1. Business Development Academy for CPAs
Workshop #1
September 22, 2016
Presented by Art Kuesel

2. Today’s Workshop Introductions and Objectives What to Expect
Building your Individual Marketing Plan
Today’s Topic: Client Development
Building our Action Plan for the Next 30 Days 4

3. Today’s Workshop Introductions and Objectives What to Expect
Building your Individual Marketing Plan
Today’s Topic: Client Development
Building our Action Plan for the Next 30 Days 3

4. Art Kuesel, President Keynotes, Presentations, Workshops on Growth
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
EXPERIENCE
Sales Executive
3 years inside $60M CPA firm
5 years inside $25M CPA firm
6 years at PDI/Koltin Consulting
3 years at Kuesel Consulting
EXPERTISE
Leadership and Sales Coaching
Sales/Marketing Training

6. Getting to Know Each Other

7. What’s a Trusted Advisor?
Name
Role
Firm
Why you are here in the BD Academy
What’s a Trusted Advisor?

8. What to Expect

9. Your Experience in the BD Academy
A well-rounded curriculum and interactive learning experience
Six Face to Face Meetings
Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, & May
One Webinar (March)
Opportunities to practice and execute
Individual Marketing Plan
We’ll start this today
A safe and supportive environment in which to learn
Accountability for effort 9

10. Results you can Expect from the BD Academy
The development of positive habits in BD
Integration of BD into what you do on a daily/weekly/monthly basis
Achievement of BD Goals
Effort (hours/activities)
New clients
Cross-selling
A trickle-down effect within your firm 10

12. Building your Individual BD Plan

13. What’s in a Great Personal BD Plan?
Q1: Client Development
Q2: Referral Source Development
Q3: Personal Brand Building
Q4: Prospect Development
This is the basic framework for an IMP. Your plan template goes deeper and has sub categories of these four quadrants. Let’s discuss each of these quadrants and think about how we can implement activities in each area of development.

14. What’s in a Great Personal BD Plan?
Q1: Client Development
Build more relationships within each client (breadth)
Build stronger relationships within each client (depth)
Make valuable introductions
Seek referrals for new clients
Cross-sell services when appropriate
Leverage social media
Discuss top strategies in associations/events for about 10 minutes Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

15. What’s in a Great Personal BD Plan?
Q2: Referral Source Development
Nurture existing referral sources
Identify potential new referral sources
Focus on breadth of type of referral source
Focus on an adequate quantity
Be deliberate about your touch program!
Leverage social media
Discuss top strategies in associations/events for about 10 minutes Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

16. What’s in a Great Personal BD Plan?
Q3: Personal Brand Building
Consider a variety of specialties and niches
Talk to your mentor about your intentions
Identify clients in your firm you can be assigned to within your area
Identify top associations and organizations within these specialties and niches
Thought Leadership
Leverage social media
Discuss top strategies in associations/events for about 10 minutes Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

17. What’s in a Great Personal BD Plan?
Q4: Prospect Development
Identify your target market
Create a short list of ideal prospects
Seek out warm entry points for these prospects
Get greater exposure to the sales process (practice)
Leverage social media
Discuss top strategies in associations/events for about 10 minutes Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

18. Suggested Time/Activities by Level
Staff and Seniors and/or 0-4 years of experience
50 Hours/Year
1 Cross-Sell and 1 New Client/Year
Common Types of Activities
Reestablishing college connections
LinkedIN
Client lunches/thrillers
Future referral lunches

19. Suggested Time/Activities by Level
Supervisors and/or 5-6 years of experience
Hours/Year
4 Cross-Sell and $25K/year
Common Types of Activities
LinkedIN
Client lunches/thrillers
Referral lunches
Networking/Personal Brand Development

20. Suggested Time/Activities by Level
Managers and/or 7-14 years of experience
Hours/Year
$50-100K/Year
Common Types of Activities
Client development and cross-selling
Referral development
Networking/Personal Brand Development
Sales Calls/Proposals

21. Suggested Time/Activities by Level
Senior Managers/Directors/Principals/Partners and/or 15+ years of experience
400 Hours/Year
$50-150K/Year
Common Types of Activities
Client development and cross-selling
Referral development
Networking/Personal Brand Development
Sales Calls/Proposals

