Let’s face it, most Accountants would rather poke themselves in the eye with a pencil, than have to ‘sell’ something. And the only thing that arouses an even greater feeling of dread, is the thought of having to ‘sell’ themselves.
Selling is a word that just doesn’t sit comfortably with us, and most Accountants fall into one of two categories – they either see selling as a skill beyond their abilities, as in “If I was a salesman, I’d be flogging something sexy like real estate or luxury yachts, but you don’t ‘sell’ Accounting” …or alternatively, there are the Accountants that look upon selling as a black art somewhat beneath them, and say things like ” I didn’t study Accounting for all those years, just to wind up as a salesman”.
Unfortunately, as a very wise man called Thomas J. Watson (who worked for IBM) once said – ” Nothing happens in business, until someone sells something”, and just like every other business, this bit of wisdom applies to Accounting.
Of course, there are some nice phrases you can employ, in order to avoid using the dreaded ‘S’ word. Phrases like ‘ communicating the benefits’, ‘creating a value proposition’, or one of my favourites – ‘creating a mindset that will transition a client to buy’. But at the end of the day, we all need to find ways in which we are comfortable explaining the benefits of our experience and expertise to our prospective clients.
Rather than working on adjusting our client’s mindset, I’m a firm believe in working on your own personal mindset, so that you establish good habits that will see you automatically converting prospects and up-selling existing clients at every possible occasion. The secret is to ‘sell’ you practice in such a way that your clients will actually THANK YOU for it. Because, lets face it, the more they avail themselves of your expertise, the stronger their business will be.
So, how do we create this winning mindset? Here are just 3 actions you may wish to consider:
1. Always be planting the seed at every opportunity. People are always happy to discuss their future plans for their business. You need to understand where they’re going and how they intend to get there. Good advice at an early stage will not only save them money, but plant the thought seed that you could serve as a trusted confidant to them, now and in the future.
2. Ask more questions. Many of us take what our clients do for granted. It is only by understanding the nitty gritty of the business, and the rationale behind many if their decisions, are you able to truly provide useful advice.
3. Whenever you undertake a task for them make sure you talk them through the value it brings to there business, rather than just discussing the process.
These are just a few of many steps you can take to ensure your clients value you as an integral part of their business model. If you’d like to discuss more ideas, or find out how we can provide intensive one-on-one sales training for you, your partners and staff, please feel free to contact me for an obligation free discussion.
