Capstone Marketing Blog, Marketing

Build Your Accounting Firm Prospect List

Build your accounting firm prospect list

Build your accounting firm prospect list.  Hoover’s is a great source for this. You can plug in specific criteria of your prospective clients, which you determined during the client analysis you did early on. You can plug in where they’re located geographically, sales, number of employees, the industry, you can dive down as specific as you want related to industry.

For those of you who may do public company work, there is Audit Analytics.

GuideStar and Charity Navigator are great sources for non-profit prospects.  Judy Diamond is a source for employee benefit plan audits and TPAs. FreeERISA.com gives you the same information and, by the name, it is free, but is very time consuming.

There are lots of other sources you could use to build that prospect list, such as:

  • Organization Membership Directories
    • Chambers of Commerce
    • Business Organizations
    • Trade Organizations
  • Business Lists
    • Infousa.com
    • www.directmail.com/directory/mailing_lists/businesslists
    • businesslist.com
    • And many more

Beware. The quality of your prospect list is more important than the quantity. It is all about being targeted and specific. Clearly define your prospective clients, conduct your due diligence, share the prospect list with your partners to determine what they may know about them, execute your marketing campaigns, and invest your time and energy on qualified prospects, no matter how few.

Want to learn more about The 90-Day Marketing Plan process? Click here today!

Capstone Marketing Blog, Marketing, Rewards

Does Your Accounting Firm Need a Marketing Rewards Program?

A marketing reward ribbon for accounting firms

The ninth in a series of blog posts based upon The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms: How to Create the Roadmap for Your Firm’s Growth.

Craft a marketing rewards program that will work for your accounting firm. I have worked with many firms and developed rewards programs based on points.  Marketing activities and points are tracked with the time and billing system. There are minimum points by level and everyone who reaches their points gets a prize, e.g. a gift card.  You are encouraged to have an item for working in teams, e.g., when a partner or a manager takes somebody at a lower level to a networking function or to lunch with a client or prospect. It is a part of their job, let’s face it, but give them credit and acknowledge what they are doing.

Your rewards and recognition program should coordinate with your marketing plan goals. Reward the behavior that will aid in goal achievement. Recognize efforts and results. Here are a few activities for you to consider:

– Attended community, professional or volunteer meeting
– Attended networking function
– Face-to-face meeting with client
– Face-to-face meeting with referral source
– Active participation on BOD or committee of chosen organization
– Referral received for new business
– Referral given out
– Referral (cross-selling)
– Face-to-face meeting with prospective client
– Breakfast, lunch or dinner with a client
– Article published/Writing and publishing an article
– Editing articles
– Proposal written
– Proposal presentation/delivered to prospect in person
– Speaking engagement
– Obtained new client

When implemented consistently a rewards and recognition program can play a significant role in creating a marketing culture, encouraging teamwork, enhancing marketing skills, and celebrating successes.

Want to learn more about The 90-Day Marketing Plan process? Click here today!