Recruitment & Retention Tips in Accounting: Lee Frederiksen

Episode 130. In today's interview, Lee Frederiksen of Hinge Marketing shares with Accounting Influencers show host Rob Brown how firms should brand to attract the top accountancy talent.

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. Key takeaways from this episode include:

➤ 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 for both staff and clients once a critical time has passed

➤ the disruptive effect of mergers and acquisitions in workforce stability of accounting firms

➤ 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 importance 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 people

➤ 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

This show was originally aired as season 0, episode 116 on 20 Aug 2022. It was entitled "Employer Branding Strategies for Growing Accounting Firms". With the current focus on employer branding for accounting firms, Lee Frederiksen's research shows the importance of talent attraction and retention for accounting practices.

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...

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

https://twitter.com/leefrederiksen

http://www.hingemarketing.com

NOTE TO LISTENERS:

The Accounting Influencers Podcast is a daily radio-style show with four segments coming out every Monday which are repeated on the other 4 weekdays as standalone episodes, plus a bonus 'from the client's perspective' episode on Saturdays. On Sundays, listeners get a short min trailer for the coming week's episodes.

Every Tuesday the show gives you a relevant news topic from the accounting and fintech world with a direct application to accountants, CPAs and bookkeepers. Great to stay informed and build your commercial acumen.

Every Wednesday and Friday, we feature an uncut interview with top authors, leaders, thinkers and performers in the accounting and fintech world.

Every Thursday the show gives you a practical 'here's what works' tips concerning a key challenge, need or strategy for accountants, CPAs and bookkeepers. Great to stay current and keep your skills topped up.

Finally, every Saturday gives listeners a bonus episode which focuses on the buyers of accounting services - the clients themselves. In particular how they feel, react to and experience their interactions with accountants. That includes why they buy or don't buy, why they move or stay and why they think how they think about you, your firm, your prices and your offerings.

Martin and Rob love to hear from the show's 26,000 unique listeners in 150 countries around the world. If you like the show and listen to multiple episodes, we'd really appreciate your appreciation with a review or rating. As most of our listeners tune in via Apple podcasts...

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