Why Premium Services Can Increase Your Sales | Best Customer Service Excellence

Attorneys and CPAs are privy to more information about their clients’ business affairs than any other professionals. You have the powerful potential to add real value to your client relationships.

One key area in which you can add value is in helping your clients visualize their business futures. You are uniquely qualified to help clients with business strategic planning, personal financial planning, tax planning, technology planning, and many other types of forward-thinking strategies.

Sell Top Value

Most clients will tell you that business planning ranks near the top of the “value ladder.” Commodity services are on the bot- tom rung and services with high impact rates are at the top of the ladder. In between the bottom and top rungs are various stages of value in services. Price resistance is highest at the bot- tom of the ladder, and competition is stiffest. Near the top of the ladder, both competition and price resistance fade away.

Some experts will tell you, “Accounting and law are moving away from compliance services.” I say, “Not true.” It is true that most compliance services are commodity-like in nature and therefore reside near the bottom of the value ladder. However, if you add only 20% in high-value services into your mix, you can collect premium fees on the commodities. You will also experience a noticeable decrease in fee complaints.

What Premium Services Can You Offer?

For example, strategic planning is a value-added service you can help provide clients. Encourage your larger clients to hold an annual planning advance (what has traditionally been called a “retreat”). Perhaps you could facilitate the advance. Certainly you should attend and contribute to the dialog. You can help with projections or forecasting. Many business people are excellent at visualizing their futures, but many are not good at the in-depth thinking and calculating necessary to develop a strong plan. You can help. When you help clients plan for their business futures and keep track of their pasts, you will become a true full-service professional.

Another service offering is personal financial planning and tax planning. They are value-added services that other businesses have taken away from the accountants and attorneys. Many of us have been so busy protecting our low-end commodity services that banks, consultants, insurance companies, and others have become well known for these services.

Summary

CPAs and attorneys have unique qualifications. Talk with your clients about helping plan their business futures. Many of them will welcome your suggestions and you will increase your position of trust and profits.