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Bd blackbelt alliott 010412 Alliott Group 2012
- 1. Becoming a Business
Development Black Belt
Facilitated by
Jennifer Wilson
January 12, 2012
www.convergencecoaching.com
©Copyright 2000-2012
ConvergenceCoaching, LLC
All rights reserved.
- 2. Our Objective
• To give you confidence and ideas for specific actions
you can take to develop your business development
skills and that of your team to really impact the
firm’s top line
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- 3. What Are Your Biggest
Biz Dev Issues?
• What are your firm’s most significant business
development issues?
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- 4. Level Setting
• In public accounting, we often use “mixed” terms when
describing marketing and sales activities
– Many call the combination of marketing and sales activities “business
development”
• You may have opportunities to develop further in all 4
“main” areas:
– Corporate marketing
– Personal marketing
– Sales methodology and approach
– Sales process and reporting
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©Copyright 2000-2012
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All rights reserved. 4
- 5. Your Marketing And
Sales Activities
• For purposes of this workshop, we’re going to focus
on personal marketing activities that generate new
opportunities and fill your pipeline
– Versus organizational branding and firm-wide lead
generation activities
• When there are personal marketing behaviors or
activities that you want people to exhibit or undertake
…look to see if you’re doing them yourself first
– People approach change differently and they will mirror
your behavior
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All rights reserved. 5
- 6. Change Management
Success Factors
• Lead by example
– Be open to new ways of doing things
– Embrace the change yourself
– Stay positive in the face of change
• Keep your commitments
– No surprises!
• Communicate, communicate, communicate
– Set expectations and be honest about the good and the bad
– Provide updates and status
– Use different mediums to address the different communication and
learning styles of others
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©Copyright 2000-2012
ConvergenceCoaching, LLC
All rights reserved.
- 7. Kinds Of Business
Developers
• First, identify what kind of business developer you
are and then work to understand the business
development acumen of each your professional
services team members:
– Sales supporter -- responding to opportunities generated
for them
• They support sales activities, including following up and closing
them on their own at some point, to generate new clients
– Client server -- focusing on delivering services and adding
value-add services to existing clients
• Their business development focus will consist of retaining existing
clients and uncovering new opportunities to serve them
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- 8. Kinds Of Business
Developers
– Community developer -- generating prospects in the
communities they currently serve
• They’ll share what they do for a living and the difference they
make for your clients
• During some of these interactions and building relationships over
time, they’ll generate new opportunities for your firm
– The “big dog”– acting as a “thought leader” and rainmaker
• Conducting activities in their current communities and clients and
expanding their communities where you can become known as an
“expert” in specific niches, industries, technical areas, etc.
• Participating in marketing activities such as speaking, teaching,
gaining “ins” in new associations, tweeting, etc.
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- 9. Your Focus As A
Business Developer
• What kind of business developer are you?
– Sales supporter
– Client server
– Community developer
– A “big dog” business developer and/or thought
leader
• What insights do these categories provide you
related to your shareholder group?
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- 10. Create Personal
Marketing Plans
• Once you’ve identified each individual’s business
development acumen and aspiring capabilities, you
can help them develop one-size-fits-one personal
marketing plans and goals
• These plans should be developed annually and
reviewed quarterly (with your marketing
professional or their career advisor with some
feedback loop to marketing)
– Incorporate them into the performance review process,
too
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- 11. Your Rainmakers And
Thought Leaders
• Then you can identify those who are “special” so you can:
– Help those with specialty technical or industry expertise become
thought leaders
– Understand those who are your potential “big dogs” and cultivate and
support their efforts
• Certain partners and managers have the interest, ability, and
tenacity to be your true business developers
– The first trick is to identify who they are!
– Doing so allows you to differentiate your investments between your
business developers vs. your entire team
– Plan to develop programs and focus your attention and time on those
truly capable of generating revenue for the firm
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- 12. Goal Examples – New
Business Development
• Bring in X new audit clients from contacts generated by me worth
$XX,XXX by XX/XX/XX
• Refer $XXK in new business for our OTHER SERVICE LINE by
XX/XX/XX
• Conduct an average of 4 referral source or prospect meetings per
month, or 48 meetings in total by XX/XX/XX; track these
meetings and their outcomes/next steps in our CRM or in Excel
• Increase revenue per client for my top 10 clients by XX% by
XX/XX/XX
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- 13. Defining And Targeting Your
Firm’s Ideal Clients
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- 14. Anyone that walks in the door willing to
engage your services is not necessarily
the next RIGHT client.
