Peter Lisney
House Keeping – Mobile
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The Problem!
Too many accountants?
Clients don’t like to change accountant
People prefer to ask for recommendations
rather than find an accountant online
Unqualified accountants doing more of the work
Legislation requiring less companies to be
audited
Fees being driven down
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Assumptions
When a prospect calls you, you’re good at
turning this into a face to face meeting
In a face to face meeting you’re good at closing
the deal (at least 50% of the time).
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The Need
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Why Some Accountants Fail…
“People who market and sell professional services rarely fail
due to lack of information about effective marketing or sales
techniques.
They fail for 3 reasons:
Firstly, they don’t use the information that is at their
fingertips.
Secondly, they don’t know how to put all the pieces together
-they don’t have a system, a programme or a plan.
Thirdly, whatever they do… they don’t do it consistently.”
C J Hayden
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What We’re Going To Talk
About
This morning
Website Acid Tests
Social Media
24 Step Marketing Planning
This afternoon
Follow on from morning session
Buying Triggers and target markets
Making a compelling message
The power of the case study
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Four Website Acid Tests
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Website Acid Test 1
What phrase would your ideal prospect type
into Google when looking to solve their
problem?
Are you on Google page 1 for this phrase?
If you add your location to the search phrase are
you on page 1?
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Website Acid Test 2
Does your new website visitor know why they
should continue reading within 5 seconds of
landing on your website?
Compelling headline
Engaging first sentence
Text can be scan read
Professional image
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Website Acid Test 3
Do they know what makes you different from
any other accountant?
Your niche
Your methods
Your pricing
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Website Acid Test 4
Do you invite your new website visitor to take
action?
Call you
Complete a contact form
Visit your office
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Do I Need a Social Media?
http://youtu.be/lFZ0z5Fm-Ng
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Some Social Media Truths
Social media is happening today
Take no action and you’ll be left behind
You no longer control what’s said about
your brand
Just like advertising you can waste time and
money on social media
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What brand name comes to
mind when I say ‘hamburger’?
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What brand name comes to
mind when I say ‘soft drink’?
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What brand name comes to mind
when people think of your product or
service?
Your Name?
Or Your Competitor’s
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Staying Top Of Mind
Social Media can help your
brand stay ‘top of mind’
with your prospects and
customers
Monitor what people are
saying about you. Ignore
at your peril
© 2011 Peter Lisney and www.BusinessPathfinder.co.uk
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Social Media
and Your
Website
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WWW
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WWW
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E-Mail
D-Mail
SEO
PR
WWW
AdWords
Adverts
Telesales
Etc…
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E-Mail
D-Mail
SEO
PR
WWW
AdWords
Adverts
Telesales
Etc…
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WWW
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If You Build It Will They Come?
© 2011 Peter Lisney and www.BusinessPathfinder.co.uk
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Social Media Success Keys
Have a strategy
Hunt like a lioness
- Focus where your customers
and prospects go
Learn from others
Content, content, content
Decide on KPI’s and Measure results
Online Sales
Web visits (Analytics)
© 2011 Peter Lisney and www.BusinessPathfinder.co.uk
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What is Facebook?
Keep your customers informed of services
Use to answer customer questions
Strengthen customer relationships
Get you ‘liked’ by friends of those who
already like you
Drive traffic to your website/blog/YouTube
Ultimately generate sales
© 2011 Peter Lisney and www.BusinessPathfinder.co.uk
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The YouTube Opportunity
3rd most popular website (behind Google
and Facebook)
Few companies are uploading videos
Fewer companies know how to get their
video seen
Easily integrated with your website as well
as being seen on YouTube.com
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What is LinkedIn?
100+ Million users Worldwide
Users build a list of ‘Connections’ of
business people they know and trust
You can be ‘introduced’ to connections of
their connections (2nd and 3rd degree)
Used to communicate, find jobs, people and
business opportunities
© 2011 Peter Lisney and www.BusinessPathfinder.co.uk
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What is Twitter
Each post no longer SMS text message
Is being used as a search engine
Ideal if blog seems too much like hard
work
40% of all tweets are now composed on
mobile devices, up from around 20% to 25%
a year ago
© 2011 Peter Lisney and www.BusinessPathfinder.co.uk
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24 Step Marketing Panning
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Step 1) Write My Statement of
Purpose
One or two sentences combining:
What you do
Who you do it for
You mission and vision
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Step 2) Set My Objectives
What?
Financial
Other
By When?
How? (come back to this later)
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Step 3) Decide Marketing Budget
– 12 Months
How much new revenue would you like to add
over the next 12 months?
How much are you willing to invest over the next
12 months to generate this new revenue?
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Step 4) Set Completion Date and
Project Deadlines For Steps 5
Onwards
Consider using a
project management
tool like
basecamphq.com
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Step 5) Review My Client Analysis
How many current?
How many lapsed?
Ratio of business to private
Business – which sectors, size
Private – type of employment, wealth
Location
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Step 6) Conduct SWOT
Analysis
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Reactivate past customers?
