Business Development

Coaching isn’t defined in the accounting industry as clearly as the likes of accounts preparation or cashflow forecasting.

After working with accountants for nearly 15 years, I know the Post Tax Year-end Stress is real for many, leading to a February spent in recovery mode. That said, what we choose to do now will pave the way for a better, less stressful end to this year and a more productive start to 2023!If I polled UK accountants in January, they would say that tax year-end ruins their Christmas and New Year.

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Sales is the primary driver for all businesses. Yet somehow, accountants have historically found their bread and butter without the help of a sales team.

Speaking to an accountant recently, I had a chuckle when she mentioned her service plans all included one baseline service – “Keep you sweet with the Tax Man”. For many accountants, the tax department has been their sales driver. For others,...

In the wake of Coronavirus, and with feelings of greater economic uncertainty, your clients are in need of help more than ever before.  Traditional practices, with too great a focus on compliance work, run the risk of not doing enough to help Small to Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs) in the way that they need right now.  Legacy accountants will not be able to support clients enough by fulfilling...

I've seen it written that proposals are your sales engine - this is simply not true.  The proposal is essential; but it's only one of the steps in the sales process:

During my 17 years running an accounting firm, particularly in the last five years when I was quoting for 100% of the work I did, I had hundreds of BFOs (Blinding Flashes of the Obvious).  Let me share four of them, relating to proposals and winning new work:

About 10 years ago I was having lunch with a friend (let’s call her Jane) when she asked, 'why should I come to you as a client Mark?'.  I started my usual and practised patter about quality, professionalism, great team, great service…   Jane basically then told me to shut up.  I’m sure that if we weren’t having lunch, she would have walked off to find someone else to talk to!  Instead she said...