How A Startup Firm Owner Signed A $45K ARR Client
In 2021, Sandra Ray, the founder of the burgeoning accounting firm Sandra Ray CPA, embarked on a transformative journey. She took the first steps toward
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“Do you want to join in on one of my boring classes where I have to audit?” Believe it or not, these are the words that would eventually lead CPA Mark McGaunn to his dream job of accounting. Although he started out as a Computer Engineering and Mathematics major, he quickly realized that was not the path he wanted to follow. And, after five years of almost literally, back-breaking work as a paramedic, Mark decided to settle down in the accounting world. And, it was here that he found his home.
But, that doesn’t mean that the journey was easy. After breaking out and forming his own accounting firm, with the promise of referrals, Mark had the rug pulled out from under him. His steady stream of promised clients was no longer a guarantee, and he was going to have to learn how to market his firm if it were to survive. Easier said than done… especially when you have a million other things to worry about.
According to Mark, his biggest problem was getting his marketing message out to the right people. He wanted something out there to “warm-up” potential clients but didn’t see the point in investing a ton of money into a website that didn’t have promised results. So, we worked with Mark to help tailor his message to his ideal clients, without him having to spend thousands of dollars on something with no guarantee.
But, big results don’t come without big changes. And, Mark is the first to admit that working with Dream Firms wasn’t always butterflies and daisies. In fact, Mark describes it as downright “painful” at times. We can’t blame him. He had to give up systems that he had been using for years. These systems were bringing in clients and had sustained his accounting practice, but they weren’t allowing him to grow. And, they definitely weren’t attracting his dream clients. But, once he gave them a chance he found that the results he was getting made the transformation process more than worth it.
We showed Mark how to really take advantage of all the tools at his disposal, and how to rely on both his tools and his team. This allowed him to free up his time and turn his attention to higher-level processes, like marketing and client acquisition, instead of worrying about things like onboarding procedures. Putting efficient systems in place and creating a unique marketing message that reached & resounded with his dream clients has opened up many doors for Mark and his accounting firm.
When you nail your marketing and have the systems in place to easily onboard new, dream clients there is the very obvious benefit of making more money. But, there’s also another less-discussed benefit, and that is the opportunity to get rid of your problem clients….
Problem clients come in all shapes and sizes but they’re easily identifiable by behaviors like pricing objections and lack of appreciation for the value you provide. However, when you learn to articulate your value and have your dream clients coming to you, ready to pay what you’re worth, it’s easy to kick the other guys to the curb. And, when you’re able to shut the door on less desirable clients, it opens up more doors for your dream clients.
Mark already had his niche market, and he already had a client base. But that wasn’t getting him where he wanted to go. He needed room to grow, the processes to help his team run more efficiently, and help articulating & circulating his message. That’s where Dream Firms stepped in. We worked with Mark to help him state his value and reach the right people. We also helped him maximize efficiency by developing onboarding and sales processes that both he and his team agree on.
Now, Mark is working with clients who not only appreciate the value he adds to their businesses, but are also more than willing to pay for it. After 11 weeks of our Create Your Own Dream Firm program, Mark has added $165,000 of new, dream clients. But, he’s not stopping there…
Mark is continuing to take advantage of Dream Firms programs to help grow his accounting firm even further. He regularly tunes in for weekly talks with other accounting professionals, where they discuss common problems and how they solve them. And, he’s taking advantage of the new systems he put in place to delegate to his team so that he can focus on growth and development.
Join Mark on his journey, and start or accelerate building your very own dream accounting firm.
In 2021, Sandra Ray, the founder of the burgeoning accounting firm Sandra Ray CPA, embarked on a transformative journey. She took the first steps toward
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