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- 15. Why Sell Strategically?
• Because strategic selling starts with defining your
ideal target client, allowing you to focus your scarce
resources on opportunities that make a positive
difference for your firm
– Identifying ideal clients and targeting them enables you to
build niches or service lines more effectively
– Landing ideal clients enables you to say no to the less-
than-ideal clients and projects
– When you sell with intention, into your sweet spot, you’re
more efficient and productive
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- 16. Your Ideal Client Vision
• To sell strategically, the first step is to define your
ideal target clients
• Each service line and industry group should define
their ideal target client by focusing on segments
where you show the most success by:
– Size
– Type of entity
– Industry or sub-industry
– Needs
– Location
– “Psychographic” factors (culture, ownership make up, etc.)
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- 17. Some Examples
Include…
• Tax –
– Focus mainly on business returns for corporations, partnerships and
not for profits where that generate $X,000 - $X,000 in fees per client
• Construction –
– Large commercial builders of $XX million or more in revenues or
residential builders of $XX million or more in revenues
• Healthcare –
– Multi-state integrated healthcare delivery systems, skilled nursing
facilities, long-term care facilities, home healthcare agencies,
physician practices, senior housing facilities, and mental health clinics
• Family Businesses –
– Family-owned businesses that have growth opportunities with a
variety of needs from corporate and individual tax planning and
compliance, estate planning, retirement planning, etc.
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- 18. Who Are Your Ideals?
• Who are your ideal target clients for your
particular industry, service line or niche? How
do you define them?
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- 19. Finding Your Ideal
Target Clients
• Determine where you will find and reach your ideal target
clients
– Within your existing clients (unless you’re conflicted out)
– Within your firm
– Client referrals, referral sources and other CPA firms
– Trade conferences, associations and/or publications
– Social media sites
– “Top 25” lists
• Most cities have a top 25 doctors, construction companies, etc.
– Web searches including Google, LinkedIn or other niche or social
media site
– National list brokers, such as Hoovers or Dun & Bradstreet
– Niche list brokers
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- 20. Narrow Your List
• Next, determine which accounts you will proactively
pursue
– From your entire pool of potential prospects, narrow first
by geography or relatedness (warmest first)
– Then identify accounts that fit (or you think may fit at this
point) your ideal target client profile
– Create a “short list” of possible target accounts and send it
to your partners and managers (or entire team) to see
who they know in those accounts
• LinkedIn can help with this if you’re all connected to each other
– From there, you should be able to identify a list of target
accounts that you can assign, prioritize and work
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- 21. Define Targeted Account
Selling Expectations
• The sole job of the relationship manager is to build
strategic relationships with the key contacts of the
account
• Each relationship manager assigned to targeting
accounts, should:
– Be the primary interface for the target account at the
“corporate” level
– Define the activities and approach to “work” the account
– Develop strategic relationships within the organization
– Keep your partners and others informed about the status
– Act as the “go to” person within your firm regarding any
questions about the account
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- 22. Building Relationships
• Find out who you may know at your target account
or who you know that knows someone
– When you’re conducting research and asking around,
always look for people you know who know key people
there
– Search the contacts of your target account on LinkedIn or
other social media tools
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- 23. Using Social Media To Target
Accounts And Build Your Brand
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- 24. Question
• Which have you done?
– Created a LinkedIn account but haven’t done much since
– Added over 100 connections on LinkedIn
– Created your firm’s profile on LinkedIn
– Have a personal profile on Facebook and have made some
friends
– Created your firm’s profile on Facebook
– Sent tweets on a weekly basis (at a minimum)
– Have a firm or specialty blog
– Posted a video on You Tube
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- 25. Why Do You Have To
Be There?