Make better use of existing data?
Threats
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Step 7) Summarise Current
Context
Who are my current clients?
How do I find them?
What am I charging?
What am I known for?
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Step 8) Research The Competition
Name of
Competitor
Their Unique
Advantage
Their
Weaknesses
How They Get
Business
What steps are you taking to offset their
advantages and capitalise on their weaknesses?
Are they working? If not, what needs to be
changed?
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Step 9) List Collaborators and
Supporters
Could be…
Business coach
Mentor
Joint venture partners
Other accountants
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Step 10) Segment Existing Clients
80:20 rule
A-B-C Segmentation
A – Treat like Royalty
B – Keep them happy
C – Invite them to
become a ‘B’ or find
a new accountant
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Step 11) Define Primary Niche
Target
Who are your best clients –
target more of the same
Niche marketing – can you
have more than 1 niche?
Describe your ideal
customer (more later)
Quantifying your market
List brokers
Facebook
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Step 12) Define & Articulate My
Product
What you do
How you do it differently
What are the expected outcomes
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Step 13) Clarify My Pricing
Structure
If you don’t understand it how will your clients?
Relate to the financial benefits of doing business
with you
Know the difference between being cheap and
providing value for money
How can you increase your average transaction
value?
Don’t forget to make a profit!
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Step 14) List Key Referrers &
Influencers
Supplier/Vendor
Associations
Centres of Influence
Competitors
Individuals
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Step 15) Decide My Differentiation
What makes you different from other
accountants in your area?
Service?
Value?
Quality?
How?!!!
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Step 16) Create My 3 Word Brand
Citius, Altius, Fortius
Olympic Moto: Faster, Higher, Stronger
What 3 words sum up your brand?
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Step 17) Construct My Executive
Communication Summary
If you can articulate your client’s problems
better than they can, firstly, they will believe you
know the answers and secondly, they will be
compelled to use you.
(More on this in the afternoon session)
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Step 18) Collect Effective Case
Studies and Testimonials
Get feedback, find out what you do well, do
more of the same
Written and video
Before and after pictures if advising on a project
(More on this in the afternoon session)
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Step 19) List Brand
Touchpoints
Identify touchpoints, e.g.
Website
Printed materials
Telephone enquiry
Written quotation
Service call, etc…
Ensure your brand, values and ethos are
consistent at every point
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Step 20) Decide Main Promotion
Strategies Offline
Word of mouth referral strategy
Direct Mail
Printed directories – do they still work?
Trade, national and local press advertising
Public relations including press releases and
exhibitions
Networking
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Step 21) Decide Main Promotion
Strategies Online
Search engine optimisation
Pay per click advertising
Banner advertising
Email marketing to both current clients and
prospects
Social Media marketing (more on this later)
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Step 22) Decide Purpose of
Website Within Online Strategy
Generate new leads?
Provide credibility for referred prospects?
A place for clients and prospects to return to
regularly?
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Step 23) Decide Tracking and
Measuring Methods
Key performance indicators:
Number of clients gained
Number of clients lost
Average value of each client
What else?
Record and monitor source of each lead
Review website and email statistics
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Step 24) Diary Action Points!
In ‘Step 4’ you set target dates. Now put in your
diary when you will take action.
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Session 2
Buying Triggers and target markets
Making a compelling message
The power of the case study
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Understand the Buying
Triggers
Reach a financial threshold
Applying for finance
Acquiring another company
Change of key personnel
Tax return required
Start up
Planning for exit
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Exercise and Group
Discussion
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5 Steps to Creating Your
Marketing Message
What is the typical problem experienced by your
target market?
Why hasn’t it been solved?
What is the ideal solution?
What is different now?
What should they do next?
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Exercise and Group
Discussion
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Social Proof
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The Power of the Case Study
Far more powerful than just a testimonial
They encourage referrals
Follow a consistent format, e.g.
What was the problem?
How was it solved?
What were the results (text, numbers, graphics)?
What did the client say?
Include an image or video if possible
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How To Use Case Studies
Frame the best ones
Put a collection in a folder in reception
Include in your brochure
Use on your website
Write about them in your email marketing
Include relevant case studies with proposals
Link to via Social Media
Can be a great subject for a blog post
Turn into a press release for your clients trade press
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Case Study Template
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What To Do Next
Draft your 24 step marketing plan
Write AGN on your business card if you’d
like to keep in touch
Write ‘help’ if you’d like help
Watch your competitors get left behind
© 2011 Peter Lisney and www.BusinessPathfinder.co.uk
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A Bit About Business Pathfinder
Business development specialists who combine
online and offline marketing to grow businesses
Website design & Internet marketing
Marketing planning and management
See www.BusinessPathfinder.co.uk
Follow www.Facebook.com/BusinessPathfinder
Or call +44 (0)1952 427495
Email: peter.lisney@BusinessPathfinder.co.uk
© 2011 Peter Lisney and www.BusinessPathfinder.co.uk
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Any Questions
© 2011 Peter Lisney and www.BusinessPathfinder.co.uk
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