REFRESH! Exploring a Marketing Culture at KEB St. Louis KEB St. Louis Region June 23, 2015 Rev. Jan Presented by Art Kuesel

Art Kuesel, President EXPERIENCE  Sales Executive  3 years inside $100M CPA firm  5 years inside $30M CPA firm  6 years at PDI/Koltin Consulting  3 years at Kuesel Consulting EXPERTISE Sales Coaching Sales/Marketing Training EXPERTISE (Cont.) Keynotes, Presentations, Workshops on Growth Growth Plan Development/Implementation Managing Partner Coaching Sales & Marketing Recruiting STREET CRED →Top 100 Most Influential Person in Public Accounting →In-house and external experience →Clients include scores of T250 Firms including a third of the T100 →Frequent writer and blogger for Accounting Today →Accomplished speaker and presenter on growth trends 2

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Today’s Discussion 1. Why this, why now? 2. Developing a marketing culture TOGETHER 3. Top Benefits of a Marketing Culture 4. What’s your role? 5. The Dangers of Sporadic Marketing 6. Discussion 4 4

Why this, why now? 5 5

Developing a marketing culture TOGETHER 6 6

Which firm Drives more Growth? FIRM A / 30 People 4 people who play a role in sales/marketing and know what is expected of them 26 remaining people not really engaged in the sales/marketing process 7

Which firm Drives more Growth? 8 FIRM B / 30 People 30 people who play a role in sales/marketing and know what is expected of them 0 people unaware of how they can help grow the firm

Ten Benefits of a Strong Marketing Culture 1.More folks with a “marketing mindset at all times” = Fewer missed opportunities 2.More people pulling on the rope = Stronger marketing engine 3.More wins = faster growth 9

Ten Benefits of a Strong Marketing Culture 4.More proactivity means stronger client relationships = Greater retention and profitability 5.More teaming (marketing should be a team sport) = Better relationships between your people (stronger retention) 10

Ten Benefits of a Strong Marketing Culture 6.Better communication across firm lines = Less “us” and “them” 7.Less reliance on institutional marketing or a few rainmakers = Less risk, greater opportunity 11

Ten Benefits of a Strong Marketing Culture 8.Better future managers and partners = Future leaders are better prepared to succeed in our new environment 9.More new clients create learning opportunities 10.More promotions! 12

What’s my Role? 13

Suggested Time/Activities by Level Staff and Seniors and/or 0-4 years of experience 50 Hours/Year Common Types of Activities Reestablishing college connections LinkedIN Client lunches/thrillers Future referral lunches 14

Suggested Time/Activities by Level Supervisors and/or 5-6 years of experience Hours/Year Common Types of Activities LinkedIN Client lunches/thrillers Referral lunches Networking/Personal Brand Development 15

Suggested Time/Activities by Level Managers and/or 7-14 years of experience Hours/Year Common Types of Activities Client development and cross-selling Referral development Networking/Personal Brand Development Sales Calls/Proposals 16

Suggested Time/Activities by Level Senior Managers/Directors/Principals/Partners and/or 15+ years of experience 400 Hours/Year Common Types of Activities Client development and cross-selling Referral development Networking/Personal Brand Development Sales Calls/Proposals 17

Personal Marketing Quadrants 18 Q1: Client Development Q2: Referral Source Development Q3: Personal Brand Building Q4: Prospect Development

Personal Marketing Quadrants 19 Q1: Client Development 50% Q2: Referral Source Development Q3: Personal Brand Building Q4: Prospect Development

Job Descriptions in Public Accounting Technical Knowledge Client Service Present Technical Specialty Client Development PLUS People Development New Business Development

The Dangers of Sporadic Marketing 21

Discussion: Past 6 Months and Next 6 Months 1) For those of you who’ve been here since we started this program: a) What changes have you noticed? b) Can you point to any successes? 2) For those of you who’ve recently joined us: a) What experiences can you bring from your former work experience to help us continue to move in the right direction? b) What questions and concerns do you have? 22

Client Development Techniques During Transition and Opportunity Season KEB St. Louis Presented by Art Kuesel

Workshop Topics 1. Client Development During Time of Transition 2. Client Development During Opportunity Season 3. Next Steps Together 24

Client Development During Times of Transition

Put Yourself in your Client’s Shoes… You’ve built a relationship with someone at your accounting firm whom you trust over the course of several years That person leaves the firm How does this make you feel as a client? What would you do as a client? And What would you expect your firm to do? So, how do we recover when someone leaves? And, how do we prevent this feeling (on behalf of the client) from happening again? 26

Techniques to Strengthen Client Relationships in Times of Transition 1.Develop and Build Trust 27

Three Basic Building Blocks of Trust 1.Clients need to like you 2.Clients need to respect you 3.Clients need to have repetitive positive experiences with you 28

