Client service is at the core of everything we do, and now more than ever we need to shift our thinking of what it means to be present for our clients and understand how other industries have adapted to this new virtual environment.
At our recent Moore North America Virtual Conference, our panel of business development experts addressed these concerns and more. Chris Menz from Brown Smith Wallace, Dean Quiambao from Armanino and George Burns from ClearlyRated shared their experiences on how they have brought in new clients while continuing to build relationships with current clients. Here are five key takeaways from that session.
- Create and enforce habits among your team to encourage business development activity.
Provide your employees with habits they can start incorporating into their daily routine to start generating business. These are not going to be monumental shifts in how they operate, rather an understanding of winning habits and how they can influence your firm’s pipeline. Weekly or monthly goals like reaching out to a former co-worker or following a client on LinkedIn can set employees on a path of engagement that will – more than likely – be reflected in new business.
Note: See “Atomic Habits” by James Clear for more on this topic!
- Staying connected is easier than you think, thanks to social media.
Even the most reputable professionals might not check all their emails or voicemails, but chances are they are checking their social media accounts. With in-person interactions at an all-time low, people are open to virtual connection and many have more uninterrupted time now than ever before.
So how do you get in front of the right people? First, you need to be where the people are, including LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram…even TikTok! Figure out what platforms your targets are utilizing and interacting with, and then engage. Be in the moment, be authentic and try to be as consistent as possible. The relationships you form on these platforms will help you connect on a personal level, so make sure you know who you are and find your voice.
If you aren’t the right person to be communicating on these platforms (and that’s ok!) reach out to the people at your firm who are active on social media and guide them to use their platform and their voice to advance their own brand, as well as the message of your firm.
…and if you think of a way to make TikTok happen in the accounting world, keep us in the loop!
- Utilize the resources you have readily available to sell what you do well.
Take a good look at your team, find your firm’s champions or celebrities, and help people find them. Write whitepapers, utilize your marketing resources, plan webinars, repurpose or repackage content for the “new normal”…you have these resources at your disposal, so make sure clients and prospective clients know what you can do for them.
If you aren’t sure what your clients need at the moment, ask them. Conduct interviews with clients and prospective clients to get an understanding of what they’re planning for the next year and where your experts might fit in.
- Work well with others.
Look for opportunities to collaborate with other professional service providers that specialize in similar niches. For example, find a law firm that caters to small businesses and collaborate on a webinar to discuss how to best prepare for 2021.
Relationships like these give you coverage and visibility that you might not be able to achieve on your own. ClearlyRated has learned from their clients that 77% of accounting buyers do their own research before engaging with service providers. They are looking for connections, referrals, testimonials and other “social proof” that you can meet their needs before they ever even meet you.
- Commit to the “new normal” within your BD team, and in how you engage with clients.
The office walls have fallen, and the shift to virtual has taken root in consumers and providers alike. Embrace these changes by encouraging firm-wide participation in business development initiatives and emphasize the importance of more junior professionals getting involved in the process.
Finally, use this time as an opportunity to understand what it means to connect with your clients and meet their needs. The three main areas that clients are saying they need from their service provider as of late are:
- Proactivity
- Business advice
- Responsiveness
The year is almost over, but the lessons we’ve learned are here to stay. Be sure to incorporate these new skillsets into your game plan for 2021!