Q&A: How to sell a five-figure advisory package

You’ve shifted your firm from a compliance-focused model to an advisory-focused one. How did you identify which existing tax clients were a good fit for advisory services and successfully make that transition?

I stopped asking which clients could afford advisory and started asking which ones had important decisions coming up. That meant business owners adding an entity, investors looking at a short-term rental or someone thinking about moving. Those clients need a thinking partner as they make those big decisions, not just someone to file their return.

Then I flipped the model: Advisory first, compliance at cost. If you're on a planning engagement, I pass your prep fees through at exactly what they cost me. A good mechanic doesn't mark up the parts. Most accountants inflate prep fees to make up for the advisory they aren't charging for. That model needs to go.

Every new relationship now starts with a paid assessment and advisory service. I review IRS transcripts, look at the returns and deliver an action plan. I don't prescribe until I diagnose. Some clients move into an annual program, and some don't, and that's fine. Either way, the assessment is worth what they paid for it.

Most accountants don’t consider themselves natural salespeople. What sales skills do firm owners need to develop if they want to grow an advisory practice, and how can they get better at them?

Sales is not convincing people. It's understanding people.

The skill I work on most is curiosity. My first question on every call is “What made you book this call, and why today?” Then I stay on the answer. If they say their last accountant never replied, I ask what they were paying them, and whether they were ever paying for planning at all.

Questions are like punches. When a prospect throws one at you, don't rush to the answer. Come back with another question.

The other skill is hearing “no” without taking it personally. Sometimes you want the “no,” because it saves both of you from a bad engagement.

To get better at it, study sales like any technical skill. I've paid for training, coaches, books and courses, and I still study it. It's been one of the best investments I've made.

You’ve made writing and public speaking a significant part of your role as a firm owner. Why did you invest in those skills, and how have they translated into business growth?

At some point, I realized the next tax law update or a hyper-specific CPE wasn't what I needed. Reading about how other firm owners built their practices was. Those books sparked ideas I had to write down, and writing became how I think. I still start with pen and paper before I bring AI in, because the overall thought has to be in my voice.

Speaking started small. In 2014, right after the CPA exam, I joined the board of a Fort Lauderdale nonprofit that provides affordable housing in the neighborhood where I was born. Board meetings taught me how to move a group to an informed decision. A decade later, that turned into webinars, and last year I spoke to audiences of 9,000, 3,000 and 2,000 accountants.

The biggest payoff has been confidence. Once you've led a room, walking a client through a five-figure decision feels natural. And it's a muscle. Whether it's four people or 4,000, every rep makes you better.

As firms move further into advisory, where do you see AI changing the value accountants provide to clients?

AI is not the entire answer. It’s the catalyst for what we need to transition to, which is Advisory First.

AI is making the production side cheaper and faster, and I think that's great. It's part of why I can offer compliance at a low cost. What clients are left paying for is access and judgment.

Your client can ask AI a question. They still need someone to validate it and tell them whether the answer fits their situation. What you get out of AI depends on the questions you put in, and an accountant with real expertise asks better questions.

The value is in the decision. Good advice can be yes, no, or maybe later. A $0 tax bill isn't always the right goal if getting there means buying a property or piece of equipment you really don't want. That's why I built 10 Key: so I can model and give proactive decision advice live on a call and show clients the numbers instead of over-explaining it to them.

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