Could clients pick out your firm in a blind tasting?

Richard Brewin • February 12, 2019

I wouldn’t profess to be any sort of wine expert. I reckon I can tell a Pinot Grigio from a Chardonnay, a Rioja from a Beaujolais, but that’s about my limit. As a result, I’m not particularly choosy about where I shop or what I pay, with the local supermarket much more likely to get my custom then the town’s specialist wine merchant.

If I had a yearning for a particular standard, grape, vineyard or vintage then it would change both my buying habits and perception of value.

So it is with business clients and their accountants. Some will simply look for the cheapest possible. As with wine, that’s not a choice most sensible people will make but it’s an option.

The majority, rather like me with my wine, will have a non-expert perception of the market. They understand that the cheapest accountant they can find is probably not the best approach but equally they don’t want to spend a fortune when they don’t really appreciate the differences. So, they go for something middle of the road, something generic, something recommended to them.

That’s not great for the accountant who sees themselves as different and worth more than those around them.

Consistency of brand, and therefore consistency of client experience is key. If you are seeking a particular type of client, be it by sector, mindset, size or whatever, then everything about your firm needs to be attractive to the desires of that particular market place. Then they recognise the difference. Then they’re prepared to pay more.

If your firm was a wine then the taste, aroma, colour, consistency, bottle and packaging needs to hit the mark and the expectations of your followers every single time, and you need to be capable of growing to that consistency.

In accountant’s speak, your offices, your team, your delivery, your services, your client relationships, your professional approach need to consistently hit the same mark and expectation. Clients and the market place should be able to recognise what they like about your firm without seeing the name or logo, just because it’s what they expect from you, the way they know you do things.

We all have good and bad days, change our ways of doing things, but the market place needs consistency if it is to recognise you as a stand out option. Your external behaviour and brand must deliver that.

Being proactive is a culture, not a slogan

By Richard Brewin • June 27, 2025
Look at any accounting firm website and there is a fair chance that the word ‘proactive’ will be prominent. Ask some business owners and taxpayers whether they consider their accountant to be proactive.  There is commonly a gap between the two, between the intent of the accountant and the expectations of the client.

How tech helps us to rebuild our trusted advisor role

By Richard Brewin • June 23, 2025
The tag ‘Trusted Advisor’ gets bandied around a lot. Without trying to be deliberately contentious, I often challenge its use. Undoubtedly, accountants were once the trusted advisor to their clients. When I came into the profession 44 years ago now, the older partners, especially, were seen by their clients as their trusted advisor, their ‘go to’ person on any issues, business, family or personal, that were troubling them. Without the filing deadlines of today, these clients were with their accountant primarily because they valued the relationship rather than the products.

Why your accounting firm is unique

By Richard Brewin • June 5, 2025
All accountants are the same! We’ve all heard it said. It’s nonsense, of course, but, when you are asked what it is that your firm does that differentiates it from other accounting firms, it can be a challenge to come up with something tangible.  Accounting firms tend to offer similar services, that’s what makes them accounting firms. Differentiating from competitors based upon services provided is therefore an issue.