Accountants: Stand Out & Be Different with Mike Michalowicz (highlights)

In today's bonus UNCUT episode, Mike Michalowicz, founder of Profit First Professionals, tells Accounting Influencers host Rob Brown why accountants should stand out and be different... Mike Michalowicz is the author of several books including Get Different, Fix This Next, Clockwork, Profit First, The Pumpkin Plan and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur. His books have been translated into 10 languages and he speaks to business audiences globally. He built and sold two technology service based companies before starting Profit First Professionals, a global community which support accountants, bookkeepers and other financial professionals to substantially differentiate themselves in the market - so they can dictate a premium for their services and attract more clients. He has a passion for entrepreneurialism and regularly shares experiences and advice with first time entrepreneurs. He also sits on formal and informal advisory boards and has relationships with the angel and early-stage investment community. Key takeaways from the full uncut interview include: ★ The Profit First methodology and why it makes behavioural but not logical sense ★ The number one source of new business for accountants and why it's a challenge ★ The origins of the book 'Get Different - Marketing That Gets Noticed and Gets Results ★ How the human mind evaluates marketing messages ★ Why accountants and bookkeepers need to stand out and get noticed in today's competitive world ★ The DAD framework professionals can use to differentiate their offering to potential new clients ★ The one area accountants and bookkeepers should avoid best practice ★ What R&D (research and development) really stands for in the marketing world ★ How Covid has changed the way accounting firms need to present themselves ★ How Amazon actually grabbed 23% more revenue during the pandemic ★ Why marketing is the ultimate act of kindness for small businesses ★ What makes it easier for accountants to stand out in today's noisy world of marketing ★ The 'invisible ink' email strategy to differentiate your message and get more opens ★ The mistake of trying to be 'too different' in positioning your products and services ★ What accounting firms can learn from other industries about differentiated marketing ★ Why accounting professionals should think more like business owners and entrepreneurs ★ What will happen to those accounting firms who don't see marketing as a necessity ★ First steps for accountants and bookkeepers who want to 'stand out without standing out' ★ How to build the confidence to do things differently in marketing your accounting services ★ How accountants can reframe 'sales calls' to be more confident in helping clients ★ What the future of marketing looks like for accounting firms in coming years ★ The one thing potential clients trust more than people when it comes to buying ★ Why the argument on whether to specialise or niche has been proven for accountants. When not working, Mike likes running and biking. He's recently made a commitment to go to more concerts and college football. Connect to Mike on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemichalowicz/ Check out Mike's gook Get Different https://www.gogetdifferent.com/ Check out Profit First Professionals https://profitfirstprofessionals.com/ NOTE TO LISTENERS: This is a full-length interview (usually 20-30 mins long) from which the highlights show earlier in the week was taken. You can listen to this on a previous episode. Martin and Rob love to hear from the show's 7000+ listeners in 144 countries around the world. If you like the show, leave a review wherever you listen, and please recommend the show to your friends and colleagues.