Three ways to attract new accounting clients

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By Janet Berry-Johnson | writer

With thousands of accountant-client matches under her belt, Kimberly Green knows what makes firms stand out and what makes them forgettable. As co-founder of Sam's List, a platform connecting accountants and advisors with ready-to-hire clients, Green has a front-row seat to what works in a crowded marketplace.

In an interview with The Net Gains, she shares practical (and occasionally blunt) advice on messaging, follow-up and why personality might be your best marketing tool.

What traits or practices help accountants stand out in a crowded marketplace?

I’ve helped nearly 3,000 people find their new accountant or financial advisor, and the ones who consistently convert leads are typically doing these three things:

Say what you do right away. Whether someone’s scrolling a directory or landing on your website, that first line about who you are should immediately signal what you do and who you do it for. Treat your descriptions like a filter. What can you say right at the top to attract the right people and filter out the wrong ones?

If you specialize in VC-backed startups, say that. If you only work with clients earning over $250K, say that. If you don’t do one-off tax prep, say that. The goal is to help people qualify or disqualify themselves before wasting time on a call.

Stay at the top of their inbox. Looking for an accountant isn’t fun. I'm sorry, but it’s a chore.

If you’re not sending at least four or five follow-ups in the first couple of weeks and making calls between, you’re likely losing people who were interested but got distracted. The professionals with the best closing rates on Sam’s List are persistent (not annoying) and get most of their clients after the fourth or fifth outreach.

Be transparent. Most accountants’ websites don’t clearly share what they charge or who they actually serve. That lack of transparency is misleading and leads to discovery calls with people who were never a fit in the first place.

I’ve had to beg accountants on this a lot: don’t advertise your lowest rate to get clicks and then quote three times that on the call. Everyone pretty much understands that pricing depends on complexity, but if you’re vague or cagey, people feel tricked.

What role does clear, niche-specific messaging play in helping accountants attract the right type of clients?

On Sam’s List, we require every accountant to write a short one-liner about their firm, a longer description about what they do and two client profile descriptions: one for who’s a fit and one for who’s not.

We do this because most people browsing aren’t going to read everything on your page, and this is your chance to show personality and filter in the right people.

One of my favorite stories from our early days is with this guy who applied to be on Sam’s List. For his one-liner, he said something like, “We only work with no-bullsh*t founders who take their business seriously.”

When I suggested we find a different way to say that, he replied, “Honestly, if someone resonates with that line, they’re probably my ideal client.” And he was right. 

On the flip side, we have one accountant on the platform whose emails are, frankly, pretty bland. Super short and no personality. Almost to the point where you wonder if he even wants to be doing this work. And yet he closed four clients within a couple of weeks. It honestly shocked me.

Not everyone will love your tone, and that’s the point. Some users see a specific line or a bold personality and say, “Yes, this is my person.” Messaging is a connection point. You attract what you put out there.

A lot of accountants think they’re not marketers (and don’t want or need to be), but if you’ve got a personality that can attract your ideal client, let it out! It might be the reason someone chooses you over five other firms.

This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.

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