Growing on Purpose
Source: AICPA CPA Insider
The following includes excerpts, reproduced with permission, from an article by Tracy Crevar Warren.
Do you ever wonder why some firms are so successful at marketing and business development? If you take a closer look at the successful ones, you will find that marketing and business development do not happen by chance. They are not activities that their professionals get around to when it's convenient. They are activities that their professionals are committed to throughout the year. It is a part of their culture.
Model for Culture Development
- Vision. One of the most common characteristics of firms with strong marketing and business development cultures is a clear vision – a real understanding of what the team is working toward and what success will look like when it is achieved.
- Buy-in, expectations, and defined roles. One of the biggest mistakes that firm leaders make is thinking that they have gained buy-in because they communicated a brilliant message when, in fact, all that employees heard was, “we are going to build a $25 million practice and business development will be essential to helping us achieve that goal.” Although the managing partner understands all that will be involved and the benefits that can accompany the achievement of this goal, most professionals need more information to embrace it, much less take action.
Practice Growth is Everyone's Responsibility
Involve everyone in the growth agenda. That means helping employees to accept that practice growth is everyone's responsibility. Clarify exactly what practice growth means to your firm. Define the broad concept of business development.
This definition may be as simple as “everything your firm does to get and keep a client.” From there, help employees understand its three key components – marketing, sales and client service – and what each means to your firm.
For the complete article, read “Does Your Firm Have the Right Culture for Success?”
From AICPA CPA Insider, August 8, 2011, http://www.CPA2biz.comwww.CPA2biz.com.