Art of Accounting: Tooting your horn | Accounting Today, Edward Mendlowitz

One thing I am good at is leveraging something I did. Leverage in this case means benefiting additionally from what you’ve done. There are also many ways to use leverage. Here are some things I’ve done.

• If I have completed a particularly complicated project, I make other clients aware of what I’ve done. This lets them know of expertise beyond what I might be doing for them. Of course I never mention specifics or who the client was

• I make staff aware of everything we do that is beyond the ordinary. This expands their knowledge sphere and further creates an occasion for them to learn. I also provide awareness points so they can spot a nascent opportunity for clients.

• I sometimes mention celebrity clients I have. This widens my domain of influence and in some manner (at least in my own mind) makes me feel like a “player.”

• If I’ve presented a speech, I find ways to let clients know and who the audiences were. If I will be presenting and the speech can apply to a particular client, I invite them as my guest. For a blatant sample of this, see the last paragraph of my blog at https://partners-network.com/2018/06/07/no-more-christmas-windows-at-lord-taylor/. Read it and you can come as my guest.

• I make a lot of calls to clients. These start out with “Hi, just checking in.” These give me a chance to get updated on what is going on with clients. It also lets me mention some things that I’ve done for other clients that might apply to them.

• I frequently send copies of articles I’ve read to clients. By attribution, they think I am an expert or certainly knowledgeable in those areas.

• One of the things I do a lot is to send copies of articles or blogs to clients with handwritten notes. You need to let clients know what you are doing and are “expert” in. What I do is get reprints of the article or printed copies of the blog. I mail a copy with a personal note to whoever I want to share it with. I provide a personal touch by handwriting a note on note paper something like the following:

Hi Sam,

I would like to share with you a copy of my latest article on [describe topic]. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to call me.

Ed

I know what you are thinking — this looks like a lot of work. It is to some extent and so what? You are making a contact with individuals you want to impress. Three minutes a person is not too onerous.

FYI, I once sent a reprint of a blog to 50 people and I got four consultations directly from it, totaling $14,500. Another time I sent a blog to six reporters and ended up being quoted in The Wall Street Journal and another publication almost immediately, on different issues, by two of the six. I would say that my efforts were a success.

• If you posted something, ask people you know to tweet it or post it to Facebook and LinkedIn. And you RT or share what they did.

The above are just a few illustrations of what I have done and what you can also do. If you have questions or need help, contact me at emendlowitz@withum.com and make sure you include your phone number.

To summarize: Leverage works!