7 Best Practices to Get New Accounting Clients for your Firm

One of the major mistakes that an accounting firm can make is to “expect” clients will come on their own to them. The best practitioners know that to make this possible, you need to work on your brand strategy to influence prospects to become new accounting clients. Some of the ongoing practices automatically attract clients to the firm. For instance, growth is a powerful influencer and one of the major factors that affect the decision-making power of the clients. 

So how can you use growth among other factors to your firm’s benefit? Firms use client portals all the time to enhance their productivity levels and retain clients but now you need to find new clients. 

In this article, we will identify 12 best practices that you can implement to find new accounting clients in the future. 

How to get Accounting Clients for your Firm Right Away? Expert Says…

Growing accounting clients for an existing brand takes time and effort. Drive new clients is essential to the growth of accounting firms as well. So to find the best new accounting clients is to use a smart proactive strategy. 

Remember that marketing rules are quickly changing. It’s easy to find potential clients but conversion takes real effort. Your old channels of communication and means of persuasion might as well be obsolete now. 

Down below we have listed 7 foolproof practices that are bound to bring new clients to your firm. 

1. Identify the Target Clients

Every client is different. Their desire to hire an accounting firm may also differ. The basic approach is to divide your clients into groups of three – great, average, and not-so-great. 

Once you have divided the existing accounting clients into these groups, take a look at the factors that determines a “great client”; 

• • Are these clients easy to deal with?
  • What is their total revenue?
  • Is working with these clients effective?
  • Is their business profitable?
  • Do they present opportunities to other great prospects? And so on. 

There are several other factors that can be considered. The important point to understand is that your ideal candidate is unique. Financial prospects are not always the reason behind putting an effort to convert them into accounting clients.

For instance, you may be working on a new domain or aligning your accounting and bookkeeping services with NGOs to build goodwill. 

2. Partnership and Affiliations with Qualified Professionals 

Your accounting firm may provide specific services like tax preparation, bookkeeping, IRS audits, etc. 

Your target clients may already be benefiting from the services that you do not offer but competing firms do like legal representation, recruiting needs, investment advice, etc. 

In the accounting world, you get the chance to become acquainted with several trusted and qualified professionals such as lawyers, investment advisors, consultants, and even recruiters who also provide good word of mouth. 

Once establishing a powerful alliance or connection with these professionals gives you a chance to earn mutual referrals. Also, it helps to build a non-competitive relationship with other accounting firms. 

3. Never say Never to Referrals 

A foolproof marketing strategy to promote your brand is good word of mouth. That’s how a good referral works. 

Your accounting firm is a brand in the making. The more word of mouth the better your chances of finding new accounting clients are. More than 80% of the clients are generated with these “recommendations”. If you prefer the client to another firm that offers the services the person is looking for, fellow professionals will return the courtesy and do the same. 

This is plain good ol’ business. This act will reward you with the referral traffic you need. Adopt a proactive strategy when it’s about referrals. When your accounting firm is recommended to prospects, it increases credibility and adds much value to your reputation. 

4. Benefit from Co-Working Space 

Running a remote accounting firm is great. But after some time, you may feel the need to change the scenery. So how do you get bookkeeping clients now? Finding a great co-working space can do the trick for you. 

A co-working space allows you to meet with freelancers, independent workers, and several new startups sharing the same roof. Not only will you save money on renting a new space, but also get to meet and greet new people who could be potential accounting clients. 

People sharing co-working spaces are small or mid-sized firms. They can benefit from an accounting and bookkeeping service. So co-working spaces are a great way to expand your network and communication with the target individuals. 

5. SEO Based Website 

Most people have switched to online platforms to research the desired queries. Studies have concluded that almost 70-80% of internet users research a company through Google or other search engines before making a final decision., 

A highly optimized website ranked on the search engine can bring loads of target traffic. The more users visit and stay on the website Google plays its role in moving ranks. Your accounting firm’s website is the online portfolio. You are selling our services and providing the information in detail that will help convert a prospect. 

Update your website after every few months. An outdated-looking page can increase the bounce rate. Using high-quality images and quality content to sell your bookkeeping services goes a long way. 

