Convincing Others That Your Services Are Valuable
Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel. – Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Running a successful accounting practice depends on your ability to persuade potential clients that your services are valuable. It can take time, an awareness of their needs, and an understanding of important tips of persuasion. The art of persuasion is not as much salesmanship or manipulation as it is the ability to compel someone to the truth. In your case, the truth is that your services enable businesses to become more profitable. That’s not just a pitch, that’s good news you should be happy to share. To help you master the art of persuasion we suggest the following tips:
1. Be friendly, not schmoozey.When you are friendly it puts potential clients at ease. Make sure that you are sincere; be yourself. Consider this individual your friend, someone you can help. And remember that while they will have to pay for your services, the time and energy you will save them, in addition to your ability to make them more profitable, is well worth your fee.2. Share your client’s perspective.In order to really persuade potential clients of your valuable services, you need to share their perspective. What are they most interested in? What do they need? What problems do they need solved and how can you help solve them? When you are able to walk a few paces in your clients’ shoes, you can better convince them of how you can help them in their journey and make it much more profitable.3. Exude enthusiasm.Your passion for what you do is often more convincing than any logic or evidence you may present. When you exude enthusiasm you convince your audience that there is conviction in your message. And when they believe that you believe what you’re saying, you will have gained a measure of trust.4. Communicate clearly and effectively.It’s difficult to be persuasive when you cannot communicate your message clearly and effectively. Often the art of persuasion rests in your ability to be articulate, to use language that appeals to your listener, and to recognize when to hold back and when to ask for a commitment.5. Provide solutions.When you truly understand your client, you recognize the problems they face and can present your services as a means of solving those problems. And you don’t stop there. You should continually think of ways you can offer improved, innovative solutions to their problems. Because when you become a crucial element in their success, you become indispensable.6.Show evidence.You’ve heard it all before. You should not only talk the talk, but you should walk the walk. If you’re attempting to persuade potential clients that your services will enable them to become more profitable, you must provide concrete examples of how you can do that. And if you can, provide examples of how you’ve made that happen with other clients. As they say, the proof is in the pudding-you need to show them some pudding.
Like everything, persuasion takes practice. But there are steps you can take to ensure that your message is more appealing to the listener. And when, at the end of the day, your client roster is evidence of your ability to persuade, it’s time to take those steps that will help you master the art of persuasion.
