How to Supersize a Happy Meal Firm Bio

• Clients are like my favorite book, “Lonesome Dove.” I like to see them ride into the sunset with blue-sky ideas on how to build business and influence their customers.
• It’s 4^th quarter, first and 3 at the 5-yard line. I help my clients win the big game by giving them access to our firm’s portal, or the technology they need to interface with us on their time, not ours.

Get the Managing Partner’s Buy-In

I’m sure you were expecting other creative ways to write a bio. Do some research on your own online. There is, however, one step that should be intuitive, but often it’s not.

I know some managing partners who know activities like bio development needs to be done, only to agree with the partners that their time could be better spent in billable activities. You absolutely have to get buy-in from the very top in order to get the partners to fall in line and participate in this or any other marketing activity. In some firms, this happens organically because the managing partner sticks to his or her foundational beliefs to make the most of marketing in order to retain clients and get new ones. After all, isn’t that the point of this whole exercise?

Don’t Forget the Goal

I can’t overemphasize the goal around writing great bios, and I don’t mind repeating myself. The goal is to retain current clients, convert prospects into clients and mine your database for referrals. A bio, however disguised, may indeed present little more than title, job description and other facts. However, it is intended to serve a very important purpose as a calling card. If you energize your bios, I guaranteed you’ll see results.

 -----------------------------

For more than 24 years, Scott H. Cytron, ABC, has worked with CPAs and accountants, providing public relations, marketing and communications services, and teaches firms how to use social media more effectively. Author of CPA Practice Advisor’s MarketingWorks column, he tweets, and is on Facebook and LinkedIn. Contact him at scott.cytron@cpapracticeadvisor.com.