• Your competitors are out there gaining strength
by using social media to:
– Build brand recognition through thought leadership
– especially in defined niches
• Writing blogs
• Joining groups on LinkedIn (or starting a group!)
• Replying to discussion forums
• Sharing information by tweeting it
– Build their networks and therefore find “warm”
ways into potential clients
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- 26. Why Do You Have To
Be There?
• Use it for target account selling
• Win more opportunities using information gained about
contacts to influence pursuit strategies
• Recruit candidates
– LinkedIn is THE place professionals are going to find new career
opportunities
– Facebook is effective in recruiting college graduates and Gen Yers
• Improve firm search engine optimization
– Your social media pages drives more traffic for your firm and
ultimately increases your “page ranking” in searches
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- 28. Build Relationships
With Your Targets
• The next step after you identify your target accounts and key
contacts is to build a relationship with them
• Extend an invitation- you’ll be surprised at the yes answers
you’ll get!
– Invite a key contact to lunch, golf or to meet at their office
– Express your interest in exploring ways to collaborate and share
ideas that could help them on issues facing their company or
industry
– Work to position yourself as their “2nd” choice
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- 29. Understanding Your
Target’s Business
• Learn about your target account’s industry and their
business
– Conduct research online
• Their web site, social media and industry blogs
• Google for other news and associations
– Subscribe to industry publications, join trade associations,
join LinkedIn groups, subscribe to blogs and Twitter feeds
– Ask around
• Within your firm
• Within your referral network
• Within your social and personal networks
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- 30. Building Relationships
• What actions can you take or activities can you
engage in to start a relationship with your target
accounts?
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- 31. Stay In Touch
• Create opportunities to stay in communication with your target
accounts
– Ask permission to add them to your newsletter distribution or firm email
lists
– Invite them to join a group on LinkedIn or subscribe to your blog
– Offer to help them on a project – let them “test drive” your services
– Send personal notes or articles relevant to their industry or business
– Introduce them to people in your network
– Invite them to firm events
– Participate in associations, events or social causes
• But be careful – only do so if you are genuinely interested
• Remember, trust is based on motive and people don’t want to be sold
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- 32. Share About Your Firm
• The number one mistake you can make is to not get to know
your contacts and understand their strategies and challenges
and demonstrate how you can help them
• Be proactive in sharing with your target account about the
services you can provide and the difference these services can
make
– Be sure to tell them how you can help them achieve their goals or
solve their problems and relate this to other clients they may know
– The more related you are and the more you know them and their
business, the easier this will be to do
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- 33. Applying These Ideas To Other
Constituencies: Networking And
Referral Sources
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- 34. “Get around the right people. Associate with
positive, goal-oriented people who
encourage and inspire you.”
Brian Tracy
Bestselling Author
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- 35. Motivate Yourself To
Get Started
• Some people view networking as “old school” and
“un-cool”
• Encourage your people to participate in
organizations that reflect your interests and
activities
• Each person must look within their own life for
places to make contacts and explore one of these
areas within the next year to begin developing their
network
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- 36. Re-energizing Your
Networking Strategy
• If you were an active networker in the past, or are
recommitting to networking because it has become
“worn and tired,” consider these ideas:
– Identify any groups that you should discontinue in favor of
new networking avenues
• Invite another member of your firm to join the group and take
over your role or presence there if it still offers value to the firm
– Take on a leadership role in one of your existing groups
– Pioneer your firm’s use of online technologies
– Change the “rules” you follow at existing networking
functions
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- 37. Networking Avenues
• Which networking venues have you found to
be the most successful? Why?
• Are their networking associations that would
be beneficial for your firm to be represented
at that aren’t covered?
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- 38. Ensure Accountability
• All of the networking goals and tracking grids in the world
won’t make a difference unless you are disciplined and
accountable to an accountability partner
• Share and/or publish networking goals with other members
of your team
• Consider storing a firm-wide referral source tracking grid on
your firm’s intranet
– More on this later…
• Share goals and “return and report” to other members of
your team during regular marketing and/or sales pipeline
meetings
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- 39. Developing Referral
Relationships
• Through your participation in networking
groups and in your communities, you’ll
identify potential referral relationships to
cultivate
• Just as with target account selling, you’ll have
more success when you’re strategic about
these relationships
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- 40. Consistent And
Persistent
• Be sure to meet with existing and potential referral sources
regularly – even during “busy” periods
– If you’ve been doing this awhile, make a plan to reach out regularly to
your existing contacts
– If your relationship has waned or not beneficial anymore, consider
adding new ones
• Add them to your marketing database to ensure they receive
your firm news, invites, etc.
