Marketing Tip #2 – Ask Your Clients What They Want

 

Never assume you know what your clients want or what they’re thinking. If you do you risk losing them. In a survey done by the 2020 Group of over 12,000 entrepreneurs, more than 45% of respondents said they are “open to talking to a new accountant”. This number is significantly higher than accounts think. Unfortunately many accountants overestimate their level of client satisfaction. Ask your clients how your firm is doing. Find out from your client how you can better serve them. You’ll be surprised how much new work you generate, both with current clients and new clients.

There are many ways to survey your clients. You could:

1. Have them fill out an online survey
2. Conduct a survey internally
3. Have a 3^rd party survey your clients on your behalf

Each method has advantages and disadvantages. For example, an online survey is inexpensive, but the response numbers are likely to be low and the responses will lack detail. If you have someone from your office call to survey your clients, you’ll likely get a better response rate, but the respondents might be unwilling to be completely honest in their responses in fear of offending you. A 3^rd party is more expensive, but the response rate is highest and the value of the information from respondents is most valuable.

Some suggested questions that should be a part of your survey include:

• Based on your most recent engagement with us, rate how satisfied you are with:
  • How often we keep in contact with you
  • How quickly we return your calls and reply to your emails
  • How quickly we are able to get your work completed
  • Our level of technical expertise
  • The overall level of service you receive
  • How aware are you of the complete range of services we offer our clients?
    • Tax preparation
    • Accounting/ Bookkeeping
    • Benchmarking
    • KPI Analysis
    • Strategic Planning
    • Estate Planning
    • Financial Planning

(You’d be surprised how much business this question generates.)

• Other than reduce fees, how could we better serve you?
• Based on your most recent engagement how likely are you to introduce or recommend us to a friend or colleague?

The questions can go on and on, but try to limit people’s time to 10 – 20 minutes and inform them of that at the front end. For online surveys, offer an anonymous response option. And also think about offering a reward for completing the survey. Sending a coffee reward card is a great and inexpensive way to thank you for the feedback.