It’s rare that Accountants are spoken of as examples of great marketing. So please indulge us as we share with you a wonderful campaign run by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales back in 1995.   So proud were the Institute of their campaign that they bought serious billboard space in London....Read More

There are only four ways to grow a business: Increase the number of customers Get them coming back more often Increase the average spend Improve the effectiveness of every business process A local art gallery worked with their accountant to improve profitability significantly by running a series of quarterly themes through the year. Before each...Read More

Most businesses are built by default – not by design. Very few businesses start ‘with the end in mind’ and design it from the ground up. Most businesses grow by default with people, systems, culture, clients, numbers, habits and attitudes. If you take a good hard look at your business today, is it exactly what...Read More

Scenario A well-established barber shop in a small town was hit hard when a new barber moved into the area and set up shop. Having held a monopoly prior to the arrival of the competitor, the barber had become complacent and benefited from false loyalty.  This sense of false security was disrupted by new competition....Read More

Many small businesses shy away from promotions thinking they can’t compete with the advertising, public relations and promotions budgets of their larger competitors. But promotions don’t have to break the bank, nor do they have to be time-consuming. Develop a promotions plan that is a part of your overall business plan. Here are 5 steps...Read More

Formal and Informal Systems All businesses have systems. They make the wheels of your business turn. Some systems are formal but many are informal.  Systems that are informal can keep your business wheels from turning smoothly when it comes to day-to-day operations such as closing sales and ultimately from easily selling or passing down your...Read More

A local wholesale paint supplier had been a client of their accountant for eight years. The relationship had traditionally been around year end tax and compliance. Two years ago, the accountant discussed the idea of business growth with her client. She said she had been thinking about the business and had run some numbers to...Read More

Consider it polygamy of sorts. But if you want to stay in business long and prosper, you have to commit to your customers. It’s no longer enough just to satisfy them. The quality of a business’ revenue is as important as its quantity. Loyal customers represent quality revenue. It’s great if every customer walks away...Read More

In the search for new clients it’s always good to win more of the kind you enjoy working with. Wouldn’t it be good if you could target these specifically? If only you knew what it was that drew them to you. You could peer into the past and try to divine their reasoning. Or you could simply ask. Often this is the cheapest, fastest and...Read More

Consider this fundamental point in business; whenever a customer makes a purchase, they take a risk that the product or service will work. When you think about it logically, the fact that they’re taking a risk must hamper the decision-making process. In a lot of cases, it must put off the decision. The product or...Read More