On this week’s Dear Katie, someone asked me: “I’ve niched, but I still feel like there is a lot of competition. My niche is real estate. How can I stand out amongst other accountants serving that same niche?”
Niching is one of the positioning strategies for accountants that I always recommend.
So, good for you for already defining your niche.
But niching alone won’t make you stand out from the competition. You’re up against over 85,000 businesses offering U.S. accounting services.
Your next step should be to position yourself as the only offer. Let’s see how this works.
Real estate is just niching down to one industry, and it’s a huge one.
“We do tax and accounting for real estate professionals” isn’t even specific enough.
Think along these lines:
Of course, these are just two examples in the real estate niche. You can do this with any industry:
You want to be specific enough that when your ideal client sees what you offer, they think to themselves, “That’s exactly what I need.”
Once you nail down your offer and are ruthlessly specific, you can focus on building a magnetic POV.
Your opinion matters, which is why a personality-led brand is what we recommend to our clients. There’s a saying that goes something like this, “If you don’t repel some, you can’t attract any.”
Review your POV and be sure to:
For example, you’ve probably heard that compliance isn’t tax planning.
Using this as a base, your strong POV may be more along the lines of “Most tax planning is just a sales pitch wrapped in spreadsheets. That’s not what we do.”
Your POV matters and is worth spending time to nail down.
Alex Hormozi said it best: “The best product doesn’t win. The best offer does.”
Yes, you need to provide a great service, but you also need an irresistible offer to go with it.
The best offer has:
This is why I’m a big fan of selling tax planning. You can save clients $X in a set amount of time. It’s easy to get started, and there’s a high perceived value (which is actually true!).
You may have the best messaging in the world, but if you’re not showing up when prospects are looking, you’ll struggle to stand out.
Timing is key.
Start using buying signals to guide your outreach.
What key moments or milestones would trigger clients to look for your services?
These are the moments when prospects need help. This is when they’re ready to act. This is when your message will land.
Forward-thinking firms watch for these signals and show up with relevance.
So to put it all together, you need to be ruthlessly, specific, have a strong POV, create an irresistible offer, and show up at the right time.
And, that’s a wrap on this Dear Katie question.
Want help putting this into place for your firm?
We build systems like these for accountants who want to grow with a strategy (not guesswork).
Reply “Signals” to get more details.
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Now I want to hear from you. Do you have a question?
Until next time, cheers to your success!
Katie
Focus on being very specific about your services. Instead of just saying you serve real estate professionals, define your target more narrowly, like helping short-term rental investors maximize deductions.
A strong POV means clearly stating your beliefs and values in your messaging. It should resonate with your target audience and help attract clients who share those beliefs.
An irresistible offer should clearly show the return on investment, have a defined timeline, be perceived as high value, and be easy for clients to engage with.
Identify key moments when potential clients might need your services, like hiring a CFO or buying a property, and tailor your outreach to coincide with those events.
Being specific helps potential clients immediately recognize that your services are exactly what they need, making it easier for them to choose you over competitors.
Reassess your positioning by refining your niche, strengthening your POV, and crafting a compelling offer that clearly communicates your unique value to clients.