Transform Client Relationships
from Transactional to
Consultative
Who am I?
Ian Vacin
Vice President, Marketing &
Product
Mobile:510-517-6267
Email: ian.vacin@xero.com
Skype: ianvacin
Twitter:@ian_vacin
www.xero.com
Introducing Xero
• Global leader in online accounting
• Customers in 100+ countries, doubling year over
year
• 300+ staff spread across NZ, AU, UK and US
(San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta)
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•
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•
Processed over $120B of transactions
A new release every 6 weeks
Unlimited users, with different roles
Bank feeds from 5,000+ institutions
www.xero.com
Customer acquisition
110,000
First 50,000:
5 years
Second 50,000: 10 months
www.xero.com
Who are the Panelists?
Steve Chaney, CPA
Owner, Chaney & Associates
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•
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Has served in the accounting field since 1996
Leverages technology as cornerstone for Chaney &
Associates
Hand picked to sit on a roundtable of thought leaders for
cloud based technology
Michelle Long, CPA,
MBA
Long for
Success
•Owner,
’10 Women
Who
Inspire a Profession’ by Accounting
Today
• Worth Watching Accounting Blog by Accounting Today
www.xero.com
• Small Business Influencer Community
Choice Winner
by Small Biz Trends
Transforming Client Relationships
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•
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Phase 1: Identify the right opportunities
Phase 2: Setup the relationship
Phase 3: Be the trusted advisor
Phase 4: Increase your value-added
services
www.xero.com
So where are we headed?
www.xero.com
Phase 1: Identify the right
opportunities
• Listen: What problem are they trying to solve?
• Understand: Ask questions about their business
• Decide: Is it worth taking this engagement?
RIGHT CLIENT SITUATIONS
WRONG CLIENT SITUATIONS
- Looking for greater efficiency
- Looking for more financial
flexibility
- Looking to grow/change
- Tech savvy
- Client is not open minded
- Client only wants one service
(write-up)
- Not looking to change their
business practices
www.xero.com
Phase 2: Setup the relationship
• Educate: Articulate the value of working with you
• Demonstrate: What tools you use & how it works
• Communicate: Be clear on services, prices &
ownership
EDUCATE
DEMONSTRATE
- Value of being the trusted advisor
- How it works
- Benefits of the cloud
- The tools Xero provides
- Financial responsibility and flexibility
COMMUNICATE
- Bundled, monthly services
- Do it on their own
www.xero.com
Phase 3: Be the trusted advisor
• Train: Set client up for success
• Deliver: Be sure client “ask” is satisfied Build trust
• Support: Be proactive, not reactive
“Being there to train and support the client has become a very
important part of our business. We build the trust in the relationship
and in turn we have now become a very important part of their
business.”
Lisa Callaghan – Interactive Accounting
www.xero.com
Phase 4: Increase your value-added
services
• Analyze: Leverage your inside knowledge &
skill
• Delight: Over-deliver; “Sample” your services
• Recommend: Serve up services as appropriate
“As accountants, value is not putting the client into a bucket but being
their advisor. We add more value to the client by not being someone
who just always looks at the numbers.”
Jody Padar – New Vision CPA Group
www.xero.com
Recap: 12 steps to consultative
engagements
• Phase 1: Identify the right opportunities
Listen -> Understand -> Decide
• Phase 2: Setup the relationship
Educate -> Demonstrate -> Communicate
• Phase 3: Be the trusted advisor
Train -> Deliver -> Support
• Phase 4: Increase your value-added services
Analyze -> Delight -> Recommend
www.xero.com
Example: Write-ups
“Using the old method, I was spending 8 hours just on tax and accounting
work. With Xero, I have cut the tax and accounting work down to 4 hours and
spend the other 4 hours on advisory value-add services.”
Jody Padar – New Vision CPA Group
Leverage the “single ledger”
A collaborative approach to accounting
For the
advisor
For the
client
General ledger
Management reporting
Annual reporting
Fixed assets
Share
d data
Invoicing
A/R
A/P
Sales tax
Expense claims
Contacts
AUTOMATED DAILY BANK FEEDS
www.xero.com
Recap: 12 steps to consultative
engagements
• Listen:
What problem are they trying to solve?
• Understand: Ask questions about their business
• Decide:
Is it worth taking this engagement?
• Educate:
Articulate the value of working with you
• Demonstrate: What tools you use & how it works
• Communicate: Be clear on services, prices & ownership
• Train:
• Deliver:
• Support:
• Analyze:
• Delight:
• Recommend:
Set client up for success
Be sure client “ask” is satisfied
Be proactive, not reactive
Leverage your inside knowledge & skill
Over-deliver; “Sample” yourwww.xero.com
services
Serve up services as appropriate
Questions?
www.xero.com
Try for free at:
www.xero.com/signup
Become a partner at:
www.xero.com/partners
www.xero.com
Appendix
Steve Chaney, CPA
…
www.xero.com
Michelle Long, CPA, MBA
www.xero.com