Do you also have an organization where it is hollow or stagnant? How nice would it be if you could spread out that workload more? Many business owners and executives say there’s no other way in their industry, but that’s not nearly as often the case as you think.
Consider the example of an accounting firm. In that industry it is usually very busy at certain times of the year. The work was too complex to put a temp on it so the staff was extremely busy some months and almost nothing to do other months.
We sat down with the DGA to see what could be done about it. The first step was to communicate (pro)actively with their clients and ask the client for all documentation as early as possible instead of waiting for it to be filed. This gave the staff much more time to do the tax returns. They also sold more services to the same clients by knowing the client’s situation better and spending more time with them.
The second step was to run specific marketing campaigns during the quiet times of the year. For example, raffling off prizes among customers who recommended a potential new customer.
And the final step was for the firm to focus more on selling their accounting service to existing clients. They didn’t earn much from this, but by doing the bookkeeping themselves, all the financial data was in on time and processed very accurately. As a result, VAT and sales tax returns were very quick and trouble-free. And there was a good margin on that.
Beforehand, the client thought there was no other way, but by working together very openly and creatively, we came up with practical solutions that did not require any additional investment. And these kinds of solutions can be found not only for spreading the workload, but also for reducing it. Simply by working smarter.
Lizanne Jakobs
Founder Brilliant Work, Business coach and consultant
Working smarter yourself? Get in touch with us!
