Looking Forward: CPA Firm Success With Rob Cook, CPA

What advice would you give CPA owners who want to grow their firm?

Create more value for customers

For Cook, creating value for customers is the key to bringing in customers. “At the end of the day, business and money follows value. If we can create more value for our customers, whether that is perceived or tangible, we will get more business, our customers will work for us more, and we will have more opportunities come our way.”

Know your client

Differentiate yourself and find a niche that you're passionate about. This makes fulfilling the needs of your clients easier. 

Market to a specific group

There's a saying in marketing “When you market to everyone you market to no one.” If you market to one person you market to that group specifically. 

These steps will lead to your potential clients beginning to trust you. It will be these people who will become your biggest advocates, allowing your reach to spread further.

What is your advice to a CPA firm owner who is busy but wants to grow their practice?

Prioritize your time according to what is valuable to you

Cook states, “If it's actually important to you, you'll make time for it.” He suggests that one way for a person to find out what they value is to have a look at their calendar. Where a person chooses to spend their time is what they value the most. He says that CPA owners need to find balance. 

Sacrifice

When you are making your move from being self-employed to a business owner, you have to make time for it. This requires sacrifice so that you can benefit in the long term. It’s a choice that every business owner has to make.

Feeling overwhelmed is normal and part of the journey towards success. Some things that a person can sacrifice could be some short-term profits, reducing the number of clients, and hiring more staff. One of Cook's major points is that people shouldn’t sacrifice the things that mean the most to them, for example, their faith, family and health. Maintaining the balance is key.

Have a game plan

Identify the tools, tactics, strategies and paths you need to take to ensure you reach your goal.

The Professional CPA and the Benefits of Podcasts as a Tool for Connecting with Clients 

Cook started his own podcast during the pandemic- when in-person networking events disappeared. To continue connecting to people on a large scale, Cook decided podcasts were the best way to go. Podcasts allowed Cook to connect with potential and current clients, while he provided them value. “I did find that many people would listen to my podcast, who I hadn't talked to in months or years. They saw me posting on social media, creating podcast episodes and listened in on them.”

Podcasts created a platform where people felt close to Cook, even though he hadn’t met them individually. This is the power of the podcast. “If you're willing to play the long game and if you're willing to make short-term sacrifices to play a longer game to get a greater connection, build deeper relationships, and be able to find a way to have COI referrals popping out of nowhere. Podcasts are a great way to do that.” 

• You don’t have to speak to everyone

“There’s a myth that you need to have 100,000 listeners, you got to be the Joe Rogan or the Tim Ferris upon testing.” Cook says that a CPA owner can be effective, especially if you have a clearly defined niche. This may consist of a few hundred listeners. The main focus is creating a community of listeners, who listen to you because you speak to their needs. 

Final thoughts for CPA Entrepreneurs from Rob Cook

When we understand why someone did something, it opens the window to understanding the person better. When we have clarity on the “why”, the steps of what to do next become easier. The main goal is to serve the client, and knowing their thought process is a valuable part of the equation to success. The more powerful the ‘why’, the easier everything else becomes. 

CPA Marketing Genius Podcast is brought to you by Salim Omar, CPA. If you are a CPA looking to grow your firm, visit us at www.cpamarketinggenius.com. Get tips from the experts, learn out more about our services. Contact the team today!