather than other corporations.

For example, in the eight weeks running up to tax time, you could publish messages to your followers issuing particular tasks to assist them get their submissions in order. This would be beneficial to both you and them. The next step is to helps promote to check back at frequent intervals, confirm that they have carried out the steps outlined in the challenge, and share the challenge with other people.

Collaboration With Local Websites

This piece of advice is especially useful if estate planning is one of the services you provide, as this emphasises the need of locating local families and establishing relationships with them.

Do some research to find websites in your area that share resources with families. Ask about sponsorship deals or other ways your company can help if you are able to identify websites that cater to the audience you are looking to reach.

Choose Your Ideal Clients

Not every customer and potential business partner is created equal. You may certainly divide your current customers into three categories: exceptional, satisfactory, and less than ideal.

Consider the following characteristics that are important to the success of your company's business relationships:

• How straightforward is it to work with them?
• What is the entire amount of revenue that they bring in?
• Are you able to collaborate efficiently and productively with them?
• What kind of profits do they make?
• Do they result in a more favourable exposure?
• Do they make connections between you and other fantastic customers?

There could be additional considerations you need to take into account. Before you go out and start pursuing your ideal customers, you need to have a solid understanding of who they are and what they look like. There are times when one must make difficult choices. There is no guarantee that a prospect's financial situation will be a deciding factor in their inclusion on the list. It's possible that you're moving into a new field of specialisation. During the time when you are establishing your reputation in the market, you might be willing to take on clients whose business is less lucrative.

Or, if your company specialises in a certain field, you could be able to command a higher price for its services. It may be a natural and lucrative option for you to go in if you specialise in a certain field and look for new clients in that field.

Partner With Other Credible And Reputable Experts

Your customers might already be working with other companies for services that you don't provide, such as the following examples:

• legal representation
• investment advice
• recruiting needs
• technology

It is crucial that you play a role in aiding them with referrals if you are able to, even if they are not the areas of expertise that your company specialises in.

Think about forming new business relationships with other reputable specialists or working to strengthen the ones you already have. Your clients may benefit from working with qualified legal counsel, financial advisors, technology experts, and recruiters. And you might get referrals from them for your own business.

Establishing non-competitive ties with other reputable businesses can be profitable for your company as well. But make sure you're not in competing directly. For instance, a company that possesses large company tax expertise may offer paired referrals in conjunction with another firm that possesses significant corporate advisory experience. Alternately, if you are interested in shifting the focus of your company, you can consider forming a strategic alliance with a general bookkeeping or payroll business that is less specialised. They might take care of the day-to-day operations while you focus on providing higher-value services when you begin to specialise.

Never Be Shy To Request Referrals

It is difficult to find a superior salesperson than a customer who is happy with their purchase. Your customers do not hold an exclusive relation with you as their provider. They engage in transactions with other companies ranging in scale and scope. Your reputation will improve as a result of their endorsement of your company.

When it comes to referrals, you shouldn't take a "wait and see" approach. Take the initiative. Request that some of your most loyal customers share the word about your business. It is important to make use of professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn in order to obtain endorsements and recommendations. Incorporate customer endorsements into your website. Some companies implement a referral incentives system that is more organised. As a result of a recommendation, they offer discounts or perks to the customer base that has already been established.

Promote Added-Value Services To Your Current Clients

Offering extra services to existing customers is a common strategy for growing a company's customer base and revenue. Explain to them why they should use your company rather than your competitors for the services that you also offer if they are now using your competitors. However, choose your moment, and go at your own pace. Make arrangements for a unique gathering, presentation, or workshop. Consider which online community would be most appropriate.

And don't limit yourself to talking about your company. What are some of the additional advantages that you can provide to your customer? These might include:

• price or membership advantages
• increased levels of production
• more accurate and reliable data
• improved service
• superior individuals in both intelligence and experience

What happens if the needs of your customers are already being met? Look for ways to serve their spouses, friends, and coworkers with additional services and look for opportunity to do so.

Study Effective Networking Techniques

If you understand how to make the best of networking events, they may be really beneficial. Even in this day and age of advanced technology, face-to-face gatherings offer excellent opportunities to network and make connections with potential customers. In spite of this, there is no substitute for face-to-face connection that is carried out effectively. When it comes to effectiveness, networking events are at their peak for businesses that serve other enterprises.

It is essential to have a plan in place before attending any events involving networking. Before you go, do as much research as you can about the other people who are going to be there. It is possible to obtain a list of those who will be attending in advance. Consider the factors that would make doing business with your company appealing to these potential customers. Meet the important people, and then ensure that you follow up with them following the meeting.

Doing business with people who share your values can open doors for you

When you spend some time with others that have similar interests to you, you'll discover opportunities to network and share anecdotes in a casual setting. In addition, events, groups, and activities that are not traditionally associated with a particular industry offer excellent possibilities for networking.

Do you take part in any activity or interests that attract people who make important decisions in business? You'll already have a point of departure for the talk when you do this. These kinds of contacts, whether they take place in a golf club, a cycling club, or a community activity, have the potential to develop into solid client relationships.

Look for companies that use technology in the same way

Over the past few years, a significant number of companies have migrated their operations to the cloud. It's not just a passing craze or a buzzword to throw about. If your company is accustomed to working remotely and if digital engagement with customers is routine for you, you are already in a strong position to assist other businesses that are comparable to your own.

