Want more clients? Sell yourself.

Unique to consulting is that marketing is never done. But consultants and CPAs who focus on consulting know that no marketing equals no work. This dynamic is spreading to public practice firms because increased competition and the expanding demand for ancillary services is forcing CPAs to explain and sell their work to compete with other professions.

The old days of doing good work and waiting for referrals to roll in are long gone. Today's world requires CPAs to don their marketing and client services hats simultaneously.

Every conversation is an opportunity and every situation is a chance to be of service.

MULTI-FACETED APPROACH

The best approach to marketing is coordinating a number of different methods into a unified message. Choose the strategies that most appeal to you--and remember that creating value comes from within. Good marketing communication is nothing more than an accurate expression of yourself and your business. Among the elements of a well-constructed marketing program are:

Brochures: These describe you and your firm. They tell what you do, how you do it, why you're good at it and the types of clients you work with. The best brochures are written from the client's point of view and always address the question, "What's in it for me?"

Speeches: Develop a 30-minute presentation on some aspect of your business, create some handouts and get yourself invited to speak at a professional trade group, chamber of commerce or service club. If you're good, the word will spread and you'll soon find yourself on the circuit.

Courses: Do you have an expertise that could be packaged into a college or continuing education program? This is a good way to establish yourself as an expert i,1 your field and pick up a client or two at the same time.

Articles: Write an article and submit it to a publication that is read by your target market. It is important to do your homework, however. Read the publication first to get an idea of the kinds of articles it prints and ask the editor to send you a copy of the editorial guidelines. You also can self-publish an article. For instance, if you do a speech, convert the speech into an article that you can hand out to existing clients and referral sources.

Newsletters: A quarterly or bimonthly newsletter gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and gives your readers useful information at the same time. It is often good to share the limelight by having guest authors who can expand on other areas of interest. The newsletter is a constant reminder that you are in business and interested in helping others.

Public relations: You may not think your firm does anything newsworthy, but if you really put your mind to it, you can come up with a reason to send a press release to local newspapers every month or so. Warn people about the effects of a new tax law; offer a new service; hire a new associate; give a seminar; or talk about a charity event you are sponsoring. Manufacturing companies keep themselves in the news all the time; there is no reason why professional services firms can't do the same.

Community service: Some of the most influential people in business sit on the boards of nonprofit organizations. Get involved in volunteer organizations--not for the recognition or the business, but for the sheer satisfaction of serving the community. Relationships will grow and opportunities will appear all by themselves.

Personal follow up: How actively you choose to follow up on these marketing tools will depend on how busy you are and how aggressively you want to seek new clients. There is no doubt that the more follow up you do, the more effective your marketing program will be. Your main objective in following up with a phone call or visit is to get clients and prospects to talk. Find out what they need.

MAKE IT CLEAR

Perception rules over fact. Since you provide a service an intangible process that often can't be seen or touched--the chances for misunderstanding are high. So ask questions, get people talking--and listen carefully. Listening is probably the most important ingredient in personalized marketing programs. You can't succeed by trying to sell something people don't want.

And, finally, one of the best marketing tools is good service. Do a good job, make sure your clients know you are doing a good job and you'll be able to add word-of-mouth marketing to your business development program.

Mark H. Fowler, CPA is president of Stowe Management Corp., a corporate re-engineering firm working with CPAs and their clients to manage through transitional situations such as crisis management and rapid growth. You can reach him at [phone],