50 Tips in 50 Minutes How to Attract New...

How to Attract New Clients: 50+ Tips in 50 Minutes - Rick Telberg

7/10/2013

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How to Attract New Clients – 50 Tips in 50 Minutes!

Presented by: Rick Telberg

Bay Street Group, CPA Trendlines

Website: www.cpatrendlines.com

Twitter: @CPA_Trendlines

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Tax Practice Ethics & Quality Control

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The Rise of the Digital Accountant

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How to Attract New Clients - 50 Tips in 50 Minutes

•Rick Telberg, CPA •July 10

Technology Update 2013

•Randy Johnston •July 31

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•L. Gary Boomer, CPA.CITP •August 21

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7/10/2013


How to Attract New Clients:

50 100+ Tips in 50 Minutes

By Rick Telberg

cpatrendlines.com

prepared specially for AccountantsWorld

July 2013

cpatrendlines.com 3

General Ideas

1. Never let a day pass without engaging in at least one biz-dev activity.

2. Determine a percentage of gross income to spend annually on marketing.

3. Set specific marketing goals every year; review and adjust quarterly. Maintain a tickler file of ideas for later use.

4. Carry business cards with you (all day, every day).

5. Create a personal nametag or pin with your company name and logo on it and wear it at high visibility meetings.

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Target Market

6. Stay alert to trends that might impact your target market, product, or promotion strategy.

7. Read market research studies about your profession, industry, product, target market groups, etc.

8. Collect competitors’ ads and literature; study them for information about strategy, product features, benefits, etc.

9. Ask clients why they hired you and solicit suggestions for improvement.

10. Ask former clients why they left you.

11. Identify a new market.

12. Join LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook.

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Product Development

13. Try a new service, technique, or product.

14. Offer a simpler/cheaper/smaller version of an

(or existing) service.

15. Offer a fancier/more expensive/faster/bigger

version of your (or existing) product or

service.

16. Update your services.

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Education, Resources, and

Information

17. Establish a marketing and public relations advisory and referral team composed of your colleagues and/or neighboring business owners.

18. Share ideas and referrals and discuss community issues.

19. Meet quarterly for breakfast.

20. Get employees involved. (Monitor activity, not results)

21. Train your staff, clients, and colleagues to promote referrals.

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Education, Resources, and

Information

22. Hold a monthly marketing meeting with employees or associates to discuss strategy and status and solicit marketing ideas.

23. Join an association your clients or prospects belong to.

24. Get a marketing intern / student to take you on as a client; it will give the intern experience and you some free marketing help.

25. Maintain a consultant card file for finding designers, writers, and other marketing professionals.

26. Hire a marketing consultant to brainstorm with.

27. Listen to colleagues about what’s working for them.

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Pricing and Payment

28. Analyze your fee structure; look for areas requiring modifications or adjustments.

29. Establish a credit card payment option for clients.

30. Give regular clients a discount.

31. Offer discounts to members of certain clubs/professional groups/organizations in exchange for promotions in their publications.

32. Give quick pay or cash discounts.

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Marketing Communications

33. Update your website. Do it quarterly.

34. Publish an e- newsletter for customers and prospects (it doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive).

35. Try snail mail promotions.

36. Develop a brochure of services.

37. Include a postage-paid card or email survey with your deliverables.

38. Remember, business cards aren’t working for you if they’re in the box. Pass them out!

39. Give prospects two business cards and brochures one to keep and one to pass along.



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40. Produce separate business cards/sales literature for each of your target market segments (e.g. government and commercial and/or business and consumer).

41. Create a poster or calendar to give away to customers and prospects.

42. Print a slogan and/or one-sentence description of your business on letterhead, fax cover sheets, and invoices.



43. Create a signature file to be used for all your e-mail messages. It should contain contact details, including your Web site address and key information about your firm.

44. Include testimonials from customers in your literature.

45. Test a new mailing list. If it produces results, add it to your current direct mail lists or consider replacing a list that’s not performing up to expectations.

46. Offer free info or special offers in your direct response campaigns.



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Media Relations

47. Update your media list often so that press

releases are sent to the right media outlet and

person.

48. Write a column for the local newspaper, local

business journal, or trade publication.

49. Publish an article and circulate reprints.

50. Send timely and newsworthy press releases

as often as needed.


Media Relations

51. Publicize your 500th client of the year (or

other notable milestone).

52. Create an annual award and publicize it.

53. Get public relations and media training or

read up on it.