You should capitalise on your interest in technology by targeting the appropriate customers when you market your services to potential customers. Invite them to attend tech and innovation conferences, ideally ones that you will also be attending yourself. Give people links to recent, pertinent, and intriguing articles and videos related to technology. Please rate the following information technology providers:

• cloud providers
• IT security companies
• businesses and organisations that specialise in web design
• shops specialising in development and integration
• ISPs as well as hosting service providers
• hardware distributors

Don't send your customers a continuous stream of spam. Less is more. A link that demonstrates your awareness of their world will impress them.

Consider visiting and making cold calls strategically

Even though it frequently has a poor reputation, making unsolicited phone calls can be quite productive. It is dependent on your point of view, how well you prepare, and how you carry out the plan. The most important thing to do before speaking with a potential customer over the phone is to gather as much information as you can about them. Find out who you wish to talk to, what their function is, and what a few of their requirements are before you start a conversation with them. Also, be sure to give attentive attention to what is being said. It is more successful to have a genuine discussion rather than a sales pitch.

Some companies have specialised salespeople make phone calls to the key decision makers within the organisations that could become customers. This may be a very efficient use of resources. Using this strategy, a collection of unordered prospective can be converted into cold, medium, and warm leads. After they have been qualified, warm prospects have the potential of becoming referrals for senior sellers within your company.

Decide on a focus

Imagine you had the perfect routine. What do you hope people will remember you for? What aspect of accounting do you find to be the most enjoyable and why? It may be a transaction, an industry, a certain clientele profile, or a situation involving a business. Is there a particularly intriguing work that you've done for one customer, and do you think that other clients might have a problem or need that's comparable to it?

You'll be in a better position to start attracting the business you want once you've identified a speciality and figured out who your ideal client is. This will also make it easier for you to turn down work that doesn't meet your standards.

Display your value

Before deciding on one brand or vendor to purchase from, the majority of consumers investigate and evaluate a number of available options first. You have to be on that list in order to have a chance of getting picked. It is imperative that you be on their radar well before they require your assistance.

Individuals who have already joined your network can be informed about your particular areas of specialization and professional interests through the process of posting articles on the Internet. People's ideas as to what you can accomplish for them are influenced by the topics that you write about.

Say it clearly

To persuade people to pay attention to you in this busy and distracting environment, first condense and then find a technique to make your idea stick in their minds. You may use a visual, a metaphor, an attention-grabbing phrase, shocking data, or a series of steps that the reader can take. Your tone of speech should seem like you, not like it was taken from a textbook.

Be Effective

Ensure that a steady stream of information is produced. Just one article isn't going to cut it. However, you shouldn't waste your time by writing about every possible topic on that you might offer advice. Choose a topic, be consistent with it, and study deeply into it so that you can demonstrate that you understand it.

After you've produced an article, you should make the most of what you've created. Publish it on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, as well as on your personal blog.

Create a network

Your practise will expand at a quicker rate if more individuals are aware of what it is that you offer. Get out there and meet new people by networking, and then be sure to keep in touch with them regularly. Be cautious and persistent. Grow your profile, and you'll get more queries. You will have the ability to select your customers, rather than having customers imposed upon you.

Choose Your Ideal Clients

Not every customer and potential business partner is created equal. You may most likely divide your current customers into three categories: excellent, satisfactory, and less than ideal.

Consider the following characteristics that are important to the success of your company's business relationships:

• How straightforward is it to work with them?
• What is the entire amount of revenue that they bring in?
• Are you able to collaborate efficiently and productively with them?
• What kind of profits do they make?
• Do they result in a more favourable exposure?
• Do they make connections between you and other fantastic customers?

There could be additional considerations you need to take into account. Before you go out and start pursuing your ideal customers, you need to have a solid understanding of who they are and what they look like. There are times when one must make difficult choices. There is no guarantee that a prospect's financial situation will be a deciding factor in their inclusion on the list. It's possible that you're entering a new field of specialisation. During the time when you are establishing your reputation in the market, you might be willing to take on clients whose business is less lucrative.

Or, if your company specialises in a certain field, you could be able to command a higher price for its services. It may be a natural and lucrative option for you to go in if you specialise in a certain field and seek out new clients in that field.

Partner With Other Credible And Reputable Experts

Your customers might already be working with other companies for services that you don't provide, such as the following examples:

• legal representation
• investment advice
• recruiting needs
• technology

Even if these are not areas in which your company specialises, you still need to do what you can to assist these clients by providing references if at all possible.

Think about forming new business relationships with other reputable specialists or working to strengthen the ones you already have. Your clients may benefit from working with qualified legal counsel, financial advisors, technology experts, and recruiters. And you might get referrals from them for your own business.

Establishing non-competitive ties with other reputable businesses can be profitable for your company as well. But make sure you're not in competing directly. For instance, a company that possesses substantial company tax knowledge may offer paired referrals in conjunction with another firm that possesses significant corporate advisory experience. Alternately, if you are interested in shifting the focus of your company, you can consider forming a partnership with a general bookkeeping or payroll business that is less specialised. They might take care of the day-to-day operations while you focus on providing higher-value services when you begin to specialise.