page 1 sell without selling advanced presented by rick solomon ran one americas

Sell Without Selling

Advanced

Presented by Rick SolomonRAN ONE Americas

•Started at a New York City based international CPA firm

•Established one of the fastest growing CPA firms on Long Island

•Unique sales process for CPAs written up in leading accounting publications & the NY Times Sunday edition

• International public speaker, sales trainer and consultant helping thousands of CPAs add millions of dollars to their practices

• President and CEO of RAN ONE Americas

Rick Solomon, CPAPresident & CEO

RAN ONE Americas

Advanced Selling

• Sales process review

• Opening the meeting

• Power of questions

• Presenting solutions

• Presenting fees

• Questions and discussion

Rick authored two chapters on Sales

Poll

What % of your clients would be likely candidates?

50% or more

30% - 50%

15% to 30%

5% to 15%

Few, if any

What is your experience with sales training?

70% of buyers of accounting services were not aware of all the services their firm offered

80% said they wished their firm offered services that were in

fact already available from that firm.

CCH Accounting firm client survey

Text 1

We Sell– Accounting

– Tax

– Audit

Results– Commodity

perception

– $ = Hours

– Buy because they “have to”

Clients Want– Success:

– $

– Quality of Life

Results– Value Perception

– $ = Value

– Buy because they “want to”

People do not buy our services.

They buy the results they perceive our services will

bring them.

Buying decisions are based upon perceived value.

Poll


50% or more

30% - 50%

15% to 30%

5% to 15%

Few, if any

How well do you stay on top of clients’ changing needs?

36% of business clients report they are likely to switch CPA firms in

the next year.

The top reason clients would consider leaving their firm is if the firm did not check with them

on their changing needs.


Circle Diagram #1


Circle Diagram #2


Circle Diagram #3

A Different View of Selling

Selling can be a very high form of service

Meeting with a client is an opportunity to discover needs and explore solutions

Only if there is mutuality do you move forward

People you meet with should get value from the meeting, whether or not they hire you

Human Motivation

Both pain and pleasure are motivators

We move away from pain more quickly

than we move towards pleasure


Moving From Unsatisfied Needs Into Action


Moved to action to alleviate

discomfort

Increased discomfort

of unsatisfied

need

Awareness of

unsatisfied need

An unsatisfied

need exists

People will move away from pain more quickly than they will move towards pleasure

Rather than delivering a “commercial”,engage in behavior that creates an

in the moment compelling experience

that motivates people to engage


Discover

• Who they are - current realities

• What they hope to accomplish

• Issues and obstacles


Your Opening Statement


1. Create an awareness of difference

2. Remove selling pressure

3. Create curiosity

4. Provide a potential benefit to the meeting

5. Take control of the meeting

6. Get permission to ask questions

7. Establish a space of respect and quiet authority

8. Set up transparent closure

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. As I mentioned, at Jones & Company we have a very different approach to working with business owners from traditional accounting firms.

Our approach is not necessarily right for every business. However, those who we are right for, we can often help improve profits, ease operations and increase the value of the business.

Sample Opening Statement

Whether or not our services are right for you, at this point, I honestly don’t know.

With your permission, I’d like to ask some questions to learn about your business, your goals and some of the challenges you might be facing.


Based upon our conversation, if I think we can help, I’ll tell you specifically how, and what the benefits might be.

Then, if it makes sense to you, and it makes sense to me, we can explore next steps.

Would it be okay if I started by asking you some questions?

Do you mind if I take notes?


Personalize Your Opening Statement

Create your own version of an opening statement

Be sure it covers all principles discussed

Memorize & rehearse it so it’s natural

Modify your opening statement to the reality of the meeting

ALWAYS use an opening statement to start a meeting

The Power of Questions

Questions

• Allow you and the client to make discoveries.

• Bring issues to the surface

“You can not afford to rest on last year's assumptions in this unpredictable, rapidly

changing world.

The biggest sales mistakes we see accountants making is 'The Don't Ask; Don't

Know' syndrome.

Far too few CPAs make the effort to ask the right questions that reveal prospect's real

needs and desires.”

Rick Telberg, President and CEOBay Street Group

Publisher, CPA Trendlines

Tell me about your business

• When was it started or acquired?

• How large is it?

• How many employees do you have?

• What type of entity are you?

What are you hoping to accomplish?

What issues or obstacles are you facing?

Fact-finding Questions

Growth• How do you feel about the growth of your business?

