How to turn ‘referrals’ into clients for your accounting business

In the past, accountants and professional practices relied on referrals for new business – existing clients recommending their services to friends and family – it was a main source of new business but is now rapidly changing.

Do you remember the days when you knew the bank manager and built a relationship and got the facilities you needed and you remained loyal to that bank? These days we don’t even know who our bank manager is!
The same trend is happening with the professional services – here are some ideas to turn this around:

Personal Brand

People are still asking friends and family when they are looking for accountants but the first thing they do as soon as they get the details is check online. Since people usually give the name of the person, that’s what they search for and it is very important to make sure you have good visibility online and a clear message to attract clients who are a ‘good fit’ for your accounting practice. I suggest using a free service like https://brandyourself.com/

Corporate Brand

The next thing they look for is your practice information – your website, your social profile and rating. You need a professional website that attracts your target audience with a consistent message. One of the main barriers that stops people making contact is costs. If they don’t know how your fees are structured or if they are going to be charged if they call you to chat, they don’t know whether you are going to be affordable.   Having all this info clearly stated in your website makes it easy to decide. Have your monthly and annual prices on your site, have a form or calendar stating that they won’t get charged for the first meeting.
We strongly suggest using a website company with experience in the accounting industry.

Social Proof

Your website needs to show potential clients how you can help them improve their business and the best way to provide this is to have testimonials or case studies from existing clients – easily visible and targeted to showcase your services.

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Ease of contact

Peoples’ expectations have changed and they want fast communication. 

Be it a reply to a website enquiry, an email or a phone call, make sure you have your phone number clearly stated in your website; have a google listing with up-to-date details. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly as more people are checking sites on their phones.  

To make appointments easily, we recommend vcita.com which is easy to use for a potential client.  First impressions are important and if you go back and forth with emails to make the first appointment, then somebody gets the time or address wrong, it will create a very bad first experience.

Appreciate your source

If you pay attention to thanking the person who referred a new client to you and update them on progress or send them a small gift or note, this can guarantee they will recommend you again. We strongly advise the use of a CRM system to monitor the source of your leads.