How To Get A CPA To Take Your Call

I have talked with no less than 1,000+ business owners, CEOs, sales leaders, marketing pros, and sales people from hundreds of industries in 2011.   Everyone had one common concern: How to increase their sales.  Although there are few key elements to making this happen, I found that 90% of them are not willing to do anything different (in their marketing and sales efforts) to make this goal happen. 

Are You In The 10% Group?

If you are in the 10% group who wants to work a little harder and smarter, I have listed below four key elements to increasing your sales (the key areas of the DRIP Marketing System). 

1.       Develop a database of clients, past clients, tier 1 prospects (these are prospects who buy what you sell), prospects, and referral sources.

2.       Work on developing a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for your business.  This is a critical step, because it will help you flush out the primary motivators – the things that trigger your target audience to buy what you sell. Once you determine these motivators, you need to do two things with this information.  First, use it in your marketing campaigns, and second, use it to help you identify areas in which you can innovate your business. 

3.       Develop a proactive sales follow-up system.

4.       Learn how to write a more motivating marketing message. 

Here Is An Example Of What To Send To A CPA.

First, create a database of your top 25 or so accountants in your sell zone -- a database that contains each of their mailing addresses AND e-mail addresses.  Once your database is done, write a letter for a “lumpy mail campaign” that reads like this:

(First name),

I know that you are getting many salespeople stopping by your office to sell you on the idea of you recommending their payroll service to your clients. Sure, we would like that, too. But, instead of wasting your time with the usual visit and dropping off a bunch of literature, I have arranged for you to spend a relaxing moment at your home or office.

Take A Break On Us.

Please accept the enclosed voucher for a cup of your favorite beverage at your local Starbucks as well as a bag of popcorn.  When you get a chance to enjoy them, all I ask is that you do me one small favor: Please watch this short, 3-minute DVD to see what makes us different. By the way, we had some fun making it, so I can promise you that it is not boring!

Thanks for taking the time to learn about what makes (insert your company’s name) different -- and enjoy a quiet moment on us.

What Do You Think The Chances Are Of Your DVD Being Watched?

Just about 100%.  That’s right, virtually 100% of your target audience will watch this DVD.  So tell me, what kind of impact will this have on your target audience?  Highly favorable. Another thing: This approach will make your follow up easier as most people will take your call as everyone’s reaction will be positive – which will have a direct impact on landing some new business from a large percentage of them.  

What Should You Say On Your DVD? 

The DVD has to be fun, quick to watch, and to the point.  Another thing: If you put together a cheap, boring, and self-promoting DVD, you will ruin your chances of landing a new account before you even pick up the phone.  On the flip side, if the DVD production is done right, there’s a good chance your prospects will not only take your call, but pass it on to another person who is involved with the purchasing decision.

Executive Summary: The point of this e-tip is to show you how  easy it is to stand out from your competition so that more people notice the things that make your business different – just use a little thought and creativity.  But the key to this campaign falls in two critical components:  1.       You have to call each prospect within 36 to 72 hours of receiving your campaign. 2.       You have to continuously send each recipient a series of drip marketing campaigns repeatedly for it takes a number of touches to build trust, credibility, and brand recognition in you and your business. 

One of the most dynamic moves available to you is the formation of a informal partnership between a business(es) that is (1) Similar in nature to yours or (2) Complementary to your products or services. Regardless of what form a partnership takes -- short term, long term, deeply integrated or something more casual, all have the potential to drive in new clients and help strengthen existing client relationships.

With the importance and value of a business partnership in mind, listed below are seven tips to help you establish and maintain strong business partnerships.

7 Tips For Partnering With Other Businesses:

Tip #1. Develop A Unified Vision: The start of any business partnership should begin with a firm understanding of the partnership's purpose. What motivates each of your companies? What drew you to one another? The factors that align your businesses will serve as the basis for your partnership's plan. That partnership plan should include all the various details concerning how your businesses will interact with one another.

Tip #2. Address Individual Needs: While a partnership may be a unified initiative, it is still driven by independent businesses, each with its own needs and wants. Part of maintaining a strong business partnership is to avoid being self-serving; instead, be sensitive to each other's wants and needs and provide support when available. The more you help each other with your individual goals, the stronger your partnership becomes and the more likely you are to achieve your unified goals.

Tip #3. Identify Strengths & Weaknesses: Every business has its strengths and weaknesses. One of the benefits to establishing a business partnership is finding ways to complement your individual businesses (where one excels and the other falls short). Beyond creating a more powerful entity by maximizing your strengths and minimizing your weaknesses, your businesses should theoretically learn and grow from one another, strengthening as not only a team, but improving individually as well.

Tip #4. Establish Partnership Roles: Business partnerships do come with their risks, such as stepping on each other's toes or overstepping boundaries. You presumably established your business partnership because of a very clearly defined advantage(s) that a cooperative venture would yield for each of you. As part of the plan development touched on in Tip #1, you should put into writing what each partner's role is, what limitations there are and even include accountability as a precaution.

Tip #5. Show Respect Throughout The Partnership: A business partnership is a relationship. That means you need to be responsive and communicate regularly to keep one another abreast of mutual interests and project status. You need to be honest about situations that affect one business or the other to avoid damaging your relationship, and carefully manage any disagreements that may turn up by mistake or misfortune. Like any relationship, communication is key. So be honest and keep in touch regularly so everyone is on the same page.

Tip #6. Maximize Partnerships With Webpages: One of the best ways to get the most out of your business partnership is to mutually agree to develop a partner page on your respective websites. Most businesses start with something simple, like a list of its business partners accompanied by the business' logo. But partner pages can be extremely lucrative, driving traffic to your partner's website from yours and to yours from theirs. Ultimately, you should design partner pages so that they add value to both your companies and your websites. So when designing a partner page, make them as dynamic and compelling as you can.

Tip #7. End Partnerships Peacefully: As we have already established, business partnerships are relationships, and just as with interpersonal relationships, there are ups and downs. When these downs start to negatively affect both businesses in a partnership, the most prudent business decision may be to go your separate ways. The trick, of course, is to navigate these separations so the partnership concludes amicably. Any bad blood, so to speak, will only be bad for both your businesses. So when forced to end your business partnership, work hard to part ways peacefully.

Executive Summary: Business partnerships can be a powerful venture for two or more businesses. But fundamentally, both companies need to be extra sensitive and cautious about each business' individual needs -- especially if your companies are relatively new to one another.

We also know that business partnerships come and go. And should you find yourself needing to part ways, do so on good terms in order to preserve each other's image. Additionally, it is best to put something in writing with the business you are partnering with - but most importantly, each company needs to have someone who is responsible for the implementation and management of the partnership. Otherwise, there is a good chance it will not work for everyone involved.