We’ve spent the last several weeks exploring ways you can set yourself apart from your competition during your sales calls. Positioning yourself as a different kind of accountant or bookkeeper during this crucial initial conversation will help you command the fees you deserve and avoid becoming subject to price comparison.
Now that you’ve built rapport with your prospect and have shown them the value of working with you, it’s time to offer your partnership. But first, you need to be absolutely certain the relationship will be a good fit.
What do they want from you?
If the prospect came into the sales conversation expecting to work with a “typical” accountant or bookkeeper, their mind is probably reeling. This is a good thing: When the prospect is off-guard, they are more likely to answer the following questions honestly.
Start by asking, “How do you define a successful relationship with an accounting professional?”
Listen closely. Before you extend an offer of partnership, you want to know if the prospect is looking for:
- An expert, a pair of hands, or a collaborator, or
- Someone to potentially blame if things go wrong.
You don’t want to enter into a relationship where you could potentially become a scapegoat, and in order to command a premium price you’ll need to be seen as more than “a pair of hands.” Ideally, your prospect will answer this question with an indication they are looking for an expert or a collaborator.
If this doesn’t happen, it’s okay to end the conversation at this point. Not every prospect is a good fit.
Offer your partnership
If the prospect wants something you are excited about providing, it’s time to offer to partner with them. Unlike an offer of services, an offer of partnership keeps you in the position of an advisor on equal footing with the prospect. This elevates you in the prospect’s eyes, which means you can ask for - and get - a higher fee for the engagement.
Transition
Begin your offer of partnership with a transition statement:
“Thank you, [Prospect], for sharing this information with me. I’ve heard your challenges/frustrations/desires are (recap them here.) Am I understanding that correctly?
Once you’ve gotten the prospect’s affirmation you are on the same page, continue:
“Okay, great. I’d love to partner with you to resolve those challenges (or help you achieve ____...use your own words here.) May I share with you how that partnership would look?”
You’re once more showing respect by asking permission to share, and you’re reiterating that the relationship with the prospect will be a partnership.
Explaining the partnership
At this point, many accountants and bookkeepers start rattling off a list of services and deliverables. This is the fastest way to undo everything you’ve worked for in this conversation. Your prospect doesn’t care about deliverables or due dates...they care about results and how those results will make them feel.
Instead of focusing on deliverables, spend this part of the conversation highlighting what you and the prospect will work on together, and how that will alleviate the biggest challenges they have told you they are facing in their business.
A sample conversation can be found in our “Value Starts With Hello” e-book at www.profitfirstprofessionals.com.
Building value takes time
If you’re used to your sales calls taking 30 minutes or less, you need to adjust your expectations when you adopt this methodology. Plan on your sales calls taking an hour each...and block off a buffer of an additional 30 minutes after each call.
You might be thinking, “I don’t have time for long sales calls!” We’d argue you don’t have time NOT to have in-depth conversations with your prospects. When you set yourself apart as a provider of tremendous value, not only do you command higher prices for your engagements, but you also filter out the prospects who won’t value you before wasting time and energy trying to serve them.
Building value takes time...don’t diminish the importance of it. As a colleague recently said, “We’re not in the business of providing accounting services. We’re in the business of marketing and selling accounting services.” Transition your sales calls to consultative calls where you show your value, and you’ll never again look at the word “Hello” the same way.
Author Bio: Billie Anne Grigg is the Senior Strategic Guide at Profit First Professionals and the founder of Pocket Protector Bookkeeping. She has more than 20 years of small business bookkeeping and cash management experience. Billie Anne is passionate about elevating the bookkeeping and accounting community so we can help small businesses thrive.