• Find out what’s going on in your referral source target’s
profession
– Ask questions, read their trades, and keep current
– Keeping up with what’s happening with them and their profession will
give you a good reason to outreach ongoingly
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- 41. Personal Meeting Tips
• If you can’t readily see the benefits, they may
not be there
– Don’t try to make things that don’t seem right
work – trust your intuition
• Agree upon next steps and document them in
writing
– Send them a thank you after each meeting!
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- 42. Clients Are Referral
Sources And Targets, Too
• Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that it’s enough to:
– Deliver what we committed, when we committed it for the budget we
committed
– Have our work be accurate
– Be accessible (available) and responsive (returning calls and emails)
• We have to ensure we’re meeting these minimum expectations
and then explore ways to go deeper and deliver more and to be
different
– Use a “keep, stop and start” approach to conversations to understand
how you’re doing and what more you could do
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- 43. Clients Are Referral
Sources And Targets, Too
• We have to ensure we’re meeting these minimum
expectations and then explore how to go deeper and deliver
more and to be different
• Meet with your clients outside of an engagement and ask:
– What should we keep doing? (things you’re doing well or that are of
great value)
– What should we stop doing that we are doing now? (things that
aren’t working)
– What should we start doing that we are not yet doing? (new things
that will benefit them, their team or their organization)
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- 44. Asking For Referrals
• If all is well with your clients, you can remind them
that the best compliment that they can pay is to
make a referral
• You can ask who they know or if they can make an
introduction to any of your target accounts on your
list
– Check LinkedIn to see who they are connected to at your
target accounts or other similar organizations to theirs
– Consider asking for referrals by name
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- 45. Client Meetings
• Who has had recent meetings with client who
didn’t have an active engagement connected
with the meetings?
– What were the results?
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- 46. Networking And Referral
Relationship Goals
• As with all personal marketing activities, establish specific,
measureable and realistic goals for your networking activities
• These goals may include:
– Joining (or starting) a specific association or group
– Attending a certain number of networking meetings per year/per group
– Gaining a certain number of online network contacts
– Having a specific number of follow up meetings via phone or in person
with contacts you met while networking or targeted as a referral source
– Scheduling a certain number of referral source meetings a month
– Closing a certain amount of new business as a result of a referral from a
network contact or referral relationship
– Conducting a certain number of check in meetings with clients
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- 47. Setting Your Goals
• Use the Personal Marketing Plan to document
your commitments in the area of client
meetings, networking and referral sources
– Take a moment to complete it and be prepared to
share
– Also, consider sharing it with someone that will
help hold you accountable
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- 48. Use A Pipeline Process
To Track Your Opportunities And Close
More Business
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- 49. Sales Pipeline Process
• Who has a sales pipeline process in your firm?
– What’s working about it?
– What would you like to see improved?
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- 50. Managing Sales
Opportunities
• Implement a sales pipeline using an Excel spreadsheet
or CRM solution for all sales opportunities for your
firm, which will give you visibility to:
– The health of your sales opportunities – a leading indicator
for your firm
– Resources needed to support your sales efforts and
ultimately to serve clients as new engagements are closed
– Your priorities and the priorities of others in the area of
marketing, lead generation, and sales
– A form of accountability for business development activities
by the partners, managers and business development and
marketing professionals
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- 51. Managing Sales
Opportunities
– Eventual win/loss analysis to gain insight into what’s
working and not working in your marketing and sales
efforts
– Time priority in your planning process for opportunities
and relationship management
– Big picture information and raise “red flags” that need to
be dealt with quickly
• Consider one for prospective opportunities, referral
sources and target account management
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- 52. Using A Sales Pipeline
To Close More Business
• Each sales opportunity should be assigned an owner
– Each prospect should be rated A, B, C and have a single owner, next
follow-up action, and a next follow-up date
– Owners should move their prospects through your sales methodology
and regularly update the pipeline PRIOR to your pipeline meeting
(which an admin can own)
– Sales management (often the practice leader) should meet with the
“sales team” regularly, such as monthly during busy season and bi-
monthly during slower (selling) seasons
– In your pipeline meeting, review and discuss the A and B
opportunities and identify ways to move things along or remove road
blocks
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- 53. Sample Sales Pipeline
ConvergenceCoaching, LLC
Sample Pipeline
Owner Prospect Contact Lead Primary Last Next Next Approx. Close Est. If Deal
Co. Name Source Interest Date of Follow- Follow Services Proba- Close Lost,
Contact Up Date Up action Value bility Date Why?