Additionally make sure to work on providing authentic information, using keywords to enhance visibility on search engines. 

6. Social Presence 

It’s time to do some mingling! Social media holds the power to connect two ends of the bridge that helps clients and service providers to meet on a mutual platform. For instance, LinkedIn is a prominent social media platform for professionals in all industries. 

Provide online users with the opportunity to see your accounting and bookkeeping services, products featuring online document storage, and so on. Present the information in a creative and engaging way that piques the curiosity among prospects. 

Creating new content on social media is a well-proofed way to find excellent bookkeeping clients! 

7. Use of Cloud Technology 

People are interested in using technological enhancements that boost the outcomes in terms of profits. The business invested heavily in cloud technology and is growing rapidly. In case yours is a remote accounting firm you will benefit a lot from cloud technology and gain digital collaborations with future clients. 

Clients trust a firm that keeps evolving its techniques as technological software keeps evolving. Would anyone be interested in using an obsolete accounting client portal? No. Perhaps the very reason apps and software alike come up with updates from time to time. Even My CPA Dashboard updates the features and makes the accounting software easy to use. 

Therefore the more accessible your product is, the better clientele you will have. Accounting clients want to move ahead in the technological race. Therefore cash your love for technological tools in the shape of accounting software that people will love to use!

8. Go wherever your clients are

Consider your clients as you position yourself. Are they traversing your town’s streets in a vehicle? Are they looking up “accountants near me” online? Do they send letters through the mail? Understanding where potential customers are investing their time and effort will improve your chances of being found. Invest in marketing strategies that strategically place your business in its path, whether it be a billboard, Google ad, or direct mail.

9. Look for companies that use technology in the same way

Recently, a lot of organizations have switched to the cloud. It’s not just a trend or a catchphrase. If your company is at ease working remotely and if working digitally with clients comes naturally to you, you’re already in a good position to help out similar companies.

Utilize your passion for technology to its fullest by targeting the ideal clientele with your service marketing. Invite them to conferences on technology and innovation, preferably ones where you’ll be present. Send them links to recent, current, and compelling tech news and videos. Share the technological companies you like, like:

• • Cloud services
  • IT security companies, web design organizations, and development and integration businesses
  • Both ISPs and hosting companies
  • Hardware distributors
  • Don’t bombard your clients endlessly

10. Raise your profile with speaking engagements and seminars

Consider the best seminar or conference you’ve ever attended. Who delivered the conference’s finest speech? You most likely won’t forget what you heard or saw. That is a really strong tool.

Your business may make a lasting impact for any reason. Make sure you choose prestigious conferences where the proper individuals will be present. And employ your top presenters or speakers. Ensure that the presentation will be remembered. Tell stories to explain your points. A well-told story is memorable, intriguing, and compelling.

11. Sell your current clients more services

By providing new services to the clientele you already work with, you can frequently grow your business. If customers choose to use your competitors for services you also provide, describe how your business might benefit them more. But choose your time and be patient. Plan a special presentation, workshop, or meeting. Identify the best forum in your mind.

Additionally, avoid focusing solely on your company when speaking. What more advantages can you give your client? These include:

• • cost or fee advantages
  • increase in output
  • better service and more dependable and accurate data
  • smarter and more seasoned individuals

And if your consumers are already receiving excellent care? Look for chances to provide their partners, friends, and coworkers with more services.

12. Share your knowledge

To get to where you are now, a great deal of effort was required. Surely, disseminating your information for free is the last thing you want to do. However, this is among the best things you can do for your company and a great way to attract clients if you’re an accountant. You will build credibility and widen your network as you impart your knowledge. Speaking at events, writing about industry issues in publications, making educational YouTube videos, and other straightforward methods are all free ways to share your knowledge. Your efforts will establish a respectable reputation that brings in new customers for your business.

Conclusion

Once you find your target accounting clients, take good care of them by adding quality customer representative services alongside the latest client portals. Clients always show appreciation towards the firms that fulfill their promises. 

My CPA Dashboard brings the latest software tools to the table so that clients do not have to worry about maintaining the bookkeeping and another financial workflow in check. 

Grow your client base with My CPA Dashboard.

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