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Print advertising never worked well for me. I tried newspaper and Yellow Pages advertising with very poor results. Most of my business comes from my location and the nicely landscaped sign that sits out on a four lane highway. By the way, my Yellow Page advertising draws more calls from my "T" for Taxes listing than my "A" for Accountants listing. I am also listed under "P" for Payroll. My three Yellow Page listings are published in a really dinky book than only includes three small cities, yet it costs $42.00 per month.
I have tried telephone solicitation for my accounting services and a direct mail program for my Payroll Services with poor results. No traditional advertising seems to work in my area other that my highway sign. It just seems that you look better to the public if they find you first.
However, other CPAs claim to have grown their business by leaps and bounds using a proprietary method to attract new clients. My first reaction is that I don't want just any client. I want good clients and they are hard to find.
When I started my tax preparation business, I made a decision that I was not going to compete with fees charged by the typical H & R Block franchise office. My fees are somewhat higher than H & R Block. I would rather prepare one return for $300 than four returns for $75. The $75 client will end up taking just as much time as the $300 client and may be reluctant to honor your invoice for providing extra services.
Local attorneys and bankers can be good sources of referrals so introduce yourself to them and invite them to be your guest for a business lunch. I used to write tax articles in our local newspaper to get my name out amongst the public. I even taught accounting at the local Junior College to supplement my income and met a few students who became clients.
Don't just wait in your office for clients to come in. Accounting in not like banking. You have to be proactive and don't be bashful about asking for business, even if it means making a few cold calls or knocking on a few doors without an appointment. |