• Is growth meeting your expectations?

• At the start of this year, what growth rate did you target?

• Did you reach it? (If not) Why do you think that is?

• What are your overall growth goals for the company?

• What are some key strategies to achieve those goals?

Sales & Profits• What challenges are you facing in increasing

sales?– How are you addressing them?

• How do you feel about your profits this year? Were profits what you projected for the year?

– If you fell short, why?• What will you do differently to improve

profitability?

Vision, Strategy, Operations• What is the vision you hold for your company?• Tell me about the strategy to achieve that vision?

– Is it written? When? – Do key firm leaders understand their roles?– How do you measure how well it’s working?

• Is the company operating as efficiently as it might be?– Why do you say that?

Ask follow up questions as appropriate:• Why do you think that

is?

• Tell me more about that.

• What have you been doing about it?

• How do you feel about that?

• How does that affect you?Digging deeper brings issues to the surface.

• This serves as a motivator.

Additional questions:

Tell me about your experiences with audits. What’s worked well, what issues have you had?

How comfortable are you that you’re taking advantage of all the provisions of the tax code that could be helping you?

Tell me about the tax planning sessions you have.

How frequent are they, when do you have them, who attends?

Additional questions:

What are some of the tools you use to measure and monitor your company’s fiscal performance?

How have you been using industry benchmarks, or benchmarks against your own performance, to improve results?

When you compare your financial results with benchmarks for your industry, how do you compare?

How often do you meet with your accountant to review your company’s health, discuss issues, create actions steps to make improvements, etc.

Active Listening

• There are “levels” of listening

• Your deepest and most receptive level is what’s called for here

• Remember, people don’t hire us because they understand what we do, they hire us because they feel we understand them

• We communicate our understanding through active, empathic listening

Discovering Truth

Critical Success Factors• Discover their needs before

talking about your solutions– Based upon what you hear, ask

more questions

• Express your concern about the issue(s)

– Confirm with the client the significance of the issue

• Do not provide solutions during this process

– What you discover provides the information you need to discuss relevant solutions


Exploring Solutions

Objectives• Based upon what was

discovered, discuss how you might go about addressing relevant issues


• Make the connection between addressing those issues and achieving their goals & objectives

• Check for client buy-in

Exploring Solutions Process

Restate the Issue

• Start with most significant

• Describe the feeling impact of the issue

• Discuss your approach to addressing it

• Getting into action – who needs to do what

• Manage expectations

• Obtain client buy-in


Exploring Solutions

Critical Success Factors• Don’t give away specific

answers

• Discuss how you’d approach the issue - don’t solve it

• This is when you discuss firm/team expertise and experience

• Make sure expertise is directly relevant

• Diagnostic engagements are sometimes easier to sell and often lead to more work


Exploring Solutions


Make sure they are aligned with your solutions before proceeding!


Moving Forward• Gain client commitment before going

further

• Discuss relevant engagement details, such as fee, dismissing accountant, etc.

• Address client concerns


Critical Success Factors• Speak from an assumptive place

• Address concerns in a supportive manner

• When presenting your fee -

How do you feel about presenting

your fee?

• Present your fee with confidence

• Summarize what you’ll be providing

• Recap benefits. quantify if possible

• Fixed price & value based

• Value guarantee

• Be quiet

• Welcome a discussion


The greatest reward for helping others win is not what we get from it

but rather what we become by it.

Poll


50% or more

30% - 50%

15% to 30%

5% to 15%

Few, if any

How do you feel about being more of a business advisor?

60% of businesses are becoming more focused on the return they are getting from their CPA

firm.

Most clients will not tell you they are dissatisfied unless you ask them.

They will just stop doing business with you.


“Selling Your Professional

Services” CD program

& downloadable mp3 files $199 if ordered

by Tuesday November 15th

Money back guarantee!

There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way

Christopher MorleyAmerican writer

[email protected]@ranone.com800-806-8050800-806-8050

[email protected]@ranone.comom

• Explore RAN ONE

• No cost/no obligation trial

• NEVER sales pressure

Start with a THRIVING FIRM Review

We’ll discuss your results with you

We’re with you every step of the way in our THRIVING FIRM program.

Your success is our success!

There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way

Christopher MorleyAmerican writer

[email protected]@ranone.com800-806-8050800-806-8050

[email protected]@ranone.comom

• Explore RAN ONE

• No cost/no obligation trial

• NEVER sales pressure

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