Episode 116

Employer Branding Strategies for Growing Accounting Firms

Published on: 20th August, 2020

Lee Frederiksen is an award-winning marketer, Visible Expert®, and business strategist who helped pioneer the field of research-driven marketing. As the Managing Partner of Hinge, a marketing firm for the professional services industry, he draws on his Ph.D. in behavioral psychology and his CEO experience to help clients achieve high growth and profitability. Lee’s research on marketing and business growth has made him a recognized industry name, along with the numerous books he authored on the same topics. He been quoted in a number of mainstream publications, and he regularly speaks at major industry events around the country. Shownotes:

  • Why employer branding is a critical topic for accounting firm leaders to understand
  • The three things you need to build a successful professional services firm
  • The biggest growth challenge for many accounting firms
  • Why the accounting profession has the lowest number of actively looking job-seekers in the whole professional services sector
  • What exactly job seekers are looking for in new roles depends on where they are in their career
  • The importance of being able to work remotely for talent looking for accounting roles
  • Why accounting firms who have not responded well to covid will suffer most in losing top talent
  • The number one factor in creating a really strong employer brand for your accounting firm
  • The futility of your accounting firm having more than 3 core values
  • The number one thing job seekers who are actively looking for a new position actually want
  • The prime times or triggers that make people restless in wanting to leave an accounting firm or role
  • Explaining the trend of people thinking of their career as a series of gigs vz jobs
  • Why loyalty to an accounting firm increases once a critical time has passed
  • The disruptive role of mergers and acquisitions in disruption of workforce stability
  • Why making people stay with 'golden handcuffs' can cause resentment and lowered productivity in accounting firm staff
  • The two stages in developing a compelling 'employer brand' in an accounting firm
  • A strong accounting firm brand in the market place may attract talent to you, but there's one vital thing it won't do
  • The differences in professional services sectors when it comes to how they attract and retain top talent
  • The important of time horizons for restless employees - vital to know for retaining your best people
  • Why it's inevitable in tough times that accounting firms will lose peopl
  • How the business model of 'needing a local and regional presence' has changed for accounting firms
  • What accounting firms can do to attract employees that are not actively looking to move
  • Questions accounting firm leaders should be asking in shaping a strong employer brand
  • Two top tips for accountants who want more career capital and greater promotability


When he’s not traveling to speaking engagements or working at the Hinge headquarters, you’ll find Lee pursuing his interest in hot rods or watching movies with his wife, Candace. You can reach her here...

Lee on LinkedIn

Lee on Twitter

Check out his website here

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About the Podcast

Accounting Voices Podcast
Accounting Voices helps people in the accounting world stay relevant visible and vocal. Host Rob Brown interprets trends reshaping the profession and gives listeners insight to build authority influence and a stronger voice in firms and markets.
Accounting Voices, hosted by Rob Brown, helps decision makers and leaders in accounting and finance stay relevant, visible and vocal in a profession being reshaped by technology, private equity, regulation and shifting client expectations. Each episode interprets the trends disrupting accounting and finance such as AI, automation, M&A, talent and the move to advisory and translates them into practical insight that strengthens authority and influence.
Accounting Voices is also a platform for the wider ecosystem of networks, associations, educators, consultants, software vendors and technology experts who serve accountants and finance professionals worldwide. It extends into regular Accounting Voices networking sessions that connect this audience and amplify ideas that move the profession forward. With its international reach and long shelf life the show delivers credibility and commercial value for listeners and sponsors alike. Search for "Accounting Voices" on YouTube for all episodes and connect with Rob Brown on LinkedIn to find out more: https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown

About your host

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Rob Brown

ob Brown is the creator and host of the Accounting Voices Network, a media platform that includes the flagship solo podcast Accounting Voices and the panel shows Accounting M&A and Accounting Tech. He chairs conferences, panels and virtual events worldwide and is recognised as a leading advocate for the accounting profession.

He is an accomplished speaker and authority on trust, reputation, employer brand, talent, succession, executive presence and the forces shaping the future of accounting. Rob is the author of the bestselling book Build Your Reputation (Wiley) and his TEDx talk The Personal Brand of You has been viewed more than 400,000 times.

A former co-founder of the Accounting Influencers Roundtable, Rob now focuses on amplifying the voices of leaders, firms, networks, vendors and influencers across the global accounting ecosystem.

Outside of work he is a stroke survivor, lives with epilepsy, holds a black belt in kickboxing and is based in Nottingham, UK. He plays chess and backgammon, loves orange chocolate and is allergic to grapefruit.