31 July 2022
TOPIC: Growing Your Firm
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In this blog, we are discussing how to follow up with your clients.
So, if you’re struggling to follow up with leads or never follow up, this blog is for you!
Do Accountants Need To Follow Up With Clients?
As accountants following up with your new clients is necessary for success in this industry. Sometimes you will encounter people who are not ready to work with you ASAP.
They might need your services, but they aren’t ready to work with you due to personal circumstances. Does that mean you should just drop and forget the client?
NO. That client could be a good long-term client who will pay handsomely for your services.
If you ever want to work with the clients of your dreams, you will need to learn how to follow up with them.
According to a study by Brevet, 80% of sales might require five follow-ups.
So no matter how you feel about follow-ups, don’t try talking yourself out of doing it. Instead, try finding ways to make the call successful!
Find Your Ideal Client
We have established that following up with clients is important. However, before you make that call to your first client, I want you to stop and reflect on who’s your ideal client.
This exercise will help you save time and energy.
As you know, not every person you meet is a good fit. Likewise, not every referral you get will be good, and some clients will never mesh well with you.
Not everyone will make a good fit for you and your business, so not everyone you first encounter will be worthy of a follow-up.
Following up with the wrong clients will waste your time and energy that is better spent elsewhere.
If you have a niche, then you will want to follow up with clients within that niche.
Note: If you’re unsure of how to find your niche, click here to read our blog covering the topic.
Time Is Of The Essence
If you’re talking to someone on the fence about working with you, always schedule a follow-up call within 12-24 hours if you can try to schedule the follow-up while you are still on the phone with the client.
You never want to have back-and-forth conversations via email or text with your potential client.
Emails and text messages don’t carry the same sense of urgency that booking another scheduled call or meeting brings.
Sometimes your new leads can take days to respond to your text. However, talking and scheduling a meeting over the phone makes them more accountable.
When you schedule an appointment, it’s a common courtesy to send a reminder at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting.
Have a Good Heart
One of the biggest concerns accountants have with following up with their clients is being seen as pushy or annoying.
It is a valid concern, but it is not something that should stop you. The critical thing to remember when following up with clients is that they are human too.
If you have a good heart and genuinely care for your clients, that will show even during the following-up.
Someone who cares for their clients takes note of what their clients like, their goals, dreams, and what they have planned over the weekend.
You want to remember your client’s interests, so you can have a more meaningful conversation with them the next time you follow up.
Here are some examples:
“Hey Donald, I remember you had a presentation two weeks ago. How did that presentation go?”
“Hey Keith I know you’re a big fan of art and there happens to be a big art show happening this week, would you like a free ticket?”
Your clients love when you’re able to remember things about them. It makes your interaction feel more personable.
It shows you’re willing to go the extra mile to understand them. That’s a great start to a successful follow-up!
Don’t forget about them
To piggyback off the idea of having a big heart, another way to show genuine interest in your client is regular checkups. Having regular checkups shows that you care about your relationship with them.
Regular checkups can occur however frequently you want, but it is important not to annoy the client and call him or her every day. You’ll want to find a balance.
For example, if you call or email your client once a month, that works.
Even if the client you’re talking to is not your ideal client yet.
If they are on the path to being your ideal client, then you can still have regular conversations with them to maintain that relationship.
Always Lead With a Giving Hand
My last tip for you is to always lead with a giving hand. Find ways to add value to your client’s lives with every follow-up.
It could be something new you learned that could help improve their business or personal lives. You’ll want to find out what is important to your client and see if you can offer anything useful based on things they value.
Before you send them that email, think of what you can add to that email that will be of value.
It doesn’t have to be related to accounting, bookkeeping, or taxes. It could be something that relates to them personally, showing that you care about them.
Summarize
Following up with your client is crucial for the success of your accounting firm. Even so, the following-up process doesn’t have to be complicated.
The important thing to remember is to always lead with kindness and value. Our clients are human, just like us, and appreciate genuine accountants.
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