Bringing in new clients is essential if you want to grow your accounting firm.
But many firm owners assume that in order to do that, they either need to hire a marketing expert or become one themselves.
Both can help, but they are not the only paths to growth.
I’m going to teach you nine strategies to get more clients that are easy to implement, even with no marketing knowledge.
Each will provide an immediate impact on your firm, and the last one? It’s one that nobody is talking about.
Don’t have time to read all of this? Watch my latest YouTube.
Getting clients is possible even if you’re a firm owner who hates marketing. Here’s how to get started:
You’ve had leads drop off in the past, right? Why not follow up with them to try and see if they are still looking for help?
You can do this through multiple avenues:
Browse all of these platforms to find conversations that you had with people that never went the distance. Oftentimes, leads just were not quite ready to commit at the time.
With the right nudge, someone who previously wanted to book a call with you will make the move.
A simple, “Hey, are you still looking for ABC (Help with a problem, a CPA, etc.) If so, let’s find a time to connect. Here’s a link to book a call: INSERT SCHEDULING LINK ” will more than suffice.
Now, let’s build off of the previous strategy and start reaching out to people you sent proposals to that just stalled. They never moved forward with the process.
Get back to these people. Follow up with them. But this time, add some more context.
Look at your notes from your previous calls or in-person meetings to see what you discussed.
Ask them if they’re still wanting to:
Restart the conversation. They may be ready now to take the next step.
Your existing clients are a potential source of additional revenue. You just need to reach out to the right ones.
How do you know who to target?
Look at the financials of your existing clients and ask yourself:
Once you’ve started identifying potential clients, think about what’s going on with their situation and how can you help? For example:
Then, start reaching out to them and have a discussion about their situation. Dig into their financials and trends with them to see if there’s some way you can support them.
So often, clients want this level of support, but they don’t know it’s possible to get it from their accountant. Be the one to reach out and see if you can solve their problem. Because if you’re noticing these trends, they’re likely feeling them, too.
Social media can be an amazing source for leads, especially Facebook and LinkedIn. Finding them is really as simple as searching for the right keywords on each platform.
Every day, people are on social media searching for:
Find them. Search for posts related to your services, and start reaching out to people who are already looking for your help.
The great thing about this strategy is that it only takes a few minutes to start finding people.
Here’s a strategy that you may not have thought about before: targeting people who are monetizing for the first time.
For example, there are so many creators and social media influencers on the internet today.
They build large followings on social media, and they want to monetize it outside of just, say, brand partnerships. They create some kind of product or merch to achieve this goal.
This is a sign that they’re monetizing for the first time, and it’s a great opportunity to reach out to them to offer the next level of support they’ll need.
Another case could be a new business opening. For example, someone just opened up a new law firm and is accepting clients. People post about these big milestones.
You can be the one to jump in, introduce yourself, get to know them and potentially provide the support they need as a business owner.
How many people do you talk to regularly who you know would be a good client fit, but you’ve never had the conversation about going to the next level?
These could be people who:
Reach out to them. Broach the conversation about how they’re handling their finances, and see if maybe it makes sense to work together.
If you want to get more ideal clients, you need to expand your reach. One great way to do that is to partner with people who already have your audience.
I’ve been preaching about this strategy for a long time because it works so well.
Here’s the gist of it:
Who should you, as a firm owner, partner with?
Remember that it takes a village to run a business. So, find other people who serve your ideal clients. See how you can work together to create something valuable for your shared target audience.
Want an easy way to get your ideal clients to say “yes”? Create a mini offer that no one can refuse.
Here’s an example: One of our firms created a tax-related mini offer. They said, “Hey, for $300, we will find you $10,000 in tax savings. And if we don’t, you get your money back.”
That’s a complete no-brainer offer.
Something like this makes it easy to get your foot in the door with a new client and get them to say “yes.”
Take the same approach with your firm. Find a common problem your prospects are having, and create a mini offer you know you can deliver on.
Look for people who hit a big milestone, and reach out to them.
People love to celebrate.
Maybe they just:
These are all clear signs of growth. But they also indicate that they’ll be needing support either now or in the future.
Now is the perfect time to reach out. Congratulate them. Get to know them a little bit, and offer your services.
This does not mean that you should reach out in an insincere way solely for the purpose of offering your services.
You should reach out with genuine interest.
What happens if they wind up not being a good fit? That’s okay.
You can never really have too many connections, so reach out and see where the conversation takes you.
If you follow these nine strategies, you’ll have no problem growing your firm. But the biggest mistake I see amongst all of this is that firms don’t take action. They assume they need a marketing person or they have to be an expert themselves.
But that’s simply not true.
You have all the tools you need to see massive results. You just have to take that first step.
Reach out through social media or text messages with a simple message asking if they’re still looking for help. A friendly nudge can rekindle their interest.
Refer to your previous discussions and ask if they still want to achieve the goals you talked about. This personal touch can reignite their interest.
Review your clients’ financials to spot those who have grown or changed recently, and reach out to discuss how you can assist them further.
Focus on LinkedIn and Facebook. Search for keywords related to your services and engage with users who are actively seeking accounting help.
Design a compelling offer that addresses a common problem, like a tax savings guarantee. This makes it easy for prospects to say ‘yes’ to your services.
Reach out with genuine congratulations and interest in their success. This can lead to discussions about how you can support their growing needs.