4 SECRETS TO CONSISTENT CLIENTS FROM CPAs AND OTHER STRATEGIC PARTNERS

They said YES!!! Now what? 

Great work, you’ve got your first CPA, attorney, or any other strategic partner to say “yes I’d like to work together”. This is obviously a good step, but as my friend Jon Kuttin says, “getting them to say yes is hard, getting them to take action is really hard.” In this video, Anton Anderson, co-founder of Elite Resource Team, shares 4 tips to make sure that “yes” leads to clients. After all, if the partnership doesn’t end up helping clients…what good is it? 

Here's a breakdown of the 4 tips: 

1. Provide a script – Make sure you give them a script to follow. “As you know, we’ve offered tax preparation for X years. As a result of…” (see video for full example). If you’re using a questionnaire such as our Client Information Questionnaire, having the having strategic partner call the client before they send the CIQ increases the chances that the client returns it, AND commits them to sending it.
2. Role play – Share that you’ve always found it extremely helpful to roleplay scripts and suggest the two of you role play. 
3. Start with easiest client first – Although we all want to work with the big and exciting clients, at the beginning it’s all about the small wins. Help them get their first win on the board by stressing the importance of taking action. Think about it from your own perspective, who would you rather pick up the phone and call one of your largest clients that you don’t want to lose, or a client that’s been with you for 10 years, is very easy going, and doesn’t represent a big hit to your income. Now multiple by 10 times because of the personality difference! 
4. Recognize the mindset – The “badge” is real, especially with CPAs. You can’t ignore it, but you don’t have to buy into it either. They’ll often say, “this isn’t how WE (CPAs, attorneys, etc.) do things!” Guess what, that’s just a mindset they choose. You can’t tackle it head on, but you can help them overtime redefine the way they see themselves.