Many firm owners struggle to find new clients, especially when they’re just starting. It can feel like you’re juggling a million things at once – limited resources, keeping current clients happy, and standing out from the competition.

The good news is new clients are out there!

These clients can come from anywhere – your network, social media, partnerships, or even your enthusiastic mother-in-law (hey, free promo is free promo!). The key is to develop strategies to attract them and keep them coming back for more.

So, how do you do that successfully?

One surefire strategy is to leverage community partnerships and engagement. Jessica McCracken is a total pro at that, and she had tons of ideas to share on how to make these collaborations thrive when she sat down with us on Accounting Flow – the podcast that takes a deep dive into accounting firm workflow & processes.

Let’s dive into Jessica’s background, workflow processes, and accompanying results.

Moment of Epiphany

Jessica isn’t just some stuffy corporate suit dishing out advice to accountants. She is the Strategy & Partnership Leader for the Accountant Segment at Intuit.

Don’t be fooled by Jessica’s impressive title. She’s not your typical corporate advisor. Jessica has spent over ten years working directly with accountants. She’s sat in on client calls, visited their offices, and listened to their challenges firsthand.

I’m not an accountant. I never have been. I know so much about you guys because accountants have opened their firm doors for me"

Jessica McCracken.

While her official title is “Strategy & Partnership Leader for Accountant Segment at Intuit,” what she does is to bridge the gap between accountants and tech wizards at Intuit. As a person who started her career in marketing, Jessica’s mission is to make sure Intuit’s products are designed with accountants’ needs in mind, not just created in a tech bubble. She wants these tools to be helpful, not headaches, for accountants.

She listens to what accountants need, from a smoother payroll experience to a better understanding of how Intuit impacts its clients. She’s all about collapsing that learning curve and making sure accountants are part of the conversation, not an afterthought.

But Jessica’s reach goes beyond Intuit’s walls. She’s a big believer in the power of leveraging community partnerships to create an impact that drives business growth.

But what does that mean exactly?

In this instance, leveraging community partnerships and engagement is a strategy for firms to build mutually beneficial relationships with other businesses and organizations. The goal is to reach new clients and grow their business. (Sounds familiar?)

While there are several ways to achieve this, Jessica’s workflow focuses on utilizing relationships to foster a community. She engages the power of storytelling to build thousands of important relationships that have led to Intuit’s growth.

If you have a strong brand story, you’ll get people to engage in a different way. So think about the stories that you can tell, whether it’s about the product, whether it’s about the solutions, whether it’s about the clients, or whether it’s about an unmet need that you’re trying to rally people around supporting."

Jessica McCracken.

The Discovery

For new firm owners who may just be starting and confused about how to grow through community, Jessica believes that a fundamental aspect of starting to build industry relationships or building community is making your voice heard.

I think it’s about using your voice and really crystallizing what your perspective and your strengths are."

Jessica McCracken.

She identified this by acting as a bridge between Intuit and its vast community of accountants – where she analyzes data, talks to partners, and gathers feedback to understand the needs and challenges faced by millions of accountants using Intuit products. This constant dialogue allows her to identify common themes and share them with the product team.

So if somebody comes to me, I don’t care if they just started their firm or if they’re the top 50. If they’re like, Hey, this is a problem. And this is what you’re doing in the software today. And this is why it’s a problem. And here’s some stuff I think you should think about. We want to work with you like we want that every tech partner"

Jessica McCracken.

By simply listening to the voice or acknowledging the raised hands of their clients, Intuit has developed features and made strategic shifts that directly benefit its users. In this way, Jessica fosters an open dialogue that fuels continuous product improvement – a key element of any growth strategy.

While she doesn’t directly partner with these accountants, her work in understanding and representing their needs is crucial for building strong, long-term relationships with those who rely on Intuit’s software.

Watch Jessica’s episode:

Jessica’s Actionable Takeaways

Here’s a step-by-step process that underscores Jessica’s workflow for leveraging partnerships to scale firms:

  • Raise your hand: We mean this proverbially, but that doesn’t diminish the essence of speaking up. Don’t shy away from talking about your practice or your firm:
  • Offer your unique perspective: Analyze your experiences and identify valuable insights for the accounting community or your tech partners. Your perspective is more valuable than you can imagine. Be proactive and reach out to established companies or platforms offering relevant accounting software or services. Let them know what they are doing right or what they could be doing differently.
  • Be open to collaborations: Create open platforms similar to what Jessica highlighted in this podcast episode. Collaborate and connect with people in your industry. Utilize this environment to share feedback, ideas and promote yourself or your practice. Remember, it is more about what you can contribute than what you can give.
  • Build your network: Jessica mentions getting connected to “councils, advisory boards, and conferences” through tech partnerships as a key to growth. In your own firm, leverage your network of people, businesses, partnerships and even firm owners such as yourself to glean valuable insights about your practice or the industry. This will help to accelerate growth based on real-world needs.

In essence, Jessica sees community partnerships as a win-win situation. New firms contribute fresh perspectives, while established players offer resources and connections. This collaborative environment fuels growth for everyone involved.

Results & Insights from Jessica’s Workflow

The results from applying this workflow to her job at Intuit spelled new heights for the company.

In one instance, her team was brainstorming on “things that take up an accountant’s time at the office” to create solutions for them.

A valuable feature in QuickBooks Online, “books review,” came about through this collaboration with accountants in an office in Ohio. Intuit’s product team spent a month observing the accountant’s work. This direct user experience helped them identify a time-consuming task and develop a solution that thousands of accounting firms use today.

Takeaway Tips to Apply in Your Firms

Act on feedback from your clients & partners

Intuit gets a ton of feedback from accountants (over 10,000 pieces a month!). They read most of it and use this to improve their products. They don’t make changes based on single suggestions, but when they see a lot of people asking for the same thing, they take action.

Let’s say you’re a tax advisor working with a variety of clients. Throughout the year, you gather information from them – their income statements, deductions, receipts, etc.

Just like you wouldn’t recommend the same tax strategy to every client, Intuit doesn’t make changes based on a single suggestion. But, when many accountants bring up the same issue or request a specific feature – like a more efficient way to handle deductions – it’s like noticing a trend in your client data.

Use that information to improve your client processes and strategies or expand your firm’s offerings.

Tell compelling stories

Jessica argues that stories are powerful tools. We naturally connect with stories, and they can be used to make a bigger impact than just facts and figures.

Think about the stories that you can tell whether it’s about the product, whether it’s about the solutions, whether it’s about the clients, or whether it’s about an unmet need that you’re trying to rally people around supporting."

Jessica McCracken.

Stories act as a “hook” that grabs attention. They can be used to win people over for various purposes – product feedback, new development, attracting talent, etc.

Telling compelling stories about your product, solutions, clients, or unmet needs can help you connect with people and build relationships that foster business growth.

Use events to grow your community.

Jessica emphasized the importance of in-person events for building community. While she admits struggles with email communication, she finds conferences and events energizing and a great way to connect with accountants.  She sees this as a way to build connections, especially for those new to the field who might be looking for a community.

In short, Jessica believes events are a powerful tool for fostering connections within the accounting community. “I will go walk up to a table, and I’m like, “Hey, I’m Jessica; who are you guys? Like I’d love to know more about you.” And that’s such a beautiful way, especially for people just starting out who don’t have a community to find a community.” – Jessica McCraken