You’re doing the work. You care about your clients. You’re reliable, responsive, and technically strong.
But if you’re still not seeing the results you hoped for — in profit, time, or confidence — you’re not alone.
Many accountants quietly wonder: “What more do I need to do?”
The answer isn’t always more clients. It’s more about building up the right skills — the ones that weren’t covered by your studies or training courses. The ones that make the difference between just coping… and finally feeling in control.
Over the years, I’ve helped hundreds of accountants get unstuck, earn more, and build practices they enjoy. Along the way, I’ve seen a pattern — and I’ve boiled it down to eight practical skills that all start with P.
These aren’t abstract business buzzwords. They’re the skills and abilities that make the difference between “just coping” and “feeling in control”.
Imagine a scale of 1-10 for each of these. Score yourself. And if your total is less than 50 we should definitely talk.
1. Positioning
This is about how you’re seen — and who you want to be seen by.
If your website, profile and conversations are pretty much the same as those of a bunch of other accountants, you’ll struggle to attract the right clients, advocates and supporters.
Strong positioning means standing for something — and being remembered for it. That could be your style and approach; it could be a specific client or sector focus; it could be anything which says you are NOT ‘just another accountant’.
2. Promoting
This follows on from Positioning. Can the right people find you — and understand why you’re the right fit for them?
Promotion isn’t about being loud. It’s about being visible and valuable in the places your ideal clients are already looking.
And yes, that probably includes LinkedIn — but done your way, not the “guru” way.
3. Prospecting
Are you doing anything deliberate to attract new business — or are you just hoping?
Prospecting (or marketing as it’s often known) doesn’t need to feel “salesy”. It’s about gently and intentionally starting the right conversations.
Being passive is a choice — especially if you already have a decent sized practie that suits you. Otherwise being passive is unlikely to enable you to build the practice you really want.
If you want more clients you need to determine what you are going to do to attract the right people, who you would like to serve and who will be willing to opay the fees you want to earn for doing the work you enjoy.
Whatever prospecting or marketing activity you consider please always start with your Motive, then your Market, and your Message. Only then will the most appropriate Media become clear. And finally you still need to consider what Methods you will employ to get the best results from that Media. (And yes, that’s me sneaking in a quick summary of my 5 Ms to this list of 8 Ps!)
4. Pitching
What happens when someone’s interested in working with you?
Are you able to explain your offer with confidence and clarity one to one? Or do you fudge your way through, hoping they’ll say yes anyway?
Pitching well builds trust. Done badly, it builds confusion and price resistance.
5. Pricing
Are you able to quote reasonable fees promptly after pitching your services and gaining all the info you need from the client?
Do your fees reflect your value — and can you talk about your fees with confidence? This isn’t about being expensive or (worse) cheap. It’s about being fair to yourself as well as to the client.
Good pricing means better margins, better boundaries, and fewer resentments.
6. Performing
You’ll probably score yourself as 10/10 here. Assuming that you are only pitching to perform and deliver work that you have both the experience and skills to deliver!
Remember though that a good performance isn’t just about being up to date technically and being able to produce the necessary accounts or tax returns.
Your performance score should include recognition of how well you communicate with clients, manage their expectations, meet all relevant deadlines and remain consistently reliable, empathetic and solutions focused. Indeed, the question is more how would your clients score you here, as it’s probably hard for you to be objective.
However strong your performance, it only really pays off when the other Ps are working too.
7. Planning
This is a challenge for lots of accountants running their own firm.
It’s all too easy to have hopes, dreams and ambitions. But without some sort of plan, that’s all they are – hopes and dreams. Without a plan (that will probably evolve over time) it’s all too easy to drift or to get stuck just doing client work. When that happens, who is looking after your most importnat client? That’s you and your business!
Planning doesn’t need to be a detailed 20-page strategy document. But it does mean having a direction, a few priorities, and a sense of what “better” looks like for you.
8. Progressing
Are you moving forwards?
Not just chasing growth for the sake of it — but building more confidence, more profit, more control, more time?
Progress looks different for everyone. But it starts with noticing: what’s improving, what’s not, and what needs to change?
Without progress, a practice can quietly become a prison.
Conclusion
So, how are your Ps? When you rank yourself on a scale of 1-10 for each of them, what total did you reach?
If even one or two of these felt like a sore spot, you’re not alone. Most accountants nail the Performing bit — and quietly muddle through the rest.
But the truth is, your practice can’t really thrive unless all eight Ps are working together.
That’s why I suggest that if your total score here is less than 50, we should talk. (Nb: If your score was above 50 ‘m happy to talk too of course!)
I offer NED-style mentoring to help sole practitioner accountants find their rhythm — and build a practice that works for them. One that’s more profitable, more enjoyable, and more sustainable.
If that sounds like something you’d like to explore, let’s have that conversation.
No pitch. No pressure. Just a chance to step back, get some clarity — and see if the right kind of support might help.
