Capstone Conversation With Jean Geselius
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Hello, this is Jean Caragher, president of Capstone Marketing. I am so excited today to have a Capstone Conversation with Jean Geselius, director of marketing with Conway, Deuth & Schmiesing. Jean was recently named Volunteer of the Year by the Association for Accounting Marketing. Jean, I think you joined AAM about six years ago, right, in 2015?
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Hello, this is Jean Caragher, president of Capstone Marketing. I am so excited today to have a Capstone Conversation with Jean Geselius, director of marketing with Conway, Deuth & Schmiesing. Jean was recently named Volunteer of the Year by the Association for Accounting Marketing. Jean, I think you joined AAM about six years ago, right, in 2015?
Jean G.: Yes, that’s correct.
Jean C.: Jean jumped in and led the design of the 2020 Emerge Virtual Conference, which was the first of its kind by the way, so double thank yous for that. Jean is also part of the Strategic Communications Committee, where she used her design skills to update AAM’s media kit. She also took the lead on AAM’s Branding Guide, which was a huge project. I happened to see a copy of it because I’m on another committee and it turned out fantastic. Jean, thank you for all you’re doing for AAM, and congratulations on being named Volunteer of the Year.
Jean G.: Thank you very much. What a big surprise and honor. It really was a team approach on many of those projects. So, I think it really goes to the team effort on the work that I did, but it was exciting being part of that Emerge Conference as well as some of those other projects.
Jean C.: I believe you were one of the winners who was in your office and you had colleagues there that knew about it. Tell us a little bit about that.
Jean G.: Here I am, sitting in my office attending the Summit and they started describing, which it sure sounded like me and I was so surprised. One of my supervisors, our firm administrator, and my project manager knocked on the door and greeted me out to the hallway where everybody was, including my husband. It was a big surprise and welcome. Then, our firm administrator and our managing partner did give me the award that I had received. So, it was a fun day.
Jean C.: That’s awesome. Through everything we’ve been through these past 15 months with the stupid pandemic, it has also given us the opportunity to do some things a little differently, right? I’m sure it was fun for you and for all of us to watch it also.
Jean G.: Wonderful.
Jean C.: So, speaking of the pandemic, can you share with us the biggest change that you’ve made in the firm’s marketing program because of it?
Jean G.: It was the implementation of webinars on the PPP and the Employee Retention Credit. The implementation of that, to get that communication out to our clients and to the general public. We did open it to the public. So, that was probably the first change that we saw. We had also just hired a director of business development in February, right before the pandemic hit. We really did a pivot on our business development and launched our business advisory services with a very systematic approach.
It was really exciting to be a part of that in addition to all the communication, the many law changes, and explaining the COVID-19 funding and stimulus opportunities for our clients. It was a pretty intense year for us, but exciting to be a part of it.
Jean C.: Especially your colleague being a new employee one month before the pandemic.
Jean G.: Yes, definitely. His specialty was healthcare. We weren’t able to get into many of the hospitals and the clinic system. So, the reason for the big change … we included our PPP and our ERC consulting right in our business advisory skills. We were helping our clients with that rollout. It was a great opportunity for our firm and for our clients.
Jean C.: Wonderful. Have you learned anything different about yourself as a result of this pandemic?
“… we kept everybody accountable and projects moving forward with 10- or 15-minute weekly meetings so that we could keep track of our overall strategic marketing plans we had developed.”
Jean G.: I think the content was just incredible, the amount but, that we’re all capable. I think writing is a very difficult skill, but we are very capable and with taking drafts and having it through a couple of team reviews. We weren’t purchasing content. It was all content that we were creating along the way, the capability that our team had. I also think we were able to divide and conquer as a team.
We created many task teams from the CARES Act to the PPP task teams. We had niche markets that were going on at the same time. We had meetings and we kept everybody accountable and projects moving forward with 10- or 15-minute weekly meetings so that we could keep track of our overall strategic marketing plans we had developed.
Jean C.: That’s music to my ears because I am a huge niche marketing fan, and I’m always encouraging my clients and firms to do that. The fact that you’re producing all the content on your own without purchasing content, that is a big job. During all of this, were you working at home? Were you in the office? Was it a combination?
Jean G.: It was a combination. I was home for probably two months early on when COVID hit, but then we did move into our office and we’re able to work from our office. There were teams still with some of our offices that did work remote and are just coming back now and working in the office two or three days a week, or full-time. For the most part, I guess it was probably a two-month period where I worked remote. So, everything was via Zoom.
Jean C.: Thankfully we have technology like this, right? Can you imagine without this in your home and all these phone calls and email and all the rest of it? Especially with the amount of collaboration you were doing. I bet it was nice to be able to look at each other in the eye every once in a while.
Jean G.: Definitely. It was good with Zoom. We’re just implementing a new project management tool, Trello, which is really good, too. That’s been good for our marketing projects so that we can have a coordinated effort, too.
Jean C.: Wonderful. Another example of technology and how much that works. Now, I know you’ve been in the industry about six years. What do you think is the biggest challenge of marketing within an accounting firm?
“… when I’m attending the webinars or the roundtables from the Association for Accounting Marketing, there’s so much a firm can do, but with limited resources you really need to pick and choose.”
Jean G.: I have to speak from a small to a medium-size firm. I think there’s so many opportunities. Even when I’m attending the webinars or the roundtables from the Association for Accounting Marketing, there’s so much a firm can do, but with limited resources you really need to pick and choose. I think what Eric said is, in a way, we’re generalists in some of these smaller firms, but you do need to pick and choose and do those projects, move those forward that really fit with your firm’s mission and what you can do well. That’s probably the biggest challenge I see as a two-person marketing team.
