January 13, 2023
Read time: 4:23 minutes
Every fractional CFO I coach wants to increase revenue in 2023.
Hell, I have a goal of adding $80,000 in monthly recurring revenue to my own firm in 2023. (Yeah, I'm putting that out in the world!)
👉 But finding leads is one of the biggest challenges for fractional CFO firm owners.
I recently put together a marketing plan for my firm and I'm going to share it with you today.
It's important to note that my firm and your firm likely aren't in the same place right now. I'm blessed to have a killer team and a budget. And that allows me the opportunity to find new leads in multiple places all at once.
Don't feel the obligation or pressure to chase all of these (or even more than 1 of these) in your own firm.
My hope is that you'll look at this list, find 1 or 2 strategies that resonates with you, and go after it with extreme focus.
Strategy #1: UpWork
I still get people 💩ing on UpWork every time I bring it up.
But the reality is that UpWork is great because it's a list of people who have proactively raised their hands and said "I need a fractional CFO."
And those are arguably the best type of leads out there.
On top of that, it doesn't take much time or effort to fish in that pond and the payoff can be huge.
So far this week I've applied to 1 position, had 1 sales call, and sent 1 proposal.
Will I close him?
I don't know.
But it wasn't a bad at bat for a 5 minute investment whilst I drank coffee on a Monday morning.
Strategy #2: Podcasts
Podcasts are great because you invest 30-60 minutes of your time answering questions. And thousands (or tens of thousands) of people get to hear your answers and learn about what you do.
Not a bad ROI.
My firm loves working with professional service businesses, especially the blue collar type.
We also use EOS for both of my businesses and we have several clients who use EOS.
So we're making a list of 30+ podcasts that speak to:
• Roofers
• Plumbers
• Electricians
• Construction contractors
...plus podcasts that focus on EOS
👉 Can you find 5-10 podcasts that speak to your ideal client?
Strategy #3: Conferences & Events
I typically crush at in person events, especially conferences.
Why?
✅ I meet a ton of people.
✅ I have a concise way of explaining what we do.
✅ And I'm not afraid to have conversations about their struggles.
This plays well for me - but I know this approach might terrify you. A lot of people cringe at the thought of talking to strangers.
We will be focusing on events that are industry-specific for our idea niches. Just like the moving company conference I spoke at in 2022.
We will also identify conferences that are designed for growth-minded businesses. We're looking at Tony Robbins, Brendon Burchard, and Dave Ramsey to name a few.
We will explore 3 tactics for events:
• Booths
• Speaking
• And attending
The goal is to attend between 3 and 4 in 2023.
Strategy #4: Local Relationships
Ugh. I have done an extremely poor job of developing relationships locally in the past.
I live in one of the most healthy, robust cities in the world for business (Dallas, TX). And what have I done to leverage that? Almost nothing.
In 2023, I want to tap into the business community in Dallas.
And there are 2 tactics that I'll be exploring:
1️⃣ Networking events
The plan is to find 1-2 networking events that I can attend each month so I can tell the story about how we serve.
I know I'll meet a lot of people. But I need to solve for how I'll intentionally follow up and continue nurturing those relationships.
2️⃣ CPA Firms NOT Offering CFO Services
We are making a list and checking it twice. A list of 20 local CPA firms that aren't offering CFO services.
I want to know all of those firms and I want them all to know me.
I want a network of top-tier firms that I can refer business to
And that can also refer business to me.
Strategy #5: Partnerships
Here's the plan with partnerships:
First we will identify thought leaders for the industries we like to serve. Examples of this is Louis Massaro for moving companies or Dylan McCabe for roofing companies.
Then we'll reach out and discuss ways that my firm could add value to their industries. In the past, we've had success with webinars, speaking at events, or Q&A sessions.
This is a great opportunity to leverage the trust that the thought leaders have built in their industry. And to add value with our heart of a teacher / servant leader mindset.
Since our firm knows and uses EOS, I'm going to also try and develop similar relationships with EOS implementers.
And I'm even going to try to connect with EOS corporate!
Might as well try.
Strategy #6: Referrals
I love me some referrals.
They are arguably the best type of lead.
But there are 3 challenges with referrals:
You normally have to ask for them.
Sometimes they aren't ideal.
They aren't predictable.
In 2023, we are building in reminders on the calendar to make sure we are reaching out for referrals.
🤯 But we aren't just asking clients for referrals.
This year, we're also going to ask our clients' other vendors that we work with (tax accountants, lawyers, bookkeepers, etc.) for referrals. And we're going to ask OUR vendors for referrals as well.
Each of these know us, like us, and trust us - so why not ask each of them to connect us with other amazing businesses?
But what about referrals that aren't ideal?
We are creating a 1-page pdf that lists out the profile of an ideal client for my firm. This will help our referral partners tee us up amazing leads.
(And the leads we get that aren't ideal for us will be shared with the CFOs inside our TCA PRO community!).
Strategy #7: Social Media (LinkedIn)
I learned a lot about leveraging social media for business in 2022.
Especially LinkedIn.
I tried to use social media previously for my firm and it didn't work.
Why not?
I wasn't consistent.
I didn't have a clear audience.
I didn't understand how to write compelling copy.
Armed with the knowledge and experience I gained in 2022, I think it's worth re-evaluating how we can use LinkedIn in 2023.
I will apply the lessons I learned from Justin Welsh, Nick Kennedy, Nicholas Bouchar, and Soufyan Hamid. And then couple them with my own findings.
Who knows!
I suspect that of these 7 strategies, 3 or 4 or 5 will be duds for us.
That's completely ok!
We'll stop doing the things that aren't working.
And we'll invest more time and money on the things that are working.
Like I said, pick 1 or 2 of these strategies that get you most excited and try them out.
Stop doing what doesn't work and do more of what does work.
You coach,
Michael
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