22. Goals will Keep you on Track
# of Client Development Activities
# of New Clients
$ of Cross-selling
$ of New Clients
# of Articles/Thought Leadership
# of Referral Source Meetings
# of Associations/Trade Groups
# Prospect Touches
# of Sales Calls

23. Table Discussion: Being Successful at BD
What’s most important in me being more successful in personal BD?

25. What Do Our Top Clients REALLY Want from Us?

26. What do our clients WANT from us?

27. Translated: They Want us to be a Trusted Advisor

28. A Trusted Advisor Is… “First” person who is asked for help
“Respected” for knowledge/opinion
“Reliable”
“Responsive”
“Likable”
“Great” communicator
Meets and exceeds expectations
Saves client before they need it
Numerous positive experiences
Keeps confidences
Proactive with things that can help

29. How can we go from “accountant” to trusted advisor?

30. How can we go from “accountant” to trusted advisor?
More Thrillers
Greater Depth
Greater Breadth

31. Top Client Thrillers

32. My CPA is
AMAZING!

33. Top Ways to Thrill your Clients
Taking client to lunch, coffee, drink, etc.
Seize opportunities that arise from client life situation (marriage, anniversary, birthday, birth of child)
Do things that add value to the relationship
Meet on nights, early am, weekends, whatever is necessary to accommodate their schedule

34. Top Ways to Thrill your Clients
Remind them about due dates
Be proactive with ideas that can help save the client money, create greater efficiency, reduce risk, reduce liability, etc. and quantify the value of those ideas
Know what is important to them professionally (know their strategic objectives, plans, goals, etc.)

35. Top Ways to Thrill your Clients
Know what is important to them personally! (hobbies, interests, family, etc.)
Know and have relationships with their circle of influence (banker/financer, attorney, professional advisors)
Be hyper-responsive, acknowledge questions and inquiries quickly
Deliver on-time every time

36. Top Ways to Thrill your Clients
Send them notes/ s with articles, newsletters, and other items that show that you are invested
ID future problems, help save them from themselves
Take responsibility for what goes wrong

37. The Number One Way to Thrill a Client?
Under Promise and Over Deliver!

38. Table Discussion: Thrillers
What thrillers have you done for clients that were really well received?

39. Creating Relationship D-E-P-T-H

40. Relationship DEPTH: Would you fire your friend?
Q: In general, the stronger the relationships we have with our clients, the (easier/harder) it is to leave us.

41. It’s much easier to fire your accountant/consultant, than to fire a friend!
Benefits of Client Friendships/Business Friendships:
Fuels more referrals
Drives greater long-term retention
Increases trust
Insulates you against mistakes
Accelerates your trusted advisor status
What else?
SO MAKE MORE FRIENDS!

42. What can you do to build friendships with clients?
Identify commonalities -- and talk about them
Get to know what’s important to them personally
Take them to lunch simply to build the relationship and goodwill
Recognize important life events
Get together outside business hours
What else?
SO MAKE MORE FRIENDS!

43. Creating Relationship B-R-E-A-D-T-H

44. One Relationship?
Firm A Partner
Company Owner

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

46. One Relationship…
Firm A Partner
Company Owner

47. Multiple Relationships…
Firm B
Client
Partner Manager HR Consulting IT Consulting
Owner Owner’s Daughter COO IT Manager

48. Do we want more of this? Firm B Client
Partner Manager HR Consulting IT Consulting
Owner Owner’s Daughter COO IT Manager

49. Do you Know The Client Circle of Influence?
Banker
Vendor
Attorney
Client
Customer
Fin Advisor

50. Build your Plan Now: Quadrant 1
It’s time to WARM UP your client relationships…Can you do 1/week?
Thrillers
Depth
Breadth
Who & When?
Come next month prepared to talk about your visits. 50

51. Book Recommendation
The Trusted Advisor
By David Maister

52. Resources www.kueselconsulting.com/BDAcademy Slides Tools Templates
Subscribe to my monthly blog too!

53. Reminder
Our Next Meeting: October 20th 8:30 – 11:30am Ravinia Green Country Club 1200 Saunders Road Riverwoods, IL 60015

54. We must WORK our Plan to Succeed!

55. Thank you!
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