Episode 118

What Accountants & CPAs Need to Win More Clients

Published on: 3rd September, 2020

Ty Hendrickson is a CPA, sales expert, and co-founder of The Sales Seed where she helps accounting firms grow through the integration of sales principles. She worked as an accountant at firms ranging from small to large prior to moving into the accounting technology sector successfully building sales training programs for both Wolters Kluwer and Bloomberg BNA achieving record sales successes. Shownotes:

  • Why accountants struggle with salling and what it takes to become more comfortable with the word 'sales'
  • A simple question to challenge accountants with who feel that selling should not be part of their job
  • Why firms with marketing and business development resource should still expect their people to win work
  • The reasons why accountants and other technically smart professionals can be good at selling
  • The key differences between marketing, business development and sales for accountants
  • Why marketing people in a professional firm should actually not be selling
  • Who is the best person in an accounting firm to actually be doing the selling and closing
  • Questions an accountant should ask themselves to develop a work winning or business development strategy
  • How to strike a balance between finding business for yourself and for others in your accounting firm
  • What dictates how coachable and willing to learn an accountant or CPA can be around winning new business
  • The importance of sales frameworks to help accountants be more confident and effective in selling
  • Why working in specialty areas, sectors or niches actually makes new clients easier to find
  • A 5 step sales process that will help accountants, CPAs and service professionals win business
  • The real difficulty accountants have in identifying a niche or target client to go after
  • How the business development and networking game has changed how professionals win business
  • The big problem with LinkedIn and what accountants should actually doing on there
  • Warmer ways for accountants to reach prospects than cold calling
  • Top tips to get prospects to switch from their current accounting advisors to you and your firm
  • Why compliance is still necessary for accountants but advisory services are much easier and more profitable to sell
  • The importance of the right culture in a professional firm to give people the support they need to sell
  • Why poor culture is a big reason professional firms are struggling with recruitment and retention
  • How leaders in accounting firms can identify and support more junior people who want to do business development
  • Why just trying to grow more revenues from an existing client roster or portfolio is not the best way to grow
  • Why your value is not the products and services you deliver
  • The factors that should help an accountant define their ideal client

Ty Hendrickson on the Accounting Influencers podcast with BD Academy founder Rob BrownTy is a contributing expert in the accounting industry and has spoken at conferences and events hosted by Accounting & Financial Women’s Association, Association for Accounting Marketers, Alliott Group, CPAmerica, CCH User Conference and more. You can find her articles and insights featured in CPA Trendlines and the AFWA blog. Ty is based in Lexington, KY where she lives with her CPA husband and her two red-headed sons. Contact Ty here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyhendrickson/

If you want to kick-start your business development activities, download our free guide on how to add 100 new prospects in just 1 month here: https://thesalesseed.com/100-prospects-1-month

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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.