54. Appear on a radio or TV talk show.

55. Create your own YouTube TV program on

your industry or your specialty.



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Media Relations

56. Market the show to your local cable station or

public broadcasting station as a regular

program.

57. See if you can air your show on an open

access cable channel.

58. Write a letter to the editor of your local

newspaper or trade magazine.

59. Take an editor to lunch.


Media Relations

60. Get a publicity photo taken and enclose with

press releases.

61. Consistently review newspapers and magazines

for possible PR opportunities.

62. Submit tip articles to newsletters and newspapers.

63. Conduct industry research and develop a press

release or article to announce an important

discovery in your field.

64. Create a press kit and keep its contents current.



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Client Service and Relations

65. Ask your clients to come back again.

66. Return phone calls promptly.

67. Ask clients what you can do the help them.

68. Take clients out to a ball game, show, or

another special event just send them two

tickets with a note.

69. Hold a seminar at your office for clients and

prospects.


Client Service and Relations

70. Send handwritten thank you notes.

71. Send birthday cards and appropriate seasonal

greetings.

72. Email interesting articles to clients and prospects

with a note.

73. Send a book of interest or other appropriate

business gift to a client with a handwritten note.

74. Redecorate your office or location where you

meet with your clients.



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Networking and Word of Mouth

75. Join a Chamber of Commerce or other organization.

76. Join or organize a breakfast club with other professionals (not in your field) to discuss business and network referrals.

77. Mail a brochure to members of organizations to which you belong.

78. Serve on a city board or commission.

79. Host a holiday party.

80. Hold an open house.

81. Send letters to attendees after you attend a conference.


Advertising

82. Advertise during busy season.

83. Get a memorable phone number, such as 1-

800-WIDGETS.

84. Obtain a memorable URL and email address

and include them on all marketing materials.

85. Promote your business jointly with other

professionals via cooperative direct mail.



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Advertising

86. Write an ad in another language to reach the non-English-speaking market. Place the ad in a publication that market reads, such as a Hispanic newspaper.

87. Distribute advertising specialty products such as pens, mouse pads, or mugs.

88. Mail bumps photos, samples, and other innovative items to your prospect list. (A bump is simply anything that makes the mailing envelope bulge and makes the recipient curious about what’s in the envelope!)

89. Create a direct mail list of hot prospects.


Advertising

90. Consider non-traditional tactics such as bus backs, billboards, and popular Web sites.

91. Consider placing ads in your newspaper’s classified section.

92. Consider a vanity automobile tag with your company name.

93. Code your ads and keep records of results.

94. Improve your building signage and directional signs inside and out.

95. Invest in making your office signage visible at night.

96. Create a new or improved company logo or recolor the traditional logo.

97. Sponsor and promote a contest or sweepstakes.



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Special Events and Outreach

98. Get a booth at a fair/trade show attended by your target market.

99. Sponsor or host a special event or open house at your business location in cooperation with a local non-profit organization, such as a women’s business center. Describe how the organization helped you.

100. Give a speech or volunteer for a career day at a high school.

101. Teach a class or seminar at a local college or adult education center.

102. Sponsor an Adopt-a-Road area in your community to keep roads litter-free. People that pass by the area will see your name on the sign announcing your sponsorship.


Special Events and Outreach

103.Volunteer your time to a charity or non-profit organization.

104.Donate your product or service to a charity auction.

105.Appear on a panel at a professional seminar.

106.Write a How To pamphlet or article for publishing.

107.Produce and distribute an educational e-book.

108.Publish a book.



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Sales Ideas

109.Start every day with two cold calls.

110.Read newspapers, business journals, and trade publications for new business openings, personnel appointments, and promotion announcements made by companies.

111.Send your business literature to appropriate individuals and firms.

112.Give your sales literature to your lawyer, accountant, printer, banker, temp agency, office supply salesperson, advertising agency, etc. (Expand your sales force for free!)


Sales Ideas

113.Follow up on your direct mailings, email messages, and broadcast faxes with a friendly telephone call.

114.Use broadcast email messages to notify your customers of product service updates.

115.Extend your hours of operation.

116.Remind clients of the services you provide that they aren’t currently buying.

117.Call and/or send mail to former clients to try and reactivate them.



7/10/2013


Thank You

1: Free Gift cpatrendlines.com/clients3

2: $50 discount GoProCPA.com,

save $50 off annual subscription

with “a5xd”


Rick Telberg cpatrendlines.com

[email protected]

http://http/cpaclick.com/free-clients

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