Practical tips plus advice on improving the first impression of your online and website profiles

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I've had some great conversations with new mentoring clients recently. We've addressed confidence issues, lead generation, business strategy and pre-retirement planning. Some accountants were prompted to call after seeing my new Linkedin profile heading: 'NED-style support for accountants in practice'.

Below you'll find:

• 3 more practical tips I have shared with clients I am mentoring
• Improve the impact of your presence and activity on Linkedin [Email subs only]
• Generating more of the referrals you really want [Email subs only]
• Improving the first impression of your online and website profiles
• What you can get from the Tax Advice Network
• How the post was shared out at the tax office [Email subs only]

As ever, you are welcome to get in touch for a conversation if anything here sparks a need or if you want to clarify anything I have said.

Regards

Mark

3 practical tips I shared recently in 1-2-1 sessions

If any of these resonate maybe now would be the time for us to have a conversation to see if I could help you directly:

1. Hindsight?- Many things may seem obvious with the benefit of hindsight. But don't beat yourself up when you see mistakes you have made in the rear view mirror. Note them, think about what you would do differently next time and move on.
2. Invest wisely:?Don't believe salespeople who promise you there is a quick and easy way to achieve your objectives or dreams. They are playing on your desperation. There is no substitute for relevant research and hard work.
3. Social Media:?Stop thinking that you NEED to be (more) active here at least until we have gone through my 5Ms. Start with your?Motive, then your?Market, then your?Message. Only when you are clear as regards all 3 should you consider which (social)?Media is going to help you get your?Message to your?Market to achieve your?Motive. The 5th M is the?Methods you will use so that your (social)?Media activity is worthwhile.

Maybe you would benefit from my NED-style mentoring support?

If you'd like to have a conversation without any obligation, do get in touch. Whether to help you address that feeling of overwhelm, confidence issues, to help move your practice forwards, for confidential support or to help you resolve any practice or strategic marketing related challenge you are facing.

Book a call

Linkedin tip to improve the impact of your presence and activity

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Generating more of the referrals you really want

The following is taken from this popular talk:

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In my talk I reference the competition you need to keep in mind even though you may never have done so previously.

Improving the first impression of your online and website profiles

I have never ‘swiped’ someone’s profile picture, as online dating didn’t exist when I met my wife in the 1980s.

The whole concept of swiping left or right is quite alien to me. I was curious though so, a while back, I asked a single friend to show me how the ‘swipe left’ and ‘swipe right’ business works. It quickly became obvious that this approach to finding a date is focused very strongly on looks and first impressions. As indeed are most ‘dates’ I suppose.

The same friend who showed me her dating app was also bemoaning the challenge of finding suitable guys to date online. The lady in question (we’ll call her ‘Rita’) was looking for guys 45-65, but was routinely put off by their photos and their profiles. It seems that few had thought about how to create the best first impression. And this is the lesson I want to share today.

As I have stated previously ‘You never get a second chance to create a first impression’.

Now it is perfectly possible that the guys who approach ‘Rita’ are just as choosy as she is. Perhaps they want someone who will accept them, warts and all. Maybe it’s best that such men haven’t tailored their dating profiles. Perhaps they hope that there are women who look to date guys who choose to use a photo that shows them half drunk, with a pint of beer in their hand wearing a football t-shirt that is too small for them.

But I bet it would be easier for such guys to find their ideal woman if they posted more attractive photos and less self-centred profiles.

What first impression do prospective clients get from the way your firm and you are described on your website, on your LinkedIn profile and anywhere else you can be found on line? Does that first impression even reveal who YOU are or does it just reference the firm?

Did your best clients appoint your firm or YOU as their accountant? Unless your firm evidently has brand presence that attracts the right sort of clients, it’s not enough to talk about the firm. You need to reveal who is behind it. Who is the accountant seeking out new clients? Who are you?

In the remainder of this article I debunk the idea that your online profile's main objective is to help you win new clients. In fact that is NEVER it's main objective! I also offer practical tips and advice as to how you can easily improve the impact and first impressions given by your online and website profiles.

Read the full article

General practice focused Tax Tips for you

Get your 3 timely, practical and commercial tax tips every Thursday from the Tax Advice Network. These are written, especially for general practitioner accountants, by Rebecca Cave. And each tip includes links to the source material should you want more details. You can sign up FOC now.

Weekly tax tips

When you need tax support for your clients

Whether you need a second opinion, an external expert or regular back up, you can use FindATaxAdviser online. It costs nothing to choose a tax expert with the necessary experience and expertise. And the advisers you find here are all members of the Tax Advice Network, which I Chair.

FindATaxAdviser.online

Fun time - How the post was shared out at the tax office

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Let's have a conversation...

....if any of the more serious topics above resonated with you. I love supporting and encouraging sole practitioner accountants who want to secure more referrals, reach and results.

You can take your chances here now: 07769 692890

or book a call at a time that suits us both:?www.calendly.com/bookmarklee/phone

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Mark Lee FCA??provides strategic insights, advice, talks and NED-style mentoring support for accountants and tax advisers who want to resolve their challenges and improve their reach, referrals and results. He is also Chairman of the??Tax Advice Network , the UK’s largest network of independent tax advisers.

Earlier in his career he was a partner in two top firms. He has a number of voluntary roles and is a long time member of The Magic Circle.

BookMarkLee.co.uk

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