excelling at personal business development may 2015 leading edge alliance presented by art kuesel
TRANSCRIPT
Excelling at Personal Business Development
May 2015
Leading Edge Alliance
Presented by Art Kuesel
Art Kuesel, President
EXPERIENCE
Sales Executive3 years inside $60M CPA firm5 years inside $25M CPA firm6 years at PDI/Koltin Consulting2 years at Kuesel Consulting
EXPERTISESales CoachingSales/Marketing Training
EXPERTISE (Cont.)Keynotes, Presentations, Workshops on GrowthGrowth Plan Development/ImplementationManaging Partner CoachingSales & Marketing Recruiting
STREET CRED→Top 100 Most Influential Person in Public Accounting: 2014→In-house and external experience→Clients include scores of T250 Firms including a third of the T100→Frequent writer and blogger for Accounting Today→Accomplished speaker and presenter on growth trends
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Workshop Agenda
1. Accelerating your career path
2. The four quadrants of personal business development
3. Top strategies and tactics for success in each quadrant
4. Next steps
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Accelerating your Career Path
Career Accelerants in Public Accounting Throughout History
Before the Great RecessionTechnical KnowledgeClient Service
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Since the Great RecessionTechnical SpecialtyClient Development
PLUSStaff DevelopmentNew Business Development
Career Accelerants in Public Accounting Throughout History
Before the Great RecessionTechnical KnowledgeClient Service
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Since the Great RecessionTechnical SpecialtyClient Development
PLUSStaff DevelopmentNew Business Development
Four Quadrants of Personal Business Development
Four Quadrants of BD Success
Q1: Client Development
Q2: Referral Development
Q3: Personal & Professional Development
Q4: Prospect Development
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Polling Question #1
1. What isn’t one of the four quadrants of personal business development success?
a. Referral developmentb. Prospect developmentc. Client developmentd. Advertising
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Top Strategies for Success
Q1: Client Development
1. Relationship Depth
2. Relationship Breadth
3. Cross-Selling
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Q1: Client Development
1. Relationship Depth
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Q1: Client Development/Relationship Breadth
Partner
Manager
IT Consultant
Accounting Services
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CPA Firm Client
Generation 1 Owner
CFO
Generation 2 Owner
Office Manager
Q1: Client Development/Relationship Breadth
Partner
Manager
IT Consultant
Accounting Services
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CPA Firm Client
Generation 1 Owner
CFO
Generation 2 Owner
Office Manager
Q1: Client Development
3. Cross-Selling
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Q2: Referral Development
1. Access your client’s COI
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Q2: Referral Development
2. Aim for 10 “A’s” and think broadlyAn “A” RS sends you one good client/yearMost accountants only have 2-3 “A’s”Think beyond bankers and attorneys…You will need to meet 25-50 people (or more) before you find ONE “A”
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Q2: Referral Development
2. Aim for 10 “A’s” and think broadlyAn “A” RS sends you one good client/yearMost accountants only have 2-3 “A’s”Think beyond bankers and attorneys…You will need to meet 25-50 people (or more) before you find ONE “A”
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Q2: Referral Development
3. Touch your “A’s” quarterly!A good referral source for you is a good referral source for your competitor“last touch” does influence referralsLunch, coffee, cocktail, thought leadership, event invitation, etc.Plan and execute effectively
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Polling Question #2
2. How often should you touch your “A” referral sources?
a. Only when they call meb. 4x yearc. 12x yeard. 24x year
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Q3: Personal/Professional Development
1. Find a few trade/civic/business groups to join
2. Find a niche and specialize (personal brand)
3. Find a sponsor within your firm
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Q3: Personal/Professional Development
1. Find a few trade/civic/business groups to join
High quality target audience Frequent meetings (8-12x/yr) Vendor member friendly Low competition Opportunities to get involved, promote,
share thought leadership
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Q3: Personal/Professional Development
2. Find a niche and specialize (personal brand)Specialization is the futureNiche expertise
influences decisionsSpecialists deliver
greater value…Charge more…Earn more
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Q3: Personal/Professional Development
3. Find a personal sponsor within your firmWho’s looking out for you?Who has your back when you’re not in the room?Who can advocate for you?Who can coach and support your career development?Meet with your coach quarterly!
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Q4: Prospect Development
1. Define your target market
2. Touch these targets frequently
3. Succeed at the sales process
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Q4: Prospect Development
1. Define your target market Size Industry Geography # Employees Now, identify your “top 25”
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Q4: Prospect Development
2. Touch these targets frequentlyResearch connections on LinkedINCirculate your list to your partners, referral sources, clients, etc.Make value added touches
based upon your researchBe persistent and patient!
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Q4: Prospect Development
3. Succeed at the sales processFacilitate an effective discovery meetingCreate compelling value propositions by asking great questions during the discovery meeting!Skip the old quality, service, and relationships pitch and create unique value propositions that prove you’ve been listening
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Q4: Prospect Development
3. Succeed at the sales process
ASK:
What do you expect from your CPA/advisor?
What do you like/dislike about your current firm?
What’s missing from your current relationship?
What’s the biggest change on the horizon?
What are you most concerned about?
How will we be evaluated/What do we need to do to earn your business?
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Polling Question #3
3. From the prospect perspective, what differentiates your firm from others in your marketplace:
a. Serviceb. Relationshipsc. Qualityd. None of the Above
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What’s Next?
What’s Next
1. Find a BD buddy
2. Commit to increasing your personal BD activities Staff/Senior Supervisor
2-4x Month Manager
2-3x Week Director/Senior Manager/Partner
1x Day
3. Ask to be more involved!
4. Resources @ www.kueselconsulting.com/LEA
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What’s Next
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Thank you!
Resources for you at www.kueselconsulting.com/LEA
Art Kuesel
312.208.8774
www.kueselconsulting.com