Top 4 Strategies That Accountants Can Use to Offer and Scale Advisory Services

Accounting firms that are already offering in-depth advisory services have a prime opportunity to continue to scale their efforts. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to start digging deeper into how advisory services can help you increase your revenue and deepen client relationships.

Introducing advisory services not only opens new revenue streams but also attracts high-value clients who seek more than basic accounting or bookkeeping—they need strategic advice and insights to grow. This move differentiates your firm in a competitive market, shifting clients’ perspectives of your services from transactional to a truly indispensable partner.

Let’s dive into our top four strategies that accountants can use to offer, scale, and productize advisory services.

4 Key Strategies to Scale & Productize Advisory Services

To scale more efficiently, it’s important to think about productizing your advisory services. If you’re unfamiliar, productizing advisory allows you to package your offerings so they can be consistently delivered to multiple clients. This approach involves standardizing certain services, such as cash flow forecasting and scenario planning, into set formats that can be customized to individual client needs yet delivered seamlessly. 

1. Leverage New Technology

Embracing cutting-edge technologies, particularly with AI, can transform the efficiency and impact of your advisory services. AI helps you escape the drudgery of repetitive tasks, freeing up time to focus on providing high-value strategic advice. Investing in updated technology enables more personalized insights by analyzing data more deeply and accurately, helping you tailor your advice to each client’s specific needs.

Additionally, AI enhances decision-making with advanced forecasting and scenario planning. By predicting future trends and modeling various business scenarios, you can offer clients smarter, data-driven advice that helps them navigate uncertainties with confidence.

Check out this article by Katie Thomas, CPA about “How to Implement New Technology in Your Firm.”

2. Prioritize Advisory Services

To truly differentiate your firm and enhance its value, fostering an "advisory mindset" across all team members is essential. This involves rethinking how services are structured, and shifting the focus from traditional bookkeeping tasks to more advisory-oriented roles. By prioritizing advisory services, your firm can offer more comprehensive, strategic insights that go beyond basic financial management.

Investing in the training and development of your team is crucial to this transition. Programs such as those offered by CPA Academy or Thomas Reuters Checkpoint Learning can be instrumental in equipping your staff with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in advisory roles. With proper training, every member of your team can contribute to delivering high-quality, personalized advice that meets the evolving needs of your clients, enhancing client satisfaction and retention.

3. Offer Value-Based Tiered Pricing

Adopting value-based pricing ensures that you’re actually charging the full worth of your services. This also motivates both clients and your team to concentrate on activities that offer the highest value. By identifying and understanding the key value drivers for your clients, you can adjust your pricing to better match the benefits delivered, which often justifies higher rates for more impactful services.

To accommodate diverse client needs and budgets, consider developing tiered service packages. This structure allows clients to choose a level of service that suits their financial capabilities while still benefiting from your expertise. Plus, it's important to effectively communicate the value of your advisory services. Clear articulation of how these services can directly enhance a client's business operations and financial health is crucial to justifying the new pricing strategy and ensuring client buy-in.

Learn more about how to sell your advisory services in this article by the Association for Accounting Marketing.

4. Raise Your Prices

Raising prices is a crucial step for accounting firms looking to align more closely with the high-value advisory services they offer. Appropriate price adjustments not only boost your revenue but also refine your client base, ensuring that it consists of clients who truly value and benefit from your expertise. This strategy involves assessing the value your services provide and adjusting prices to reflect this value.

Implement regular benchmarking to ensure your pricing remains competitive while still reflecting the ongoing value you deliver. This may mean reviewing your fees in comparison to market standards and the tangible outcomes your services produce. Additionally, segmenting your client base can be effective — focus on elevating 'B' clients to 'A' clients—those who see the value in higher-tier services such as advisory rather than just bookkeeping. 

See this article by the Journal of Accountancy for more advice on recommended steps for raising fees.

Ready to Expand Your Advisory Services? We Can Help.

Clockwork provides a robust solution for accounting firms eager to enhance their advisory services. Our AI-powered platform has saved accountants 120+ hours per month on cash flow forecasting and scenario planning. Plus, you can seamlessly connect your clients’ QuickBooks or Xero accounts in just 3-5 minutes and gain access to a full dashboard of custom insights.

With us, you can also count on continuous support whenever you need it, ensuring you can offer high-value advisory services to your clients. To discover how Clockwork can help you become an indispensable advisor to your clients, speak to our team today.

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