If you are like me, you receive solicitations on an hourly basis offering to help you “create more leads” and “be at the top of search engines” which they equate to more clients. There is a very old sales principal that is often called the “funnel concept”. Part of that concept is that the more you add to the top, (prospects) the more will eventually come out the other end of the funnel. (new clients) It is a very simple concept but there is one key piece that is commonly overlooked by people desperate to grow their business.
You can continue to add a growing number of prospects to your “funnel” and you will eventually see some level of results. However, if you do not have the proper tools to support the needs of varying client types, the bottom of your “funnel” becomes very small and you will spend a great deal of time and expense creating opportunities that do not provide a return. In some cases, companies will develop a very rigid and short sighted perspective of “I do things this way and if the client does not agree, I don’t want them”. That is a reasonable perspective if you have a specific industry/client profile niche with specialized expertise that affords you the ability to be that selective.
For most people growing their business, they are interested in quality clients that will provide the most mutually beneficial, long term, and profitable relationship. Again, to close these types of clients, you must have the ability to listen, match the needs of the client, and establish mutual expectations. That is the same philosophy for the accounting and bookkeeping community. To have a successful practice, you must have the resources to support your clients.
With the current migration of accounting software to the cloud, most accountants will offer Saas based solutions (“software as a service” i.e. QuickBooks Online, Xero…) in addition to cloud hosted options. (Right Networks, Cloud9, Unidata) However, if your client wants to continue using the desktop version of QuickBooks based on their specific needs and budget objectives, using a resource like Qbox will differentiate your firm and match your client’s expectations while providing a simplified and affordable collaboration resource for your firm.
