1. Understand yourself and who you want to be.
You must have a clear vision of who you are, who you want to be, and how you want people to see your firm. Without this self-realization, you will struggle to attract the right clients and the right staff and stand out in the industry. Having this vision allows you to be in control and choose the clients and staff that are right for you. One requirement for entry into Tom’s CPA franchise is that he must enjoy hanging out with you. Consider adopting this test for your firm. Is this client or recruit someone you would enjoy hanging out with? If they share the same values, you will share a common energy. This is why you must understand who you are so you can be transparent. I’ve learned that the more authentic I am, the better my energy is and the happier I will be, and I will naturally attract the right people. This helps with attracting your clients and recruiting your staff. Remember, you are selling every time you have a conversation. Selling is an educational process. By being upfront and transparent about who you are and what you are looking for, you will be able to discover the right fit. This process can also be used for accepting new clients and recruiting new staff.
2. Consider the type of environment you want.Discover the culture you want to establish and remain consistent. Tom’s goal was to create an environment where people love coming to work. This environment makes them happy and productive and makes them want to learn. Besides Tom wanting to hang out with you, another requirement for entry into our CPA franchise is having the hunger to continue to learn. Most CPAs stop learning the minute they leave college. Some accountants warn their clients about things that were considered red flags 20 years ago. Not only is this hunger to learn a requirement for our staff, it also is a requirement for our clients. Tom doesn’t believe in being a reactionary CPA. Instead, he strives to call all his clients regularly. He doesn’t expect his clients to call him. All clients must be willing to participate in their planning process. They need to be actively engaged in their tax strategy and wealth strategy. This is unique in the marketplace. These are the types of clients we have identified and will attract. You want staff and clients who fit your environment.
3. Decide what you stand for.This goes with knowing who you are and identifying the environment you want. Your staff and clients need to know who you are. Once you know who you are, the market will know who you are. This will enhance your ability to attract your dream clients, who align with your vision and your environment. You will find clients who are the right fit. When your clients know what you stand for, they will seek to see if your offerings align with who and what they are looking for.
4. Establish your rules.You want to establish rules that create and maintain an environment you want to be in. For example, in Tom’s firm, everyone always responds to any communication from anyone within 1 business day. We are always learning, and we have rules for how much continuing education we get every year. You must not only establish the rules but also enforce them. You must set expectations, because if you don’t, your clients will set them for you, and they may not align with your expectations. When it comes to charging our clients, we charge upfront. By doing this, we establish the expectation.
5. Think about how you would describe your firm.Consider this: If someone were to ask you how you would describe your firm 5 years from now, how would you respond? You need to describe your firm this way now. That is your target. This is immensely powerful. Everything you are working on is geared towards how your firm will be seen 5 years from now. You will be able to identify how you want people to describe your firm and what you want people to say about it. How would your former clients and your former employees describe your firm? If they describe your firm accurately and it’s how you want it to be described, great! If they describe your firm exactly the way you see it, it means you’ve been successful, been transparent, and been consistent with your message and your rules.
Take time to work on your business instead of constantly working in your business.
You need to take the time to do these 5 things to propel your business forward. Take the time to describe your firm 5 years from now. You will end up with better clients because you have learned to identify good clients who behave the way you would like them to behave. By establishing these things, you will have better clients, and this will lead to a better practice and a better life.
Want to learn more about how to get better clients, a better practice, and a better life? Book a call with us today and see if joining TFW Advisors® is right for you!