Your current clients and prospective clients like dealing with a well-known and successful accountant. The more visible you are, the more likely it is that people will consider you successful. Take the opportunity to speak at local service clubs and to write articles for your local newspaper or trade journals for industries in which you’re interested.

If you write a letter to local service clubs (a list of which is available from your Chamber of Commerce) telling them that you’re available to speak at no charge, you should find several takers. Also let your clients know that you’re willing to speak to groups in which they hold membership.

If your local newspaper or area trade journals won’t take your written articles as news releases (free placement), consider paying for them as advertising. These articles make you very visible to people in your community. Don’t expect an instant landslide of clients from one or two published articles. Such exposure has cumulative benefits, and it might take a year or two before you realize any feedback from the articles. Your clients will also appreciate these publications because it is their accountant who is being published in the local media.

Do that which you do well. If you enjoy writing, write articles. If you enjoy speaking, secure speaking engagements. Try to avoid those things that make you uncomfortable. If you take on a speaking engagement that you can’t handle well, you could do your image more harm than good. If you don’t mind speaking, but don’t have the time or inclination to write the speech, buy a prepared one. If you would like to publish articles, but don’t have the time to write, consider buying prepared articles.

Don’t join organizations to prospect for clients. This could work against you. People with whom you have lunch every Tuesday may be inclined to avoid you as a financial advisor. Despite the fact that you keep their information confidential, there’s a certain comfort zone that they’re interested in maintaining. Our experience shows that we acquired more clients as a result of speaking to an organization than we did by being members of one. In fact, many of the organizations to whom we spoke, and from which we acquired new clients, had other accountants as part of the audience.

I invite your comments and questions. Contact me at mostad[at]mostad[dot]com or 1-800-654-1654.