Thread: Marketing & Sales?

First I want to say thanks. I've been lurking your site for a long time and I've put the information to good use in my business designing websites for accounting firms.

I work with a lot of accountants, and I've noticed that even Masters Level Accounting Degrees rarely have even a basic understanding marketing and sales. Would you consider adding a marketing forum?

I see that you create websites for accountants and would like to market your services to potential accountants who visit AccountingBLOCK. Is that the only reason I should create a marketing section in order for you to advertise?

If not, then we can talk. AccountingBLOCK is very popular and the most contributing members like Helse and Pat are volunteers helping the site grow. If you would like to help grow the website and contribute genrously, I can create a marketing section and you can moderate.

Are you willing to share what you know about marketing accounting services with others for free in return for positive buzz (karma) for your business?

If you just want to advertise, prices start from $100/month and vary depending on the form (banner, links)

Hi Zahid

I tried to PM you with this, but for some reason the sent message didn't register. Feel free to contact me privately at brian.oconnell@cpasitesolutions.com any time.

I have NO intention of shilling your visitors. That's not the way I do business and I really do think I have something to contribute. If you want to check me out here's some of my stuff:

http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Brian_L._O%27Connell

As you can see I don't shill. That doesn't mean I'm not marketing, mind you. I'm just big on what's called relationship marketing (a skill I'd like to pass on to your readers, BTW). I figure if I sincerely help people market their firms, and don't make a secret of what I do, I can make a lot of new friends and when the time comes that someone decides to get a website it's a pretty safe bet they'll at least look at mine.

Here's a few other samples of my work:

This one I'm REALLY proud of. Greg is something of a legend in the SEO community. He's one of the founders of the CPATechnologyAdvisor.com and almost single-handedly founded TheProgressiveAccountant.com.
http://www.thetechgap.com/2009/10/10...your-firm.html

I have my own blog. I reserve the right to sell more aggressively here, but as you can see mostly what I'm doing is trying to get people to use the services they're already paying for, up-sell them, and in between I provide marketing tips (with a concentration in technology, although I may be moving some of these article over to techgap.com). My employees write most of these articles. I cherry pick them, and the best ones I farm out to other bloggers like Greg.
http://www.cpasitesolutions.com/tips/

Even my Squidoo lense doesn't directly plug my own product (although it most certainly describes it):
http://www.squidoo.com/To_Do_List_fo...Website_Design

If you need help moderating it I'd certainly love to do that! It would be a great way to build relationships on my end, and on your end I can really help your community become better at selling their services!

Sounds like you know what you are talking about... I will create the forum within 24 hours. Should I name it Marketing and Sales or do you have any other suggestions?

Marketing and Sales is perfect. Thanks!

I agree a Marketing and Sales topic is worthy of exploration. We all learn in business school
the "three legs of the business stool", Production, Mngt./Accounting, Marketing.

Serendipity, I PM'd Zahid last night about advertising on AB, he probably wonders if a conspiracy is afoot.

Helse wants a piece of the action.
What are we marketing?
Who are we?
Identify our Market
Identify services we offer?
How do we share profits or benefits?
Describe so-called benefits?
If one person receives a pecuniary reward for the work of others is there an obligation to share receipts?
?Partners, Franchise, Joint Venture without "Partnering", cost sharing or other agreements?


I think a revision of Zahid's initial business plan is warranted. The site originated as a
University Project, and, likely a labor of love and learning (for Helse too). however, lets face our
business realities:

The website is dominated by less than 20 users willing to post.
Helse's analysis indicates 50% of "visitors" are bots, though they may be Google bots linking search engine surfers
The website is a tool for casual bookkeepers and business start-up people to ask questions.
The website might be a method to capture clients?
Helse is willing to share profits from LLC and LP formation AND grant exclusive Ledger Accounting Services to Zahid And Exclusive "Webinautics" to CPA Site Solutions And Economic Analysis to Pat
The above may be interpreted as an offer to enter into contract negotiations. I realize we are discussion the division of mere pennies today.

Zahid: Ledger accounting and employment taxation, QuickBooks
Pat: Economic Forecasting and Ledger Accounting
Helse: Taxation, Entity Formation and Business Contract Structures, Accounting Technology (pdf forms automated import to Excel and QuickBooks)
CPA Site Solutions: Marketing with niche in accounting arena


Zahid, wait a minute for a lengthier discussion. I vote we recalibrate to 50% free assistance and 50% profit?

Helse I am overwhelmed, gimme some time and I shall respond

Something to look at:

ab08.jpg

ab09.jpg

April 2009 was the best month ever for AccountingBLOCK, I wonder why... finals? lol

Lately the traffic on AB has picked up, thanks to facebook and twitter.

Marketing and Sales forum is now live...

Great!

I recommend nipping the spammers in the budd. Create three sticky's:

1. Showcase Products and Services: This is a "spammers thread". It will keep them from cluttering up the forum with useless "Buy This" threads.

2. Showcase Your Blog: This will get some "spam traffic" too, but it's also a god way for your regular visitors to publicize their blogs (if any of you have blogs) and maybe get a nice backlink.

3. And right on the top of the page put "posting guidelines". This thread is intended to allow members to discuss marketing. While it is right and proper for vendors to want to prospect this commubnity, that's not what these threads are for. Don't let spammers and bloggers start threads. If they have something to showcase they must put it in the stickied "showcase" threads.

Other restrictions I would recommend include:

Only products , services and blogs directly related to accounting and office management may post in these threads.

Graphics should be limited to 50000 pixels, and graphic links count toward the one link limit in the post.

No competitive or comparative statements unless there is an obvious link to independent third party support for the claim on the landing page.

One post per organization.

No mention of prices or special offers (posts can't be edited once posted).

The administrator/forum mods reserve the right to delete posts for any reason.

"Helse, I'm overwhelmed". Why?

CPA Site Solutions thrusts an offer of redefining AB into a quasi-commercial venture. Opportunity
rarely knocks in modern business, it runs past your door.

Agree: Convert AB into a substantially more aggressive commercial venture designed to garner
clientele in various geographical regions and accounting services practices we operate in.

A redesign of AB's business objective from non to for profit offers an opportunity to recognize
the stakeholders and amplify opportunities.

Brian, I already have a forum "Services" where people can spam all they want, the reason you mention is why I created that forum because spammers were posting in other unrelated forums and I hated that.

Helse, I don't think you are on the same page...

When Brian says marketing, I think he is talking about creating a forum where accountants can discuss marketing their "own practices" and help newbie accountants understand that to run a profitable accounting/bookkeeping/tax practice it is important to market it properly.

The purpose of a marketing forum on AB would be to talk about the best practices, ideas, tips, resources and professional services that help accountants market their services (cpa site solutions)

Helse, I am sure you heard about Pareto principle, the 80/20 rule. Yes AB is dominated by 20% or so active users and thats how nature intended!

I want to keep AB open to people to get more clients. You are AB devotee and you are free to market any services you offer and capture clients, let me know if I can help in any way. AB is not my full time job, it barely makes any money through google ads but my business, eZeeTax, Inc. is what brings home the dough.

AB was created before I founded ezeetax so you can't say that my intentions were twisted I love AB and have been very happy with the recent popularity of the forum.