How to Win More Clients by Speaking Their Language

As professionals, we use a lot of technical terms; however, it’s important to relate to your audience and current and potential clients in a way that builds goodwill and trust—and not get hung up on the technical language. Doing so in these three areas—public speaking, sales meetings, and enriching client relationships—helps build a solid foundation for growing your business..

Public Speaking

It is widely known that public speaking is something that can send even the most confident business professional into a panic. The number one goal of public speaking is to engage your audience and draw them into what you’re saying.
In a technical profession like accounting, think about how you can translate the technical stuff into the language of your audience. You’ve heard the phrase “layman’s term,” right? A lot of times people get caught up in technical jargon when they’re speaking in public. The key is finding the emotional spark, the common ground, and making a connection with your audience.

Even with an audience of like-minded colleagues, don’t assume everyone understands the technical language of the accounting industry. You’re likely to miss a large chunk of the audience if you talk over their heads. Try to make it relatable as much as possible so that anyone, from any industry, can understand the main point of your presentation. Just be down to earth and talk to people on their level.
The Sales Meetings

In the initial meeting, it’s important to have good communication when it comes to sales. While you’re in a very technical industry, your potential client most likely works in a completely different industry.

Our sales process is a fairly simple one. It's an hour-long process. A lot of times, it doesn't even go that long. The first thing we do is figure out, why are they here? Why are they sitting in front of us? They came to us. It's important to figure out: What issues do we need to solve? Or where are the kinks in the armor with what they currently have?

Perhaps the most important thing to consider before the initial sales call is making sure you’re putting the right people in front of the potential client. Someone who is great with numbers and data might not have the sales experience to relate technical information during the sales call. This can create a disconnect, causing the potential client to lose interest and become disengaged during the call.

Try to think of the sales call as a conversation, not a presentation. At the end of the sales call, they aren’t just considering the price; they’re considering the value you can add to their business. People buy value; they don’t buy price. Value must always be higher than price.
Enriching Relationships with Existing Customers

With existing clients, you’ve done the job of closing the deal, but the relationship-building doesn’t stop when the contract is signed. You need to constantly nurture relationships with your existing clients.
Frequently ask yourself: How well do I know my client? How well do I know their internal processes and procedures? Do I have operational knowledge of their business? Try to step away from the financial statement and make it more relatable to the client.

When we train our Virtual Chief Financial Officers (VCFOs), we tell them not to talk about accounting; nobody wants to hear about accounting. Instead, talk about their business.

The more you know about your client, the more you can make your presentations personal. They don’t know financials; that’s why they hired you. If they believe you have their financial best interest at heart, they don’t need to hear all the technical, fancy words in a financial meeting or see elaborate spreadsheets.

We all know how frustrating it can be when you spend hours preparing for a meeting, and then the meeting goes in a completely different direction. However, let the meeting go where the client leads it; meetings end up going a lot easier when they cover what the client needs or what is of interest to the client.

Whether you have a public speaking engagement, meeting with a potential client, or you’re growing a relationship with an existing client, remember, financials might run a business, but relationships grow a business.

Summit CPA Group is a Virtual CPA Firm where you can outsource your CFO and accounting needs. A Virtual CFO can provide the following services: manage bank relationships, weekly meetings, business forecasting, company-wide KPIs, and more, all at a fraction of the cost of a full-time CFO. To learn more about how we can help you reach your financial goals through our VCFO services, sign up for a consultation.