“Regardless of business size, business owners don’t understand exactly how the income statement and balance sheet tie together. Teach your clients to understand how these components dictate operating performance and business longevity and you will solidify your role as trusted advisor.”
-Shawn Moriarity, Senior ProfitCents Consultant
Introduction
Your car’s fuel gauge reads empty and you need to find a gas station. Despite BP’s new ad campaign or the magazine article you recently read about ExxonMobil’s efforts to “go green” you still stop at the station with the cheapest gas prices. This scenario illustrates how customers evaluate pure commodity products (like gasoline) and choose the service provider primarily on a price basis. Car owners buy gas because they have to not because they want to. Simply put, when the competitors offer the same product, lowest price almost always wins.
Just like the gas stations in our example, accounting firms operate in a highly competitive market and if your firm only offers commoditized services like tax preparation, payroll, and bookkeeping you will win (and lose) customers due to price competition. The good news is that you are in a unique position to offer value-added advisory services.
Why Should I Offer Advisory Services?
According to recent USA Today / Gallup polls, accountants are considered the most trusted business professionals. That high level of trust enables you to move beyond traditional accounting services and position yourself as a trusted advisor. Offering quality advisory services will ensure the long-term success of your clients.
What’s in it for you?
Helping clients do better business is always a win-win situation, but let’s focus on what’s in it for you. There are three primary reasons why firms are shifting towards value-added advisory services:
- Increase Firm Revenue: Business advisory engagements produce additional revenue streams and are more profitable than traditional, compliance-based accounting services.
- Stop Competing on Price: Firms that bring more to the table can justify higher rates. Stop leaving money on the table, command the rates you deserve by offering a higher level of service, and land more “A-List” clients.
- Deepen Client Relationships: Help a client do better business and you lock-in a client for life. Quality advisory services help you forge deeper relationships with clients and also boost word-of-mouth referrals.
How Do I Get Started?
We have developed a three-step process to introduce clients to your new service offerings:
Step 1: Identify Key Clients
Start by identifying a short list of key clients (it could be as few as 5) who you will start providing business advisory services to. Use the following characteristics to select key clients:
- Client Relationship: Identify clients that you already have a strong relationship with. You will be more comfortable and they will be more receptive as you introduce new services.
- Client Potential: Choose clients that have an unrealized potential. You and the client will be able to see tangible results as you help them grow their business.
- Owner Mentality: Focus on proactive clients who frequently ask questions about improving their business. These clients tend be more appreciative and willing to pay for your professional advice.
- Business Health: Select a few clients with poor financial health. They will perceive your services as a need rather than an unnecessary expense.
Step 2: The Discovery Process
The next step in the process is to develop a strategy for your firm to approach the list of target clients. This includes thinking about the needs of each business, what’s going on in their industry, their goals, what resources your firm has to offer them, and ultimately how to communicate those services to them. Such a discovery process could include client surveys or merely conversations with clients to gauge their satisfaction with your firm and understand their business needs better.
Step 3: The Implementation
Once you’ve assessed your clients thoroughly, you are now ready to alert them of your advisory services. There are a few ways of doing this:
The “Sticky Note” Method:
Perhaps the most common approach is the “Sticky Note” Method. This method entails inserting a customized or narrative financial analysis report like ProfitCents Narrative and placing a sticky note on top that says “I thought you might find this interesting.” This approach is apt because it doesn’t try to push a service but instead generates questions from the client and opens up the door to future consulting opportunities. Not every client may respond, but some will. The cost and time to generate the report is minimal.
The “Let Me Show You” Approach:
A slightly more proactive approach, the “let me show you” approach can also be successful. This approach involves discussing the company’s past and projected future performance. Focus on two or three key points from your findings and use graphs and/or a brief narrative report to enhance your presentation. This approach is more thorough but cash flow Projections Reports can dramatically increase your efficiency. This approach works best with your inquisitive and proactive clients; often times it will lead to profitable deeper consulting engagements.
Confidence in Your New Service Offering
Think about a doctor’s job for a moment. When he or she walks in and you tell him or her that you are sick, he or she will likely run tests, show you the test results, and explain the results in an understandable language. As part of the diagnosis, you are usually asked a lot of questions about your habits, symptoms, types of medications you prefer, and any allergic reactions you may have. Based on all the information a mutual decision can be made on the proper treatment approach. The same is true for offering advisory services. You have a wealth of financial expertise and experience that will help the business fix its excessive inventory days, poor cash flow, or accounts receivable issues. But, you still need to run tests with a typical financial statement analysis and you have to ask questions. For example, if your client has problems collecting accounts receivable you might ask the following questions:
- How do you invoice your accounts receivable?
- Do you send collection requests via mail, or do you call them personally?
- What are your penalties for late payments?
Based on these and other questions you’ll get an idea of how to fix the problems. If you still don’t have the answers don’t be afraid to do the research to find them. It’s okay if you don’t have the answers right away; just be able to provide them to your client in a timely manner.
Based on these and other questions you’ll get an idea of how to fix the problems. If you still don’t have the answers don’t be afraid to do the research to find them. It’s okay if you don’t have the answers right away; just be able to provide them to your client in a timely manner.
Best Practices for Providing Advisory Services
Provide action items and set goals
Chad Wright, Senior Account Executive ProfitCents says it’s important to establish relevant goals and action items that should be addressed prior to the next consulting session. Track the client’s results at each meeting and describe how far their company has come since your firm has been working with them.
Don’t forget about non-profits:
It is likely that you are already working with a non-profit organization or serve as an advisor to a non-profit board. Don’t forget that you can run financial reports on non-profits to help them improve organization efficiency. This could include benchmarking their performance against similar organizations in the sector.
Leverage industry data:
You likely serve multiple clients from a given industry and have a pulse on the financial trends for that industry. Combining this knowledge with real time industry data is a great way to provide fast and easy deliverables of high value. Companies want to know where they stand and how to improve if they are sub-par.
Pitfalls to Avoid
Do not pitch the product as an add-on
One approach to business advisory services that has proven ineffective is pitching advisory services as an add-on service. This means the advice is an optional service that the client would have to pay up front to receive. For example, a situation to avoid would be to show the client their completed tax returns and then tell them about your firm’s advisory services. Your clients aren’t likely to see the value after just hearing an explanation of what you have to offer and therefore won’t want to pay for it
Don’t go in without a plan
Perhaps the number one misstep in adding these services is to go in without a plan or strategy. People who fall in this category forget to make a list of clients and keep it small enough to manage. On the opposite end they may try to run full financial analysis reports on each one of their clients. It simply takes too long and is a waste of resources until you know the client is interested in the service. It’s better to start by offering them industry data reports or those without much customization instead.
Remember to keep it simple
Just because your financial analysis software can provide an 8-page in-depth report doesn’t mean your client needs to see the whole thing. Too much data can be overwhelming and might discourage your client from asking for the next appointment. Instead copy and paste 2-3 relevant sections into a document for your client to see.