Small Business Software Providers Need Firms to Soften Up

Working with thousands of end users and a bunch of technical developers is no easy thing to do. Then you throw an accounting firm into the mix, and things can begin stick or crumble.

Firms and fintech are more intertwined than ever, but so are the amount of options when it comes to growing user bases and partnerships. You can’t do it all, how do you pick? Who do you cater to more?

I’ve seen this go both ways…

The firm is reluctant to change or adopt, and loses a client who prefers a software product and a firm who embraces the product. 

The software provider can’t adapt to a need for business end users or firms and they move on in mass to a different product or partner who can. 

I’ve been a part of and have watched alongside many firms that adopt a growth and partnership mindset and grow in double or triple digits. I have personally been involved in the vetting and ushering in of new software solutions into prior firms to generate hundreds of new users within a year. 

There are countless lessons to be learned while approaching new firm and software partner relationships, but here are a few from my experience on the firm side:

1. Know the firms who are willing to change. If you have to force the value prop on them it probably isn’t a fit and could even become detrimental vs beneficial. I’d be happy to be a resource that you can politely recommend to firms who are wasting your time due to close mindedness or other incompatibilities.
2. Provide resources day one. If you’re meeting with a potential new firm you should be able to provide resources about your solution for them and their clients (the why stuff), as well as your partnership program details (the how stuff) right after the call, if not during. 
3. How can you help add value to their clients? There is a way to bring this up and quantify it depending on them, their clients, and how the firm bills their services too. Figure it out before every new firm meeting, if not on the fly during the first meeting.
4. What value are you adding for them and their firm? You’ve already explained the value to their clients, which is value to them, but what’s else in it for them. Get creative here, both structure and flexibility can go a long way outside of dollar values.
5. Get the first user going ASAP! You can try to get demos. You can try to get client lists. You can try to get a large contract signed. However, in my frank opinion, you should be getting the first firm and/or client user on your software and using it before you waste yours or their time any further. Let them try you before you keep trying to close them or their clients. This will be the fastest path to softening up the relationship and putting you in a better position for the accounting firm to invest more time and/or dollars into a growing partnership with your software company.

If you’d like help testing the above, or you just want to share your solutions with another forward thinking firm, then my Console Process could be a great next step. I also don’t do tax returns these days, and will be happy and available to talk in Q1 relative to all the firms you may be trying to reach during this busy yet opportunistic time of year.

Book a Console today!