Jean C.: That is a very intelligent way of looking at things because you are looking at it very much from a positive angle, as opposed to where we might go, being overworked or overwhelmed or whatever word we want to put in there. Eric is a pretty smart guy. What did you think about Eric and Mitch ending the Summit? I called it the one-two-punch.
Jean G.: It was amazing. What great topics and way to end out the conference on a very positive note and very motivational for all of us as we head back to our offices and take a look at our projects and reevaluate what we want to do. I have a meeting with our firm administrator and our managing partner to highlight some of those key topics that were brought up or maybe changes we want to implement here at our firm moving forward after attending Summit. It was a great ending.
Jean C.: That’s great. The follow-up is so important because we all take notes and hear all these great ideas, we do need to make the plan to actually figure out what to do with it all.
Jean G.: Definitely.
Jean C.: Has anything changed or has there been a significant change in accounting marketing since you’ve joined the industry?
Jean G.: Yes. I’ve been here 12 years. I think it has been the technology that has changed, the digital marketing that we’re capable to do, the search engine optimization. The use of marketing automation, which we’re just piloting right now. We are implementing a CRM with marketing automation. That’s probably one of the biggest things that I’ve seen with accounting marketing, but I’ve also seen a cultural shift within our firm, the overall business development culture that is being created within our firm.
And, we’re bringing in those soft skills, we’re bringing in training programs. We’ve developed our own here within our firm at CDS so that we’re educating our team members on what they can do to help with business development. It’s no longer those rainmakers. It’s a firm approach that we’re seeing and taking. We’re just trying to communicate all the opportunities that marketing is doing as well as what individual team members can do to take their own initiative on their business development skills.
Jean C.: You’re doing a lot of great things there, Jean, because the younger you get your folks involved in marketing and business development, the better off it’s going to be. In the different conversations and online networking I’ve been doing, I think another positive of this pandemic is that for many marketers, their partner groups truly understand now the value they in the marketing discipline brings to the table and firms. I don’t know if that has been the case of your firm. You’ve talked about the culture. Is that something that you feel was always there or did the pandemic push it over the edge a little bit?
“I’ve been invited to their partner meetings now, so I’m presenting the marketing updates …”
Jean G.: I think I’m seeing an increase in what they’re seeing. I’ve been invited to their partner meetings now, so I’m presenting the marketing updates at the partner meeting when they have their strategic partner meeting coming up. They’re having a two-hour work session, so I’ll be involved working on marketing aspects of that. Definitely, there’s been a change that I’ve seen over the last 15 months.
Jean C.: I think that is terrific. I’m just beaming here. I think it’s fantastic on every level. Which factor or skill do you think has made you a successful marketer?
Jean G.: I think it’s project management and the fact that marketers have such a great attention to detail in addition to their creativity. We’re continually bringing new ideas to the market, but we’re doing it in a creative way. It’s that overall project management to keep things moving. There are so many moving parts to a campaign and you have to literally have checklists for all of those so that nothing gets missed. Attention to detail, project management, and then mixing that with creativity is an overall big factor, a skill set that we have as marketers.
Jean C.: Absolutely. What is your best piece of advice for other accounting firm marketers?
Jean G.: Take advantage of those networking opportunities, whether it’s your annual conferences from Summit to Emerge to the roundtables, gathering other members’ feedback on what they’re doing, attending those new Circles for feedback. I’ve attended two now and just a wealth of knowledge I’m receiving from other marketers. It’s being involved in those committees because you’re hearing ideas. And, you’re reading the articles as well to help you on projects that you’re working on.
That’s the big thing. Then, I think you do need to take time to yourself so you do have a good work-life balance. You can always do marketing and there’s always things to do but you have to take time for yourself.
Jean C.: I couldn’t agree more. First talking about AAM and the value of AAM and the smart, fun people you meet. I know like me, you’ve met people who will be your friends forever.
Jean G.: Yup.
Jean C.: It’s such a giving, valuable organization. I did read someplace, because we use this work-life balance term a lot, there was an article that balance is not the right word because we can’t truly balance, but maybe it’s focusing, putting that time for yourself in your schedule. You’re right, marketers are always busy. I think from day one a marketer is busy because the partners – whatever they don’t know what to do with – they give it to the marketing director. Right?
Jean G.: Yes, they do. True.
Jean C.: Do you have any advice for other managing partners?
“It motivates me, the different committees that I’ve been on and it helps with the work I’m doing for our firm.”
Jean G.: Keeping marketing involved in the firm’s strategic initiatives, those growth initiatives, and then always thinking outside the box, with business development, trying new technologies. We’re doing that right now with the CRM and marketing automation. we just in addition mixed in with that traditional client referrals, you just always need to be thinking forward and maybe this is where it’s going. We still want that human experience, that human touch, but there is a mix, like they said, most people are looking on websites first. So, how can you have a good mix of technology and that personal human experience?
Jean C.: Right. Because we know that prospects look at websites and research firms before they even meet with them. I think that has become even that much more important since this pandemic. What does the online brand look like? What is the message you’re communicating digitally?
Any final words, Jean? I don’t want to put you on the spot, but it sounds like you were doing so many things right within your firm and then being a great volunteer for AAM.
Jean G.: Thank you very much. It motivates me, the different committees that I’ve been on and it helps with the work I’m doing for our firm. I think we’re a very innovative firm and always looking forward, but still a small firm. There’s always room for improvement with anybody, but we’re doing a great job.
Jean C.: Absolutely. Well, folks, we’ve been talking today with Jean Geselius, director of marketing with Conway, Deuth & Schmiesing, and who was just named the Association for Accounting Marketing Volunteer of the Year. Jean, congratulations again. I really appreciate your time today.
Jean G.: Thank you very much, Jean. Appreciate it.