Editor's Note: ThinkLeader Consulting's Judie McCarthy will be presenting several courses at the "Scaling New Heights®" conference next week, including "How to Communicate the Value of Outsourced Bookkeeping," which will be offered on Tuesday at 5:20 p.m.
Recently in my family, we had a health scare with our 4-year-old dog that required surgery. Thankfully he is fine now, but the thing that made this situation most difficult was his inability to verbally communicate with us. My experience as an accounting technology professional did not equip me with the dog-whispering skills necessary to truly understand if he was in pain or if there was something he needed or wanted.
As professional advisors, our communication skills are the most important tools we have when it comes to assessing our client’s needs, wants and pain points. This information is crucial when it comes to developing service proposals that include a winning value proposition.
Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your needs assessment:
- Start the dialog – Explain the goal of the meeting and what you hope to accomplish. Let the prospect know that this is a fact-finding mission, not a sales call, and that even the smallest of details they are willing to share may be helpful.
- Listen – This is the hardest part! Make sure to turn off your phone, email notifications or anything else that may distract you. Clear your mind of every other thought and really listen to everything the other person is saying; verbally, expressively, and with their body language.
- Ask questions – Remember, this is a fact-finding mission. Asking open-ended questions will help you to dig deeper to get to the root of the issues. This will provide you with better insight to address the specifics.
- Summarize your understanding – At the end of each meeting provide a verbal summary of what you believe are the most important areas to be addressed. This helps to make sure that everyone is on the same page and you have a clear understanding of how to proceed with your proposal.
- Validation and assurance – Take the time to let the prospect know their situation, however unique, is not uncommon and that you are confident you will be able to present them with a solution to address the items discussed.
Following these basic tips will help you to clearly understand the scope of work and what the client truly values. This will allow you to effectively translate your services into a winning value proposition.
You can find more details about all of the sessions being offered at the "Scaling New Heights®" conference next week in a downloadable document located here: Download Course Descriptions.
Reminder: As your ever-faithful Sherpas, we stand ready to guide and encourage you along your chosen path. If you would like to consult with us about your path, please email me at coliver@woodard.com or Liz at ecolley@woodard.com. Be sure to tell us your goals and what you hope to learn so we can recommend appropriate learning paths for your upcoming "Scaling New Heights" experience in Orlando, Fla.
Judie McCarthy, President, Think Leader Consulting
Judie McCarthy is the founder and owner of ThinkLeader Consulting where she helps clients embrace and implement cloud technologies that streamline their operations and increase productivity. A longtime member of the QuickBooks ProAdvisor program, she is certified in both QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online. Judie is the former Director of Accountant Relations for Bill.com, where she served as the lead subject matter expert for their Expert and Guru Certification training courses, making her one of the foremost experts on Bill.com. In addition, she is the author of Grow Your Accounting Practice using Bill.com: Improve How Your Clients Pay, Get Paid, and Manage Their Money published by the Sleeter Group.
A frequent and popular speaker, Judie regularly makes presentations at special events such as conferences, regional chapter meetings, expert panels and private firm training sessions. Some of her notable speaking engagements include presentations for Accountex (SleeterCon), Sleeter Road Show, Scaling New Heights, Accounting C4, QuickBooks Connect, Accounting vCon, CPA.com, RootWorks and state CPA societies. With extensive first-hand experience working with cloud technologies, Judie provides attendees with strategic insight and practical know-how that they can take back and immediately implement in their own businesses.