How a $5m firm plans to sell more value add this year
I recently asked these questions of Damien, managing partner of a $5m firm with 50% of their income coming from value add services:
- Are looking to sell more value add services?
- Do you struggle to get clients to buy value add services at the right price?
- Are you tired of not being able to communicate your true value to clients?
Here are his responses, which I explain by my own experiences from within practice and mentoring partners.
Question: “Are you looking to sell more value add services?”
Damien: “Yes – we are always looking to sell more value added services.”
In my experience, moving into value add services delivery means your models and programs need consistent innovation as clients and markets move. It doesn’t matter if you’re at the early stages of offering value add services or established, the results achieved are highly motivating. The more you do, the more you want to do. It’s exciting and challenging stuff that drives you and your team.
Question: “Do you struggle to get clients to buy value add services at the right price?”
Damien: “Yes – I still think we are far from great at selling what we do at the right price.”
Selling doesn’t come naturally for most accountants – I think this is because we are expert advisors and problem solvers first.
Accountants need to work to our strengths and facilitating a buying process is a more natural approach. When I learnt the facilitated buying process, I felt more comfortable and my clients bought more.
Question: “Are you tired of not being able to communicate your true value to clients?”
Damien: “Yes – we are not able to consistently communicate our value, we deliver good value, however the communication & pricing of the value is still something we are not great at in my opinion.”
Until I learned better, I struggled to articulate our true value in the client’s language. Creating packages was a key to this, allowing us to better articulate direct value to these clients.
Damien is one of 100 Accountants registered as a delegate for ‘Near & Distant Stars’ in Sydney on 19 May 2014. Our panel of experts will discuss the megatrends, market forces and events that will shape the accounting industry in the near and distant future.