Are you looking to grow your accounting firm?
If you’re like most firms, referrals are probably a major source of new business.
But when I ask firm leaders about their growth goals, they usually want more than what their current referral network is producing. They want to:
- Increase the quality of the referrals they receive.
- Generate more of those right-fit referrals.
- Build additional growth channels so they are not relying on referrals alone.
What if there was a way to increase the quantity and quality of your referrals? To rely on more than just “chance” to get more referrals? Or even go beyond this growth channel?
The good news is that there is.
I’m going to walk you through the exact steps you can take to achieve this outcome.
No time to read? Watch my video instead: https://youtu.be/cQO5JXujXEs
How to Maximize Your Accounting Firm Growth Beyond Referrals
1. Make Sure Your Online Presence Sends the Right Message
Whenever someone is referred to your firm, what’s the first thing they do?
They look you up.
They Google you, or they may look you up on ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude (or some other AI search platform).
They’re also looking at reviews online, whether that’s on Google or your website. And they’re likely looking you up on LinkedIn, too.
Now, if you’ve grown primarily through referrals, you may not even know what your online presence looks like or the message it’s sending.
So, let’s start by looking at what your referrals are seeing and experiencing first.
- Does your website articulate or communicate your value and expertise?
- Do you make it easy for someone to take that next step to work with you?
- Is it easy for prospects who have taken the next step to actually show up to the meeting?
These are all things that you need to evaluate first and make changes where needed. Because our goal is still to maximize the number of referrals you receive and the chance of them taking the next step.
2. Filter Out Referrals Who Aren’t a Good Fit
We’ve started working on the foundation, but one thing you may have overlooked is whether you’re filtering out referrals who aren’t a good fit.
We want to get really specific here.
Because ultimately, you don’t want just any referral. You want a specific type.
How do you filter out those who aren’t a good fit?
Start with your website and landing pages. Communicate:
- Who you’re a fit for
- Who you’re NOT a good fit for
Go beyond just sharing the type of client you work with and the services you offer. For example, if you find that pricing is where a lot of people object, consider putting pricing on your website.
We want to make it easy for referrals to say, “Yes, that firm is for me, or, “You know what? That firm is not for me.”
3. Have a Place to Direct Referrals
The next thing we want to focus on is driving people to our funnel.
- Do you have a system in place and are you driving traffic to it?
- Are you regularly asking people, “Hey, do you know anyone like you?” (if they’re a good client)?
- Are you driving traffic to the place where you capture referrals?
- When was the last time you actually asked for a referral?
We often leave referrals to chance and hope that someone recommends us to a potential client who is actually a good fit.
If you want to take control and increase the chances of receiving quality referrals, you need to put a system in place that attracts them.
We can help with that. Book a consultation to learn how.
4. Make Sure Your Online Presence is Active
We’ve talked about making sure you’re attracting the right referrals and fine-tuning your message. But you also need to think about the other places people are looking.
We touched on reviews earlier. They’re so important. Where do you have them? Google? Facebook? LinkedIn? When was the last time someone reviewed your firm? Stale reviews could turn referrals and other prospects away.
Beyond that, look at your social media presence.
- What do your accounts look like?
- Are they updated?
- Does it look like you’re still active, or does it look like you may have left your firm five years ago?
- Is your Google My Business profile updated?
You want your online presence to be active so that referrals don’t have to wonder if you’re still in business or relevant.
5. Generate Demand
Now that you’ve fixed the foundation, you can look at ways to create demand. There are many avenues you can take here. For example:
- Social media
- Paid social
- SEO and AEO
The right mix and approach depends on a variety of factors. One important thing to look at here is what’s working outside of referrals.
- Are you getting good traffic to your website? Okay, let’s increase that traffic and how?
- Would you prefer a social media-focused approach?
The goal is to find ways to maximize your growth beyond referrals.
Final Thoughts
Many accounting firms rely on referrals for growth. The key is to make sure that you’re maximizing the quantity and quality of these referrals to attract prospects that are a good fit. From there, it’s time to start looking at ways to generate demand beyond referrals.
The strategy above can help you achieve that outcome.
If you’re still not sure how to get started, book a consultation with us. Let’s see if we’re a good fit to help your firm grow beyond referrals.
