I recall in particular one phone conversation with my buddy who is a CPA. I was trying to get him to be a referral partner for one of my clients.
His first words were, “Is he going to talk all about himself and his business? Because that’s how all financial advisors act.”
Listen.
DO NOT BE “THAT ADVISOR.”
When you go for a meeting with a CPA, ask these questions below and listen to what they say. Have no other agenda than this.
Do not utter a word about yourself until explicitly asked by the CPA.
- How long do you typically take to respond to a client?
- How long do you typically take to respond to a COI that you have a common client with?
- Do you prefer email, text, voicemail, or Zoom to communicate?
- What hours do you leave the office? Do you work from home? On the weekends?
- What is the procedure for addressing client issues if you are on vacation?
- How do you handle disputes with clients?
- Do you work electronically or is everything using paper?
- What is your process for onboarding a client?
- Do you have any plans to get into wealth management?
- How do you typically work with wealth managers like me?
- Do you have any regulatory disclosures?
- Is everybody’s license current?
- What is your best client relationship and why?
- What is your worst client relationship and why?
- If you had to give your business a motto, what would it be?
- What is your disaster recovery plan?
- When you get a referral from a COI, what process do you typically take the prospect through?
- Are you available all year round or are there specific times when you are unavailable for an extended period?
- Do you have Sharefile or do clients have to send you documents in the mail?
- What is your experience in working with the IRS?
- How many returns do you typically put on extension?
- What measures have you taken to avoid a cybersecurity breach in your office?
- Do you consider yourself conservative or aggressive?
- How do you bill for your work?
- What is your most successful COI relationship and why?
Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll follow my podcast for more insight tips on financial advisor marketing.
-Sara G
