kcjenkins Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 January 27, 2015 By Mary Ellen Biery A common mistake among retailers is selling based on price rather than on value, a retail industry consultant wrote recently. When retailers focus on price, it results in customers “cherry-picking the best item while avoiding the profit-filled add-ons,” said The Retail Doctor founder Bob Phibbs. “It’s like they go to the bargain matinee but never visit the concession stand.” Accountants who yield to real or perceived pricing pressure would do well to remember his comparison during meetings in the coming months with their tax or audit clients. Granted, your accounting and consulting services probably aren’t overpriced the way movie popcorn is. Nevertheless, just like retailers, many accountants are frustrated by pricing pressure on compliance-driven services and the resulting hit to the bottom line. Indeed, a poll by Sageworks during a recent webinar found that many accountants don’t set fees at levels they want, primarily because they believe clients won’t pay up, or they worry that others will charge less and take the client. Like retailers, however, accounting firms have important control over whether clients select only compliance-driven services, which are typically lower margin. And they can take steps to prevent prices for those services and others from being pressured even lower. Resist Discounts Phibbs advises retailers to resist using discounts as a first resort. Discounting attracts “dirt-scratchers who will only show up for the discount,” he says. Similarly, accountants may be tempted to jump into a price-cutting discussion when clients or prospects express concern about the cost of tax or audit services. Focusing on price devalues your services and sets you up for a race to the bottom. Gaining or retaining a customer only because your price was cheaper can set the tone for future upselling efforts, and falling prices generally create the need for more volume in order to cover expenses. With less time per client to provide quality services, your business with existing clients may suffer—or at least fail to flourish. And you’ll probably have less time to go after clients who need the services your firm would like to grow, such as business valuations, industry-specific strategic planning or litigation support. Rely on Value Selling When retailers sell the value of the product rather than the price, they shift buyer fixation away from the money coming out of their wallet, Phibbs notes. In order to sell the value, sales staff need skills and knowledge—not just an intimate knowledge of individual products, but also the ability to understand and listen for buyer motivations. In the same way, accountants who embrace value selling can help clients clearly see how the services meet their unique needs and how the accountant is expertly positioned to assist them. Accountants who understand what their clients need even before the clients do and who listen for clues that clients may be ready to address the need can more easily illustrate how the firm’s services can help. If your firm is providing only compliance-driven services, consider adding a few advisory services that will meet the growing needs of your clients. Value selling, by the way, is different from value pricing, though they’re both based on the idea that the value provided to the customer is what matters most. Value pricing is an increasingly popular strategy of setting prices based on the overall perceived value to the customer instead of billing at the end of the engagement by tallying up the hours worked by partners, junior associates and administrative assistants. Value selling is a strategy for having a solid understanding of the firm’s menu of services and keeping client discussions focused on the long-term benefits of these services, as opposed to the cost of them. Make Valued Services the Star of the Show Another point to consider is whether your accounting firm’s emphasis on compliance-related services is preventing clients from recognizing and seeking the advisory services you might be trying to grow. Services such as financial planning and business valuations can deepen relationships with existing clients, provide opportunities to provide new services to them, and attract more of the clients most coveted: those who pay on time and can afford to pay more for valued services. But if all your clients and prospects hear about are your basic accounting services, those may be all they seek from you. Accountants can cross-sell more services this year by differentiating their services (such as through industry niches) and by pointedly educating tax and audit clients about additional, value-added assistance and how it meets their needs. To use Phibbs’ analogy, you can’t expect a moviegoer to visit the concession stand if they can’t smell the popcorn or see people lining up for candy and drinks. To learn more about how accountants can resist a focus on pricing, download a worksheet with tips on making the most of your year-end engagements with clients, “Tax season prep: A worksheet for client meetings.” Or listen to a webinar recording, “Upgrade Your Practice: Top ways to attract and retain higher paying clients in 2015.” Mary Ellen Biery is a research specialist for Sageworks, a financial information company that provides financial analysis and industry benchmarking solutions to accounting firms. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelmars Posted February 3, 2015 Report Share Posted February 3, 2015 I have been saying here for years, forgo the fixed prices, bill by times and the cost per form. Charge what you think the return is worth, you knowledge utilization in the return etc. I once had a client that was heavily involved with an out of state project. He told me what their accounts said and simple said they are wrong and the should look at ****. 2 months later, turns out I was right, the bank mortgage was successfully crammed down and send an invoice for $10,000. It got paid because my saying "they are wrong" was worth it. [btw 2 partners in this project were also cpa's who were unaware of a specific rule that benefited them]. In the rare chance a client asks how I got to my bill, I simply say, that's what it is worth, as is your access to me when you ask me if you should buy or lease a car, refi etc. that's all part of my fee. Of course a straight w-2 is just that and for those I am probably cheaper than the big box operations. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elrod Posted February 3, 2015 Report Share Posted February 3, 2015 Four forms last year.............Seven forms this year.......... Why is your price higher this year??? We've been coming to you for three years..... We may have to look elsewhere next year........ I think it's time to retire... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted February 3, 2015 Report Share Posted February 3, 2015 Four forms last year.............Seven forms this year.......... Why is your price higher this year??? We've been coming to you for three years..... We may have to look elsewhere next year........ I think it's time to retire... Send someone to H&R for some business cards. When they say that, hand them one... I have finally come to the conclusion that I do NOT want to be the cheapest preparer in town. If a person comes to me because I am the cheapest, next year they will look and find someone cheaper... I have half a file drawer full of those type of former clients. I am worth what I charge. I may lose some this season, but year after next they come back. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elrod Posted February 4, 2015 Report Share Posted February 4, 2015 It's not that I haven't heard it before, Jack...But it still hurts the old ears, even after doing this for 35 years. Good advice though...I'll go to Block tomorrow and get a fist full of cards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted February 4, 2015 Report Share Posted February 4, 2015 <snip> I have half a file drawer full of those type of former clients. I am worth what I charge. I may lose some this season, but year after next they come back. And when they do, their price goes UP -- and yet somehow then they don't complain. They have learned that "going cheap" always costs WAY more. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnH Posted February 4, 2015 Report Share Posted February 4, 2015 (edited) Buying tax advice is like buying oats. For a reasonable price I can provide good quality oats. On the other hand, if price is your only concern, then you are free to go somewhere else, pay less, and risk getting oats that have already been through the horse. Your call. Edited February 4, 2015 by JohnH 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreedomTaxed Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 We're quite competitive. A client today said she sent her daughter to us, but her daughter misunderstood and ended up going to the tax service that rhymes with "surety" that just happened to be on the same road, and was subsequently slapped with over $300 in fees to get her $430 refund. Ouch. We charge about $150, but for simple filings (likely her daughter qualified) it's $75 or $50 (depending on "low income" status). The client said her daughter will simply have to learn the lesson. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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