20:20 Innovation Spring Conference: Looking from the outside in 

The Accountex team were lucky enough to exhibit at the 20:20 Spring Conference at ETC Venues in London last week.

The theme of the event was ‘People, Practice, Profits and Planet’. The programme was focused on helping practicing accountants develop a more modern practice. The goal being to raise levels of employee engagement and client satisfaction. There were also sessions on smart tech implementation for efficiency and mastering flexible and hybrid working.

Among the speakers were 20:20’s very own Sharon Cooke, a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Tax Advisor who is an expert on all technical topics relating to accountants in practice and business taxation. Sharon is also a regular speaker at Accountex events, drawing in huge crowds as she delivers sessions on tax.

Closing out the conference was Geoff Ramm, described by FORBES magazine as ‘A Game Changer’, Geoff is an inspirational keynote speaker who has challenged and inspired audiences across the world to create award-winning ideas to outperform the competition.

Visitors were also able to chat with exhibitors, including taxcalc, Wolters Kluwer, Sage, Futrli and Advancetrack.

Dave Goodyear and Billie Mcloughlin from 20:20 Innovation delivered the fascinating session ‘Looking from the outside in.’

They explored the importance of what potential new team members or clients researching your practice see.

Whether in person or online, it’s important to convey the right impression.

Some things to consider:

• Culture and fit
• Opportunity – are new recruits and clients able to grow with your practice
• Trust – are you delivering what you are promising
• Stability
• Success
• Competence and expertise

A simple first step is considering what your reception area says about you. Does it give an insight into who you are? It might be what a potential client is basing their first impression of you on.

Your digital footprint

Your website is your digital shop front.

• Is it easy to use?

• Is it obvious who you are and what you do?
• Does it stand out from the crowd?
• Is the information updated and correct?

Think about the design and how responsive it is. The messaging, content, reviews and case studies should indicate who you are and why you are trustworthy.

Keeping the attraction

Consider what you want your audience to do.

For example, if you want them to submit a form, is it simple and quick to complete?

Make sure you have a clear focus that will engage leads quickly.

Leveraging social media

Social media is a great way to engage with potential clients.

Raise your awareness and profile on social media to appeal to your audience.

• Research online networking groups
• Make sure tone of voice is cohesive across your website and social media
• Be authentic and tell your story
• Create trust with your audience
• Encourage open communication and engagement

Things to automate and simplify

• AML checks – make them electronic
• Use a Client portal
• E-payslips and holiday tracker
• Consider outsourcing what you can’t commit to

Key takeaways

To conclude, there are some easy wins and more long term things you can do to attract the right clients and talent to your practice. Making sure people have a positive first impression of you is important to building a reliable team and appealing to the right clients.

A simple first step would be to review your current processes and work out if they are effective. It’s then important to create some strategies and plans for the future, whether that’s having a new logo designed or completely overhauling your social media and website to be more authentic. Another important thing to consider is automating some things that you currently do manually to streamline your processes.

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