One of the things we help accounting firms do is to build more capacity so you can attract more ideal clients:
- clients who are great to work with
- clients who value what you do
- clients who are happy to pay for the added value you offer
If acquiring more AAA-grade clients sounds good, the only question left is, “How can I make this happen?”. One of the most effective strategies is to publish testimonials from the great clients you already have.
In this article, we’re going to give you a complete accounting client testimonial-getting workflow (including copy-and-paste email templates and scripts) so you can gather all the client-attracting testimonials you need to drive quality growth. Here’s the high level structure (scroll down for the details):
Step 1: The Work Is Done & The Client Is Happy
This workflow is triggered by a happy client. When you’ve done a great job or delivered a great outcome for a client, your team should be trained to recognize a testimonial-getting opportunity. An ecstatic client who keeps their thoughts to themselves isn’t nearly as valuable as a client who tells the world how you’ve helped them!
Step 2: Send This Testimonial Request Email
Here’s a simple and effective email template:
SUBJECT: Request for feedback on your experience
BODY:
Hi <<FIRSTNAME>>
We are currently working on ##YOUR FIRM NAME’S### marketing.
Would you have 15 minutes for an “interview-style” call on Zoom about your experience working with us?
If that’s OK, please let me know how your calendar looks for a quick call and I’ll confirm.
Many thanks for your help,
##YOU##
Most of the time, you’ll get a positive response. If you don’t get a reply, a gentle followup doesn’t hurt.
Step 3: Book A Time To Chat
Once you have the go-ahead from the client, send a calendar appointment to confirm. We suggest allowing 30 minutes, even though the call may be shorter.
Step 4: Follow This Interview Process And Script
GENERAL TIPS
- Explain the purpose of the call
Thanks for making the time to chat. The purpose of this call is to delve a little deeper into your experience working with us and what worked well for you. We’re working on our marketing at the moment and my end goal, if you’re OK with it, is to create a short video and/or written testimonial to add to our website. Does that sound OK? Also if it’s OK I’d like to record this so I don’t have to take notes at the same time. Is that cool?
- Ask open-ended questions
- Dig deeper for more detail. Use phrases like….
- Could you tell me more about that?
- In what way would it be….?
- How do you mean….?
- We recommend conducting the conversation via a video conferencing app such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom. Double check your video recording is switched on and working!
SAMPLE QUESTIONS AND SCRIPT
- Could you start by introducing yourself and your company?
- What was the trigger that motivated you to look for a new accounting firm in the first place?
<dig deeper>
– What were you doing previously (i.e. the poor alternative from the past)
– explore the pain - How did you first learn about ##FIRM NAME##?
- Did you also consider other alternatives to us?
- What were 1 or 2 of the factors that motivated you to go with us?
- How did you find the process of working with us?
- What are some of the benefits and results you’re seeing now?
<Explore implications. e.g. if they saved tax, what are they doing with this found money (“taking a holiday”, “investing in growth”) and how does that impact their life beyond dollars and cents?> - If a friend or colleague was considering working with ##FIRM NAME##, what would you tell them right now?
- Is there anything else you’d like to add?
CLOSING COMMENTS
That’s amazing <NAME>. You’ve shared some really useful feedback today. As the next step, what I plan to do is to edit your comments into a short video for our website and social media. I’ll send it to you to review prior to publication.
Step 5: Transcribe The Recording
It’s a good idea to create both video and text assets for your website. Download the video from your video conferencing app and have it transcribed by a low-cost service such as Speechpad or Rev.com.
Step 6: Edit Into Paragraph Format and/or Create A Short Video
Your “raw” video footage and transcript will need to be edited into something tighter.
You can use a video editor from Upwork or similar to edit your video into the finished product. Service such as Splasheo will add transcripts and headlines to your video to make it even more impactful. If you have enough volume across your marketing function, you may also consider hiring a Marketing Assistant at TOA Global to handle this type of work for you.
Step 7: Send The Final Version To The Client To Add To Google Reviews
It is good practice to “sign off” the final testimonial with your client, and also ask them to copy and paste their edited testimonial into Google and/or other online reviews. Here’s a sample template:
SUBJECT:
Please find final testimonial inside
BODY:
Hi <<FIRSTNAME>>
Many thanks again for your help with a testimonial for ##FIRMNAME##
I’ve written up your comments into paragraph format. Please find the text below for your reference.
If it’s not stretching the friendship too far, could I ask you to please copy and paste the testimonial text below onto our Google Reviews page?
Our Google Reviews Link is:
<<YOUR LINK>>
Here’s your testimonial text to copy and paste:
<<PASTE HERE>>
Many thanks,
###YOU##
Step 8: Leverage Your Testimonials In Digital Assets and Social Media
If you execute this process consistently, pretty soon you’ll find you have a growing bank of social proof to help power your marketing. Here are the most important ways to do that:
- Add testimonials and videos to your website.
- Add testimonials on the key “thank you pages” of your website. For example, after new prospects submit your contact form, show videos of other happy clients who started with a free consultation, too.
- Use videos in social media and social ads, especially on Facebook and Instagram.
- Add testimonials to your welcome pack or firm capability statement.
- Convert into different formats (video/image/text) for different media.
Conclusion and Next Steps
The best way to attract more ideal clients is to get your current clients to do the selling for you! Consistent testimonial gathering is the key to creating a steady flow of A-grade prospects.
For more tips on growing your accounting firm, check out How To Create A Great Accounting Firm Value Proposition and 25 Accounting Firm Lead Generation Strategies That Actually Work.
And if you want to free up your best people to service all your new clients, get in touch to request a Free Outsourcing Strategy & Plan for your accounting firm. We’ll show you how to scale up your team using the same strategies that have allowed other firms to grow by as much as 600% in 3 years.
