Why CPA Accountant Marketing Programs Fail

After developing five accounting firms between 1984 and 1994, I spent the next fifteen years helping over 2,000 accountants develop and improve their accounting firms as a practice development consultant. This experience showed that many accountants had implemented many failing marketing programs.

The main reason most accounting marketing programs fail is because the accountant tries to treat their services like a commodity. Unfortunately, this often leads to very low response and low-quality clientele. There are volumes of accountants who have tried very expensive marketing programs offered by many companies lured by hard-to-enforce guarantees who experience disastrous financial consequences. Most of these marketing failures center on programs that use commodity marketing techniques.

The accounting industry is not commodity driven; it is driven by trust and loyalty. Trust has to be established. This can not be sold. Consequently, if an accountant tries to sell his accounting services as a commodity or product, he will fail.

The first step in an accounting services marketing program should be to identify a company seeking the services of a CPA or Accountant. If a company is satisfied with its current CPA or accountant and does not seek the services of a new CPA or Accountant, that company will not change accountants. Any attempt by an accountant using a marketing program to break that relationship through aggressive sales techniques will only diminish the firm’s perception of the accountant and their firm. The wise accountant will never turn an employer away from their current accountant if that person is satisfied with the accountant or CPA. Recognize the situation as good for both the company and the CPA Accountant. Never try to cut off what is good for business, neither the CPA Accountant nor the Accounting Industry.

Having recognized that a CPA Accountant’s marketing program must have the ability to identify a company seeking the services of a new CPA Accountant, the second step the accountant’s marketing program must produce is to get the company seeking a New CPA accountant takes an interest in you and your accounting firm. If your marketing program has a company looking for a new CPA Accountant who is interested in you, the meeting with the new client will be very similar to the meeting with the referred prospects. They will be openly interested in you. You won’t feel in the position of having to sell them for you or your business to use. Remember, the accounting industry is built on trust. The key to your success in your marketing program is your ability to provide the opportunity to establish trust and demonstrate how you can help the potential customer.

Once you have a business in need of accounting services interested in you, the third step your accounting services marketing program must take is to show them how to demonstrate your ability to assist your prospective client in their presentation. Too many accounting marketing programs fail because they rely on the CPA Accountant making sales presentations to potential new clients. Companies are not interested in being sold accounting services. Companies are interested in how the CPA Accountant can help them and their business. The CPA Accountant should provide examples of how you can help and apply those examples to your business. It is important that he or she understands and sees the value you bring to him or her. Most companies don’t understand the value that a CPA accountant provides. If your accounting marketing program centralizes your presentations about you and your company, it’s the wrong marketing program; The program should center your presentation around the prospect and your ability to help them.

Finally, the fourth step your accountant’s marketing program should provide you with are techniques for pricing your services relative to the value you demonstrated in your presentation. Your goal is not to discount your company’s services to attract a new customer, but rather to price your service as a good value relative to the value you’re providing. For example, if a prospective client could choose to spend $1,000 to have a CPA or Accountant prepare their business tax return, he or she can opt out. However, if that same CPA or accountant showed the prospective client tax saving strategies that will save them $5,000 per year in taxes, the client will definitely choose to have that CPA prepare their taxes for $1,000. He or she will perceive the use of that CPA or Accountant to be of great value. Notice in the example, the primary factor in why the prospect decided to join was not the absolute cost of the service but the value received relative to that cost.

In short, there are four steps an accountant’s marketing program should employ. Should:

1) identify a company looking for a new CPA or Accountant,

2) generate an interest in that business by using you or your business,

3) show you how to demonstrate value in your new client presentation, and

4) Price your company’s services relative to their value.

If your accountant’s marketing program does not employ any of the four basic steps or attempts to market accounting services as a commodity, it is recommended that you abandon implementation of that program. You will avoid frustrations and possible financial disasters. Remember, the key to a successful CPA Accountant marketing program is never sales oriented. It is putting you and your company in contact with a company that has a need and is interested in you or your company meeting that need.