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- 54. Target Account
Pipeline
ConvergenceCoaching, LLC
Sample Target Pipeline
Rel. Target CEO/ CFO Current Current Primary Last Date Next Next Notes
Mgr. Co. President Contact CPA Firm Auditor Interest of Contact Follow Follow
Contact Name Up Up
Name Date Action
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- 55. Sample Referral
Pipeline
Referral Referral Source Contact Telephone E-mail Last Date Next Clients
Owner Company Name Name of Contact Follow-up Referred to
Date You
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- 57. Next Steps
• Identify what kind of business developer you and your team
members are committed to be
• Refine your ideal clients for each service line and industry group
• Identify your possible target accounts for each service line and
industry group
• Develop a plan to build relationships with your target accounts
• Stay in communication with your targets and find ways to make
a difference
• Refresh your firm’s networking strategies
• Evaluate your referral source management process
• Track and measure progress regularly
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- 58. Making Your One
Commitment
• Choose 1 idea from this session that you will
personally commit to apply to enhance your business
development skills and close more business
– Be prepared to share
– Document what you’re willing to commit to on the “one
commitment” form and identify who will help hold you
accountable
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- 59. Thank You!
• Provide me your business card to be added to our
distribution list for e-newsletters and web seminar
invitations
• Contact us at any time!
Jennifer Wilson
(402) 933-2900
Jennifer@convergencecoaching.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferwilsonprofile
http://twitter.com/JenLeeWilson
www.convergencecoaching.com
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- 60. Exercises, Tools, and Resources
www.convergencecoaching.com
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- 61. ConvergenceCoaching
Resources
• ConvergenceCoaching’s web site includes information at:
– www.convergencecoaching.com
• Read our Coaching Concepts newsletter:
– http://www.convergencecoaching.com/Current_eletter/wilsons_writings.htm
• Visit our blog for posts on these topics:
– www.convergencecoaching.com/blog
• Visit our learning center for access to additional courses:
– http://www.convergencelearning.com
• Visit us on Facebook:
– http://www.facebook.com/convergencecoaching
www.convergencecoaching.com
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- 62. Sales And Marketing
Resources
• AICPA Marketing Toolkit
– www.aicpa.org/cpamarketing
• American Institute of CPA’s PCPS
– www.aicpa.org/pcps
• American Marketing Association
– www.marketingpower.com
• Association for Accounting Administration
– www.cpaadmin.org
• Association for Accounting Marketing
– www.accountingmarketing.org
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- 63. Sales And Marketing
Resources
• At the Crossroads: The Remarkable CPA Firm that Nearly
Crashed, then Soared by Gayle Crosley
• The Art of Partnering by Ed Rigsbee, CSP
• Breakthrough Business Development by David Miller and
Duncan MacPherson
• Clients for Life: How Great Professionals Develop Breakthrough
Relationships by Jagdish Sheth and Andrew Sobel
• Contemporary Marketing by Louis Boone and David Kurtz
• Creating Rainmakers: The Manager’s Guide to Training
Professionals To Attract New Clients by Ford Harding
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- 64. Sales And Marketing
Resources
• The Discipline of Market Leaders by Michael Treacy and Fred
Wiersema
• How To Establish a Unique Brand in the Consulting Profession:
Powerful Techniques for the Successful by Andrew Weiss
• Love is the Killer App by Tim Sanders
• Management by Bartol & Martin
• Marketing and Sales Roles In Accounting
– http://accountingmarketing.org/pdfs/AAM_2010_Marketing_Sales_Role
s.pdf
• Marketing Management by Peter Dickson
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- 65. Sales And Marketing
Resources
• PartnerShift: How to Profit from the Partnering
Trend by Ed Rigsbee, CSP
