Welcome to the Accounting Influencers Podcast, going live every Monday to 150 countries and 30,000 accounting practitioners, fintech specialists and influencers in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space.
In today’s episode 9, “What Works in Successful Discovery Calls”, Rob Brown speaks with guest Nancy Fox about growing accounting firms. Nancy highlights the importance of having a unique value proposition and point of distinction that sets accountants apart from their peers. Additionally, she emphasises the need to warm up potential clients before a discovery call by networking and building relationships. Nancy shares a five-step structure for conducting discovery calls and suggests asking deep questions to determine potential clients’ readiness, commitment, and budget for working with an accountant.
Nancy also advises waiting to send proposals until certain pieces are established and the client is ready to move forward. She emphasises the need to understand clients’ businesses, ask great questions, and add value to their services to get their desired fees. Nancy concludes by offering to help accountants improve their probing and open-ended questions and providing a mini-training on success in discovery calls if enough people are interested. By setting boundaries and guidelines, accountants can work with clients who respect and value their services.
You can also watch this on YouTube.
Key Takeaways
➤ Having a unique value proposition and a point of distinction is crucial to building brand awareness and setting yourself apart from other accountants.
➤ Warm-up before a discovery call by networking and building relationships with potential clients, and prepare for the call by conducting thorough research on the person or company.
➤ During the discovery call, ask deep questions during the uncovering stage to determine interest versus commitment and nurture relationships with potential clients who may need more time to move forward.
➤ Set boundaries and guidelines for working with clients who respect and value your services and understand their businesses to add value to your services and get the desired fees.
➤ Only send proposals once certain pieces are established, and the client is ready.
Overall, by focusing on building relationships, providing value, and setting boundaries, accountants can better prepare for discovery calls and grow their firms.
Guest Bio
Nancy Fox, a former corporate executive, launched her coaching and training business in 1999. With a background in manufacturing, Nancy has trained and coached senior executives in leadership, communication, and business development. She also served as a Fractional Business Development Officer in professional service firms, guiding accounting and law professionals in networking, client relationship building, and engagement. Nancy has helped firms develop internal mentoring programs and women’s initiatives.
Nancy is an accomplished community and network builder, a keynote speaker, and the author of the highly recognised strategic networking book Network Like A Fox. She is based in Los Angeles and enjoys playing tennis, spending time with dogs, hiking in the mountains, and dancing West Coast Swing. If you want to book a call with her or learn more about her book, Network Like A Fox.
Links: Book a call: https://fractionals.as.me/leapforward
Network Like A Fox book – https://networklikeafox.com
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Accountex is Europe’s largest annual event for the accounting and finance profession. It attracts 8,000+ attendees and 250+ exhibitors. Attendees can get up to 16 CPD hours with 200+ free seminar sessions across 12 theatres.
