The great Wayne Gretzky is credited with saying: "Skate to where the puck is going, not to where it is." In soccer terms, it's a terrific metaphor for saying that we should always be looking ahead while keeping our eye on the ball.
Earlier today I read a piece by Rick Telberg who was describing the success of a four year old practice Wendroff & Associates. The saying seems wholly appropriate. Rick says:
In his [Wendroff's] firm, he’s working on the kind of new product development, speed to market and customer feedback loops employed by the best software developers. In his mind, he’d rather be less like a KPMG and more like a Microsoft.
Given that Microsoft has had its fair share of being dinged as laggardly, one might question the appropriateness of the comparison. What one cannot question is the year over year doubling in firm's growth over the last four years. Who wouldn't give their eye teeth for that measure of success? How has that been achieved? Back to Rick:
“The Web is our number two source of leads,” says [brother] Darren, “right behind
client referrals.”
Ah-ha! the old conundrum of what works best for building a practice. In this case the answer seems to be 'and' not 'or' one method above another.
Regular readers will know that I place great store in the power of the Internet and the so-called 'social networking' technologies as drivers of business value.
It's fair to say the network I have been able to muster, even in this tightly defined niche, has allowed me to take on some of the most rewarding work of my entire career. Sure - I can look back with pride at the days when I arranged what seemed impossible loans as part of a growth strategy and then observe as the client flourished, knowing I had a small hand in helping them along the way. I can look at some of the wealth retention plans that helped business owners secure their family's financial future. I can even look back with fondness at solving horrifically complex network cabling and PC configurations.
Despite all that, there is little more satisfying than knowing that you have either reached out to or been recommended to someone you might never have found any other way other than through the Internet.That has become a principle referral source for this commenter.
Mr Wendroff's firm is taking technology use way beyond anything I have so far discovered in the UK. He is leveraging technology in every part of the business, including teleworking, online accounting and aggressive use of services like Twitter. Here's what Rick wrote about Wendroff's Twitter use:
Twitter has yielded five new clients in the last year, billing about
$14,000 annually. And the firm picked up two more in January. The last
time I checked @wendroffcpa, they had over 13,000 followers. By
comparison, @PwC_LLP,
representing the largest accounting firm on the planet, had
about 3,700.
Technology is supplemented by more recognizable activities like twice yearly customer satisfaction surveys and the organization of C-level peer group meetings.
Has it all been plain sailing? No. But the telling end quote speaks well about having a dedication to 'getting it right:'
“Nearly every company we worked with last year grew through
the recession.”
Does that make you go 'wow?'