Integrative Advisory Services

CHAPTER 4Strategies for Marketing Your New Advisory Experience

There is a famous saying: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” That is true in every kind of relationship, but perhaps no more important than in how you present yourself to potential clients. If you do not make a strong initial impression, it is difficult to gain a client's interest or build trust when you try to convince him or her that you and your team offer the best advisory services for their business. If the client is not interested in you, then he or she will not be interested in your services.

Traditionally, when I ask accountants where their clients came from, most say from referrals and word of mouth. Accounting and bookkeeping practices are not always choosy about a potential client's industry; instead, they accept any industry because the services offered are more horizontal than vertical. This has been the accepted approach for decades. Much like law practices, many accountants do not promote or advertise their services because it feels uncomfortable and possibly “unprofessional.” Accounting firms have been dependent on businesses with a certain mile radius from their office and word-of-mouth.

However, that approach is becoming extinct with the onset of the cloud and availability of potential clients anywhere in the country, or the world for that matter. You can no longer wait for business to come to you—you need to put yourself out there and grab it. Now with cloud technology ...