Selling your client accounting advisory services is a lot easier when you lean into packages! Let’s face it: marketing is often the worst part of the job for accountants. You know your stuff, and you’ve got the record to prove it… and yet it can still be difficult to communicate these things to clients and have the confidence to ask for what you’re worth. 

That being said, we want to give you all the tools you need to start profiting from your knowledge capital with advisory services! Here are some things you should be keeping in mind when developing your CAS packages! 

What is an Advisory Package? 

Packages help you market your advisory services to your clients. When it comes to advisory, clients aren’t looking for a one-time Q&A. They want a long-term, trusted guide they can turn to when they have questions about their business. The most basic package should at least include an Initial Planning Day, Scheduled Meetings, and an Annual Planning Event. Whether you want to make these advisory services part of your regular accounting services or keep them completely separate is up to you! Aim to offer a few options at different price points so your clients can find the right deal for them. 

Ask Some Questions

To create packages that will appeal to potential advisory clients, you need to step into their shoes. Start by asking yourself the questions that you know these clients will ask. Here are some to get you started!

  • What problem will this solve and how?
  • How much does this service cost?
  • What is included at each level?

It might not sound simple, but that’s the point. The goal is to ensure all of the most fundamental questions are answered in your package pitch! 

Aim for Clarity

A good package is one that your clients can understand. When defining your advisory packages, try not to get bogged down in technical jargon or spend too long thinking up catchy titles. You don’t need a “diamond package” — labeling packages things like “advanced” or “basic” works just as well. You also want to ensure that your package information is easy to digest for your audience. If you can’t explain the offering in a few sentences, you’re probably making it sound too complicated. 

Seek Out Feedback

You don’t have to wait until an official release to hear what your clients think about your service packages. Part of the creation process should be receiving and responding to feedback. This is the time to turn to some of your trusted, long-time clients. Show them the packages you’ve designed and ask some simple questions about how they perceive the package’s value and appeal. 

Advisory services are not something everyone is familiar with. You might be the very first professional to introduce the concept to your clients. So, it’s important to keep that knowledge gap in mind. Keep it short, keep it simple, and keep it geared towards their business needs and pain points. Your client wants to know one thing: what value will this bring to my company? The goal of your advisory packaging is to answer that question and provide a few different options at different price points. 

Consider this your first step as an advisor! You need to understand your client to advise them well, but you also need to understand their needs and concerns so you can sell them a great product!