[TA31] [Interview] How Ryan got his clients to buy $100000 in value add services, in 6 weeks?

Interview transcript

Andrew: Ryan, tell us what you actually sold and how much for.

Ryan: Within three weeks I signed up $43,000 worth of restructuring work. Within the three weeks following that, we signed over $60,000 worth of extra work on client’s annual compliance packages.

How did you do that?

After the workshop I sat down and completed the process of creating packages from our existing services. Once I was clear what I was looking for, I reviewed my bigger clients to see who had needs matching the packages.

Then I simply contacted them, asked a few questions about how business was going and asked if they wanted to have a meeting to talk about what I had discovered. Everyone said ‘yes’, it just took a couple of weeks to schedule the meetings.

Then what did you do?

I prepared a profile and list of questions for each client as per the Ignite Selling Process (this process was discussed in the workshop).

Once I created the packages I created a one page summary on each that articulated the benefits.

So what happened in the meetings you scheduled?

Everyone loved the meetings. I think they were pleasantly surprised that I had taken that much interest in their business outside of what we normally do for them.

I also asked questions that highlight the need for a review of their situation, before asking them if they would like me to put something together. All bar one said ‘yes’ and set a meeting time.

Why did that one say ‘no’?

They wanted to look later, they were focussed elsewhere at that stage.

What did you prepare for the second meeting with these clients?

It was a short presentation which included:

a summary of their issue,
my proposed solution,
the financial benefits of this course of action, and
a service agreement.

And what happened in the meeting?

They said ‘yes’, to two things. First, they agreed on the issue and the need to fix it or make it better. Second, they were happy for me to provide a solution if it saved them money or fixed the problem.

How did you articulate value in the meeting?

Following your process, I expressed my value in a different way by using their language and showing them something tangible that demonstrated value for them.

What was the tangible thing you showed them?

Restructuring that would save tax and protect assets. I used a five year comparison graph showing what they had now and what they would have following the restructure.

And the price?

That was a little harder! I will say that in the end they were all happy to pay because they could see more in their pocket over the long term.

Setting price is about gut feeling. I may have got more (if I was doing it again now) but I was comfortable with what I had set and I can tell you it was way more than our usual charge rate.

What would you tell other accountants about doing this?

Preparation is key.
Get clear on what you’re offering.
Prepare your pitch.
Back it up with something the client can clearly see they will get (tangible evidence), like the graphs you showed me, Robbo.

Summary of Ryan’s successful process