How to Get Clients for an Accounting Firm

For a professional, clients are everything. A professional accounting firm relies on clients as its source of revenue and therefore the attention paid toward client development cannot be over-emphasized.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Know People

1. Invest in knowing people. If people know you and know that you're with a new accounting firm, then you are in good shape. Should someone that knows you find that they need an accountant or that their friend needs an accountant, you just found yourself a client.

2. Plug into as many social activities as your time will allow, such as church, a bowling league or a service club. Make sure that you are following a genuine interest in the activity because people can smell a networker from the next room.

Share Well

1. Give to others and they will be more likely to give to you. For example, if you are having lunch with a lawyer friend and you know someone who could use his services, set a meeting between them. Referring clients for a friend's law firm encourages that friend to find clients for your accounting firm.

2. Resist the temptation to recruit accounting clients out from under former employers. This can get you into a socially precarious situation at best and into a legal battle at worst.

3. Buy dinners and lunches and drinks for colleagues when you have business get-togethers. The show of goodwill creates positive associations with and opens the door for future cooperation. The more people know you, know what you do and like you, the higher your likelihood of finding people willing to champion your cause or become a client.

Network with Other Professionals

1. Join a CPA society. Most major metropolitan areas have one. At the least you can find a local association of accountants, or better yet, you can get one started.

2. Join your local Chamber of Commerce in order to get a finger on the pulse of the economic health of the area. The contacts made through the chamber can pay off down the line.

3. Maintain good relationships with lawyers because lawyers service the kind of clients who not only can pay for your services but need them as well. They make great allies particularly while networking.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep in mind that client interviews are mutual interviews. You can and should turn down clients who you believe may not be a good fit for your accounting firm.