Accountancy firms are often smaller businesses, this is just the nature of how they work and operate. This means that those who own an accountancy firm are usually in charge of many of the key decisions and processes that happen within that firm.  

Not only this but when the time comes to expand, change or enter a period of business development, then they are going to be the ones who drive this forward.   

Business development is a big step to make, especially if you are involving other members of your firm’s team with the changes. Whilst change is exciting for many people, it can be quite daunting too, which means that you are going to need to approach it in the best way possible.   

If you are finding it tricky to make the big step in business development for your business, largely due to the thoughts and feelings that your team around you have about change, here are some of the key things that you are going to need to do.   

Teach them that business development is a positive thing  

The first thing that you are going to want to do is to make sure that the team around you see business development as a positive thing. Show them why the changes that you want to make to your accountancy firm are going to be for the best.  

Share with them your long-term plan, where you see your firm heading and what you want to do to try and get there. If you have things mapped out well, then this should be enough to help them to see things in a much more positive light.   

Involve them in the process  

One great way to get people on your side with your plans is to involve them as much as you can. When someone is involved with the planning and preparation in their working life, they are going to be much more likely to want to do things and help.   

The important thing to remember when it comes to this is that it doesn’t matter who the person is, or what they do within your firm, they should feel valued and that they are a key member of the entire process.   

Receptionists always set the scene when someone first calls in or visits and those who are on the front line of dealing with clients are going to need to be responsive and accessible at all times.   

Let them know how you secure work  

Another thing that you can do is to make sure that your team understands exactly how you, as an accountancy firm, win work. There is always a good chance that they won’t understand quite what happens in the background, all the hard work that goes into marketing and growing your firm.  

When they know exactly what it takes to secure those much-needed clients and how you may need to expand to ensure that it happens in the future, then they are much more likely to go along with your business development plans.   

Bring in business development day by day  

If you do not want business development to be a complete surprise for the team around you, then it might be a good idea to bring it into your working world for a little bit of time. This could be by setting business development goals for members of staff on a week-by-week basis, or it could be bringing the idea of business development to your regular team meetings.  

By making business development something that is on their radar, you are giving yourself the best chance of it being a welcomed change that they want to be an active part of in the long term.   

Develop them as people too  

You should make sure that included within your business development plan are the ways that you can help to develop your team around you. Think about what they may need to grow and change with your plans and then provide them with the opportunity to do this.   

Not only will this be beneficial to you as a firm owner, because it brings in new skills and knowledge, but it will also help them all as people and in their career paths too.  

The main thing to remember when it comes to business development for your accountancy firm is that it might not be a welcome change for everyone. There are going to be some who find the idea of growth a little on the worrying side.  

Even though you are the one who makes the key decisions, you should never disregard the fact that people may feel this way. Instead, you need them to feel that they can welcome in business development and be an important part of its success. 

Take a look at some of my other blogs you may be interested in:

How client surveys can help your B2B firm

The accountancy firm buyer journey and content that converts

Need help?

If you would like help with your marketing then bringing on a marketing consultant with a fresh pair of eyes can make all the difference. I work with B2B businesses and professional service firms in London, Kent, UK and Europe as well as specialising as a Legal Marketing Consultant. Please get in touch or book a free 30-minute consultation.