Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
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November 2014 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com 21 FEATURE u n iq uene s s t h at bu i ld s v a lue i n p r o d u c t s a n d s e r v i c e s t h a t a r e rewa rd i ng to sta f f a nd suppor t a sustainable business. Education must a lso be par t of y o u r b u s i n e s s mo d e l . O n g o i n g sharing of knowledge and expertise he l p s de f i ne op p or t u n it ie s a nd builds strong relationships among staf. It also consistently reinforces your v ision and the direction you want to lead the business—which is f or w a rd! M a i nt a i n i n g bu s i ne s s vitality requires an ongoing system of education for ever yone w ith in your organization chart. Building a Great Team Starts with You On ly when a business ow ner can honestly evaluate herself/himself, adopt leadership changes, and begin to refocus how they run their busi- ness w i l l they advance to being a great leader. Firm owners must step into the role of v isionar y and lead the frm in the direction it must go. If you don't do it, no one else will. It's also important to note that a g reat leader is of ten v iewed a s a "people person"— someone w ho views staf, clients, and community as integral parts of the machine, and then works to build these relation- ships for the good of the business. W hen you are seen as a great leader (people person), you will atract top staff, clients, and vendors to your business. A key result here is that you w i l l sta r t to feel you r compa ny 's culture improve—a business that is viewed as somewhere people want to work and one that others are drawn to and want to do business with. All of this adds up to a stronger, sustain- able enterprise. Don't Ignore the Impor- tance of Your Brand Today's clients are researchers who are studying multiple vendors before making a purchasing decision. As a business ow ner, this is where you need to consider the power of your brand. Tere is something called the "8 -10 Ru le," wh ich basica l ly says that the average buyer requires 8 to 10 confrmations to prove that your busi ness is one f rom wh ich t hey would purchase a product or service. K now i ng t h i s , you c a n se e how i mpor t a nt it i s to h ave a s t ron g bra nd . You r bra nd is made up of ever y thing about your business— of f ice, staf f, marketing materials, reviews, products and services…the overall "feel" of who you are. Great leaders ensure that they are always working on creating a strong brand to d r aw i n t he r ig ht c l ient s a nd atract the right staf. You should also make sure that you a re helpi ng potent ia l buyers with their research. Ofer a profes- sional website, complete with tools that allow visitors to communicate w ith you and that make it easy to understand what it is you do and how well you do it. Ofer download- able materials that will provide them with detailed information on your business. A lso, make sure that your s t a f f i s aw a r e of ho w t o h a nd le prospects. Tis is where education comes in—train staf on your vision, how to manage and support pros- pects a nd cl ients, a nd ma ke su re ever yone is telling the same stor y. Your brand image depends on it. Invest in Client Service Superior client service should be a main priority in your business, and the frst step in making this happen is to have a ser v ice plan in place. G r e a t l e a d e r s a r e d e d i c a t e d t o always enhancing the client service e x per ience—it shou ld be a foca l point of the business. Your service plan is a formal document used to educate your staf and advance them to a level of ex per tise in properly serving clients. I t c a n n o t b e o v e r s t a t e d h o w important it is to set your enterprise apart in this area. Just consider that the July 1, 2014 American Customer Sat i s fa c t ion Ind e x repor ted t h at c u s t ome r s at i s f a c t ion i s " do w n sharply." Te report also goes on to say, "Te drop in satisfaction in the frst three months of 2014 was the largest in the 20-year history of the index." This means that there is a great oppor tunit y for you to be a business that sets the benchmark for superior client service and support. A nd g reat customer ser v ice w ins business every time. Developing your staf members into customer ser vice experts will not only aid in the success of your enterprise, but you will also fnd that it he lps to c re ate a posit i ve a nd happy work culture, keeping your business vital and sustainable. Your c ustomers w i l l cer ta i n ly e x press g re ater s at i s f ac t ion , but so w i l l employees because they gain great appreciation for their work, knowing that they are integral to the success of the business. As part of your service plan, make su re you a lso add ress rewa rd i ng employees who create a rich client experience. Tis will only add to a posit ive c u lt u re a nd cont i nue to create a bond among all employees and your clients. Great leaders are at the heart of great enterprises. Tis article ofers key building blocks that w ill help you start to hone in on your leader- ship skills so you can let loose your inner entrepreneur. R. Sean Manning , CPA is owner of Manning & Company, a full-service CPA frm, and Payroll Vault, a full-service payroll frm. Sean has dedicated the past several years to building and perfecting a sustainable, proftable payroll services model. He is a nationally recognized speaker on the topic of payroll services and building a successful business model. Sean can be reached at sean@manningco.com. GREAT LEADERS ARE AT THE HEART OF GREAT ENTERPRISES.