People don’t like to be sold to, but they like to buy. This has become more pronounced in the last 5yr and the old school sales methods just don’t work like they used to.
But many accountants are still using the old way – trying to sell at their prospects. Offering time for money.
Things have changed and it’s time to remember that you are a human being selling to another human being – in the 21st century.
Stop offering time for money and focus on outcomes. People don’t care what you do, they care what it does for them.
Let me break down what I mean.
The Old Way
The old way of selling services is to sell your time from a list of options. You have a menu of services and a good idea of how long they will take you. You know the cost and profit if you operate within the time scales.
You assess the prospective client’s needs and you try match this to your offering. You offer them options from your menu.
Some accountants literally have a menu of options they show clients while others have the list but only offer what they believe the client needs – rather than showing the whole menu off.
That is an exchange of time for money and turns a lot of people off. Using this method these days means you are just a service provider and not a trusted business advisor.
A Better Way
People don’t care what you do – they care what it does for them.
Rather than selling time sell the outcome. Your service delivers an outcome and that is what clients want.
Talk to the prospect about your end to end service that deals with all their compliance requirements and gives them business growth advice and guidance. Let them know how your systems and processes save them time and money while your support helps them make more money or save.
More money, more time and less stress. The outcomes of working with you.
Make the Change
Assess your sales process and your offering. Start to think about what you do as a product that delivers an outcome. Think of your prospect as a customer buying a product – they need to understand what buying it does for them. Productise your service so you can re-frame your thinking and focus on the outcomes your deliver.
Think along the lines of saving them money, helping them make more money, saving time and effort, simplifying their business, less stress and less hassle. That is what business owners want. That is what you do – so focus your marketing and sales on getting that message across.
It’s time to change the dynamic – become a trusted advisor rather than just a service provider.
Have a great day.
Angus
We help the owners scale up, build a more profitable and sustainable businesses and get more free time. We provide Business Coaching, Advice and Training to help you get clear on the route forward, create the plan and develop the systems to take your business to the next level now. With Clarity, Certainty and Confidence.