\n
You\u2019re doing the work. You care about your clients. You\u2019re reliable, responsive, and technically strong.<\/p>\n
But if you\u2019re still not seeing the results you hoped for \u2014 in profit, time, or confidence \u2014 you\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n
Many accountants quietly wonder: \u201cWhat more do I need to do?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nThe answer isn\u2019t always more clients<\/em>. It\u2019s more about building up the right skills \u2014 the ones that weren\u2019t covered by your studies or training courses. The ones that make the difference between just coping\u2026 and finally feeling in control.<\/p>\nOver the years, I\u2019ve helped hundreds of accountants get unstuck, earn more, and build practices they enjoy. Along the way, I\u2019ve seen a pattern \u2014 and I\u2019ve boiled it down to eight practical skills that all start with P.<\/p>\n
These aren\u2019t abstract business buzzwords. They\u2019re the skills and abilities that make the difference between \u201cjust coping\u201d and \u201cfeeling in control\u201d.<\/p>\n
Imagine a scale of 1-10 for each of these. Score yourself. And if your total is less than 50 we should definitely talk.<\/p>\n
1. Positioning<\/strong><\/p>\nThis is about how you\u2019re seen \u2014 and who you want to be seen by.<\/p>\n
If your website, profile and conversations are pretty much the same as those of a bunch of other accountants, you\u2019ll struggle to attract the right clients, advocates and supporters.<\/p>\n
Strong positioning means standing for something \u2014 and being remembered for it. That could be your style and approach; it could be a specific client or sector focus; it could be anything which says you are NOT \u2018just another accountant\u2019.<\/p>\n
2. Promoting<\/strong><\/p>\nThis follows on from Positioning. Can the right people find you \u2014 and understand why you\u2019re the right fit for them?<\/p>\n
Promotion isn\u2019t about being loud. It\u2019s about being visible and valuable in the places your ideal clients are already looking.<\/p>\n
And yes, that probably includes LinkedIn \u2014 but done your way, not the \u201cguru\u201d way.<\/p>\n
3. Prospecting<\/strong><\/p>\nAre you doing anything deliberate to attract new business \u2014 or are you just hoping?<\/p>\n
Prospecting (or marketing as it\u2019s often known) doesn\u2019t need to feel \u201csalesy\u201d. It\u2019s about gently and intentionally starting the right conversations.<\/p>\n
Being passive is a choice \u2014 especially if you already have a decent sized practie that suits you. Otherwise being passive is unlikely to enable you to build the practice you really want.<\/p>\n
If you want more clients you need to determine what you are going to do to attract the right people, who you would like to serve and who will be willing to opay the fees you want to earn for doing the work you enjoy.<\/p>\n
Whatever prospecting or marketing activity you consider please always start with your Motive, then your Market, and your Message. Only then will the most appropriate Media become clear. And finally you still need to consider what Methods you will employ to get the best results from that Media. (And yes, that\u2019s me sneaking in a quick summary of my 5 Ms to this list of 8 Ps!)<\/p>\n
4. Pitching<\/strong><\/p>\nWhat happens when someone\u2019s interested in working with you?
Are you able to explain your offer with confidence and clarity one to one? Or do you fudge your way through, hoping they\u2019ll say yes anyway?
Pitching well builds trust. Done badly, it builds confusion and price resistance.<\/p>\n
5. Pricing<\/strong><\/p>\nAre you able to quote reasonable fees promptly after pitching your services and gaining all the info you need from the client?<\/p>\n
Do your fees reflect your value \u2014 and can you talk about your fees with confidence?\u00a0 This isn\u2019t about being expensive or (worse) cheap. It\u2019s about being fair to yourself as well as to the client.<\/p>\n
Good pricing means better margins, better boundaries, and fewer resentments.<\/p>\n
6. Performing<\/strong><\/p>\nYou\u2019ll probably score yourself as 10\/10 here. Assuming that you are only pitching to perform and deliver work that you have both the experience and skills to deliver!<\/p>\n
Remember though that a good performance isn\u2019t just about being up to date technically and being able to produce the necessary accounts or tax returns.<\/p>\n
Your performance score should include recognition of how well you communicate with clients, manage their expectations, meet all relevant\u00a0 deadlines and remain consistently reliable, empathetic and solutions focused. Indeed, the question is more how would your clients score you here, as it\u2019s probably hard for you to be objective.<\/p>\n
However strong your performance, it only really pays off when the other Ps are working too.<\/p>\n
7. Planning<\/strong><\/p>\nThis is a challenge for lots of accountants running their own firm.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all too easy to have hopes, dreams and ambitions. But without some sort of plan, that\u2019s all they are \u2013 hopes and dreams. Without a plan (that will probably evolve over time)\u00a0 it\u2019s all too easy to drift or to get stuck just doing client work. When that happens, who is looking after your most importnat client? That\u2019s you and your business!<\/p>\n
Planning doesn\u2019t need to be a detailed 20-page strategy document. But it does mean having a direction, a few priorities, and a sense of what \u201cbetter\u201d looks like for you.<\/p>\n
8. Progressing<\/strong><\/p>\nAre you moving forwards?
Not just chasing growth for the sake of it \u2014 but building more confidence, more profit, more control, more time?<\/p>\n
Progress looks different for everyone. But it starts with noticing: what\u2019s improving, what\u2019s not, and what needs to change?<\/p>\n
Without progress, a practice can quietly become a prison.<\/p>\n
Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\nSo, how are your Ps?\u00a0 When you rank yourself on a scale of 1-10 for each of them, what total did you reach?<\/p>\n
If even one or two of these felt like a sore spot, you\u2019re not alone. Most accountants nail the Performing bit \u2014 and quietly muddle through the rest.<\/p>\n
But the truth is, your practice can\u2019t really thrive unless all eight Ps are working together.
That\u2019s why I suggest that if your total score here is less than 50, we should talk. (Nb: If your score was above 50 \u2018m happy to talk too of course!)<\/p>\n
I offer NED-style mentoring to help sole practitioner accountants find their rhythm \u2014 and build a practice that works for them. One that\u2019s more profitable, more enjoyable, and more sustainable.<\/p>\n
If that sounds like something you\u2019d like to explore, let\u2019s have that conversation.
No pitch. No pressure. Just a chance to step back, get some clarity \u2014 and see if the right kind of support might help.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You\u2019re doing the work. You care about your clients. You\u2019re reliable, responsive, and technically strong. But if you\u2019re still not seeing the results you hoped for \u2014 in profit, time, or confidence \u2014 you\u2019re not alone. Many accountants quietly wonder: \u201cWhat more do I need to do?\u201d The answer isn\u2019t always more clients. It\u2019s more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11759],"tags":[1338,1088,11007,3910,8269,418],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-271706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-accounting","tag-hard","tag-key","tag-pay","tag-skills","tag-waiting","tag-work"],"yoast_head":"\n
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