Techniques to Strengthen Client Relationships in Times of Transition 1.Develop and Build Trust 2.Spend time with your clients, getting to know them better. Personally and Professionally 29

20 Different Ways to Show you Care 1.Take to coffee, wine, beer 2.Bring donuts, food, BBQ 3.Buy lunch/dinner 4.Make an introduction 5.Take golfing 6.Make a referral to them 7.Meet with their COI 8.Give them free advice 9.Send an article of interest 10.Send a hand-written card or note 30

20 Different Ways to Show you Care 11. Birthday/Anniversary gift 12. Recognize an accomplishment 13. Under promise and over deliver 14. Show interest in their personal lives 15. Call and say “I was thinking of you…” 16. Remind them of due dates 17. Bring them a gift 18. Be proactive 19. Return calls/ s before/after hours 20. Be hyper responsive when it really matters 31

Techniques to Strengthen Client Relationships in Times of Transition 1.Develop and Build Trust 2.Spend time with your clients, getting to know them better. Personally and Professionally 3.Work on Relationship Breadth 32

One Relationship? Firm A PartnerCompany Owner 33

Or Multiple? Firm B Partner Manager HR Director ASG Lead Client Owner Owner’s Daughter Operations Leader Office Manager 34

One Relationship… Firm A PartnerCompany Owner 35

Multiple Relationships… Firm B Partner Manager HR Director ASG Lead Client Owner Owner’s Daughter Operations Leader Office Manager 36

Techniques to Strengthen Client Relationships in Times of Transition 1.Develop and Build Trust 2.Spend time with your clients, getting to know them better. Personally and Professionally 3.Work on Relationship Breadth 4.Know their COI 37

The Client Circle of Influence 38

Techniques to Strengthen Client Relationships in Times of Transition 1.Develop and Build Trust 2.Spend time with your clients, getting to know them better. Personally and Professionally 3.Work on Relationship Breadth 4.Know their COI 5.Be proactive 32

Being Proactive - Examples a)Act like a trusted advisor b)Send them an article of interest c)Invite them to an event of interest d)Contact them when new legislation may affect them e)Ask about their future plans f)Meet with them quarterly to discuss their business g)Make introductions to others h)Introduce services of value 40

Techniques to Strengthen Client Relationships in Times of Transition 1.Develop and Build Trust 2.Spend time with your clients, getting to know them better. Personally and Professionally 3.Work on Relationship Breadth 4.Know their COI 5.Be proactive 6.Be hyper responsive 41

Be Hyper-Responsive Respond to inquiries on the same business day – at the latest! Respond as quickly as possible - to let them at least know you got their message Respond before/after hours and on weekends as needed Confirm when they need the answer (so you can set expectations) Do things that make them say “Wow! KEB is on top of things!” 42

Techniques to Strengthen Client Relationships in Times of Transition 1.Develop and Build Trust 2.Spend time with your clients, getting to know them better. Personally and Professionally 3.Work on Relationship Breadth 4.Know their COI 5.Be proactive 6.Be hyper responsive 7.Under promise and over deliver 43

“Upgrading” your Touches Instead of This: Delivering on time Sending an … Call… Visit face to face… Courier… Do the job you were hired for Thank them for their business Seeing them at a reception… 44 Do This: Deliver early Call Visit face to face Visit plus lunch Personal Delivery Introduce new services Refer someone to them Make an introduction

Can you strengthen one client relationship per week through 4/15? (either in transition or not) 45 Action Plan Development [A]

Client Development in Opportunity Season

Additional Areas to Consider 47 1)Delivering Value 2)Creating Future Opportunities for Yourself and the Firm

Delivering Value To deliver value you must define value – as perceived by the client… Timeliness/Turnaround? Result? Hands-on Approach? Efficiency? Proactive-ness? Frequency of touches? Something else? 48

Creating Future Opportunities What are we seeing now that we can’t address immediately but should circle back with the client at a future date? Succession Planning Business Valuation Cost Segregation Tax Credits ICDiSC What Else??? 49

Creating Future Opportunities How do we plant these seeds with the client? Suggest a meeting in late April/Early May to discuss Send some additional information on the topic Have them chat with another client whom we helped with a similar issue Introduce them to the person at KEB who would deliver the service What else??? 50

Can you strengthen one additional client relationship per week through 4/15 not in transition? 51 Action Plan Development [B]

Successful Implementation

Steps to Successful Implementation 53 1)Skills Training 2)Goal Setting 3)Patience 4)Encouragement 5)Opportunities for Practice 6)Repetition, Repetition, Repetition 7)Measurement and Accountability

We must WORK our Plan to Succeed! 54

A Dash of Accountability 55 1)Make sure your name is on your action plan 2)Pass it forward 3)We will copy and get it back to you 4)We will reach out randomly to collect success stories for future meetings and announcements 5)We may also use as part of a future mentor program

Next Steps 56 1)Personal Branding 2)Referral Source Networks 3)Pursuit Mastery

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