• Practitioner Making Rain: The Secrets of Building
Lifelong Client Loyalty by Andrew Sobel
• Rain-Making: The Professional’s Guide to Attracting
New Clients by Ford Harding
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- 66. Social Media
Resources
• 100+ Resources to Boost Your Social Media Savvy: Top Tips & Advice
from the Experts
– http://www.interactiveinsightsgroup.com/blog1/100-resources-to-boost-
your-social-media-savvy-top-tips-advice-from-the-experts/
• “A Brave New World With Social Media”
– http://www.accountingweb.com/blogs/sueatcpelink/continuing-
education/brave-new-world-social-media
• “CPAs – It’s Time to Get LinkedIn” by Barry MacQuarrie
– http://www.cpa2biz.com/Content/media/PRODUCER_CONTENT/Newslet
ters/Articles_2010/CorpFin/LinkedIn.jsp
• Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies
by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff (Harvard Business Press, 2008)
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- 67. Social Media
Resources
• “Just a Tweet Away: Social Media In Accounting Firms”
– http://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/article/10268147/just-a-
tweet-away-social-media-in-accounting-firms
• “LinkedIn Tips for CPAs” by Robin M. Hensley
– http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/Issues/2011/Mar/201033
10.htm
• “Seven Essential LinkedIn Connections”
– http://www.socialcpas.com/2011/02/seven-essential-linkedin-
connections.html
• Social CPAs
– http://www.socialcpas.com/
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- 68. Social Media
Resources
• Social Media Governance: Empowerment with Accountability
– http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php
– http://greatworkplace.wordpress.com/2009/09/22/200-sample-
social-media-policies-and-idea
• Social Media Strategies for Professionals and Their Firms: The
Guide to Establishing Credibility and Accelerating
Relationships by Michelle Golden
• Top Accounting Blogs
– http://thedailyreviewer.com/top/accounting
• Twitter Etiquette
– http://www.pcworld.com/article/169137/twitter_etiquette_how_to_
tweet_politely.html
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- 69. Networking And
Referral Source Articles
• “Get Networking on the Net,” by C.J. Hayden,
http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/networking/a/netnetworki
ngch_2.htm
• Get Noticed…Get Referrals Build your Client Base and Your
Business by Making a Name for Yourself, by Jill Lublin
• “Get Safe Online Expert Advice for Everyone,”
http://www.getsafeonline.org
• “How to Profit from Networking,” Kelley Robertson,
http://entrepreneurs.about.com/cs/networking/a/uc071703.-
05z.htm
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- 70. Networking And
Referral Source Articles
• “Networking is Even More Important and More Powerful for
Business than for Personal Business,” by Wayne Baker, Ph.D.,
http://www.humaxnetworks.com/Print/p-boardroom.html
• “Online Social Networks Go To Work,” by Xeni Jardin,
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5488683
• “Sell Yourself with Networking,” by Ron Coxsom,
http://career-advice.monster.com/job-search/professional-
networking/sell-yourself-with-networking/article.aspx
• Workplace Politics and Personalities, by Gerald A. Vanim,
Ph.D
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- 71. Networking Avenues
• Potential areas to evaluate when choosing your
networking venues include:
– Trade association meetings
– Professional associations
• CPA state society and local chapter events, bar association
meetings and financial organizations
– Board meetings
• Include non-profit boards where you can meet bankers, lawyers
and other community influencers
– Alumni organizations
• College alma mater events
– Your own organization
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- 72. Networking Avenues
– Sports or coaching affiliations
• Sporting organizations include the health club, yoga class and
youth leagues, gymnastics, soccer, baseball and others
– Country clubs
– Civic organizations
• Chamber of Commerce
• Rotary
• Kiwanis
– Community service activities
– Religious/philanthropic organizations
– Non-profit functions
– On-line social networking venues
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