It’s time I spoke to all of the folks looking to partner with accountants to say, implicitly, that while timing may matter in many aspects of marketing and sales; for accountants, how you approach them is even greater than when.
The common thinking for those marketing to accountants is that they don’t really pay attention during their busiest times and just don’t want to be bothered. That second part is true, but realistically, any time of year, unsolicited “reach outs,” “bubble ups,” “touch bases,” “just a moment of your time’s,” and that ilk are really not looked upon kindly. Add in “busy season,” and you have a recipe for disaster, to the “never speak to me again, and I will tell everyone I know never to speak to you ever” variety.
So I’m here to share some truths; it actually being a pretty busy time for accountants and all. The first is that, yes, you can actually market to or communicate with accounting professionals even at their busiest times. It all depends on what you are saying and how you are approaching them. Let me give you an example:
No: Cold calls or emails (or InMails) during busy times just because they got on a list from a conference meetup, downloaded a white paper, or attended a webinar a couple of months back.
Yes: Invite them to download a new white paper or attend an upcoming webinar on something very specific and useful to them.
Why does that approach work? It gives them the control and the decision, not you. Be sure it does indeed have a value proposition up front and center as well. Don’t lead up to it; put it in the Subject line of an email or the preheader if you have to.
Reaching out to accountants also doesn’t have to be direct on the phone or email. Accounting professionals consume an inordinate amount of content on their own time. They download white papers, listen to podcasts, and peruse social media channels with regularity—yes, even now when you think it’s all heads down.
And when you do get their information from attending or downloading, do yourself a favor and wait. I know, particularly for junior sales teams, this is hard to do with “reach out” or connection quotas to be met every month.
So, now I’m speaking to your manager or department head…relax! It will be worth it in the end to connect with accounting professionals in the right way, at the right time. And here’s the magic: If you’ve already given them something of interest or use, they may even reach out to you and ask for more information or that demo.
And guess what? Social events, particularly local ones, can work too. As long as you are giving them something they want or even need, they will attend and even follow up with you when things calm down. Make it fun, make it interesting, and make it useful.
In short, I’m asking, even begging, if you value relationships with accountants to sell or market to or through, know how to approach them and what to say when you do.
If not well, lucky me, I’m here to help.
How Matters More Than When in Marketing to Accountants
