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USP Expert Interviews – Sarah Johnson

16th Jun 2014
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I’m very grateful today to have as my guest Sarah Johnson.

Sarah Johnson is a successful growth advisor to professional service firms.

Sarah works with entrepreneurial spirited professionals in accounting, law, consulting, financial services and other service based companies to help them evolve.

Sarah works with firms that are looking to embrace or integrate digital media into their marketing mix, or elevate their current marketing efforts. Her unique background in marketing and knowledge of digital media allow her to deliver insightful, practical advice that guide organizations down the right path for achieving the growth they desire. Sarah’s ability to understand where an organization is starting, matched with her disciplined approach to best practices drive results for firms.

Prior to starting Inovautus Consulting, Sarah was the Director of Marketing for a Chicago based accounting firm and the Director of Consulting Services at PDI Global.

A leader in professional services, Sarah regularly speaks for professional service associations, at conferences, and at board meetings. She is also a regular contributor for Accounting Tomorrow  and CCH. and has authored or contributed to articles appearing in Accounting Today, CPA Society publications, the National Law Review, and Practical Accountant.

Sarah is a member of the Association for Accounting Marketing, (AAM) and the CPA Consultants Alliance (CPACA). She is currently on the board as a member-at-large for AAM and the marketing committee chair and board member for the CPACA.

Welcome Sarah and thank you very much for giving of your time for this interview.

Although we’ve included a brief biography of your career at the top of the page, I wondered if you could give us a little bit of insight into what gave you the impetus to form your own organisation after having a successful career in the relative comfort of a corporation?

Well, I think I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I loved the idea of building a company and helping others build theirs. I am fortunate to have a very unique background.  When I formed my company my vision was simply to help Accounting firms grow through practical advice. I firmly believed that vision had to include firms of all sizes. When I was at PDI, I spent a lot of time working with some of the larger firms in the marketplace. While I enjoyed the work, I also knew there were a lot of smaller, local firms being underserved in the marketplace and felt they deserved access great guidance.  

In your opinion, what are the greatest opportunities for growth in accounting firms in 2013/14?

I see 2 opportunities for growth in Accounting firms.

  1. Social/Web- most firms aren’t visible enough in front of their target market(s). ‘People can’t buy what they don’t know exists’ is my mantra. Referrals alone aren’t enough to sustain long-term business growth. Understanding how to use the web and social media to increase your visibility can be a game changer for any accounting firm, regardless of size.
  2. People- Your people are your biggest asset in an accounting firm. Firms that are investing in their people and spending the time to train and develop them in non-technical areas, like marketing and sales, management,  and leadership are going to far surpass firms that can’t address this. They will not only grow, but be able to remain independent.

Could you explain a little bit about your new position about Inovautus and how it serves the accounting community?

As the founder of Inovautus, I have the opportunity to work with accounting firms all over the world to help them grow their business. Our primary focus is on helping firms establish a marketing culture and strategy within their firm and to help firms elevate their current marketing efforts to get more out of it. We are a bit unique in that we focus pretty heavily on helping firms embrace digital marketing strategically. A big piece of that is understanding what you should be doing based on your business goals and developing top notch content that will differentiate you in the marketplace.

A secondary part of work is taking these same concepts and looking internally at the organization. Finding and retaining talent is a top challenge for all the firms we work with. We can help them establish internal communication strategies beyond just a memo or email that will help them get their people moving in the same direction.

How do you see the future of the accounting profession shaping up and what should firms being doing now to gain a competitive advantage in the years ahead?

I love the future for accounting firms. I believe we are entering into an interesting transition period. I believe over the next 15 years, the face of accounting will change. We will see technology used even more than it is now.

For firms to stay competitive I believe that they should be doing 2 things.

Embracing technology on all fronts. From operating  virtually to marketing online, Accounting firms need to be comfortable here. The next generation of decisions makers and your successors operate that way.

Go deep. Niche marketing isn’t new, but its becoming increasingly more important because of how people buy professional services. There are still so many firms not embracing this concept. The firms doing this are flourishing.

Looking back to the beginning of your career, did you expect to see the level of success that you have and what do you know now that you wish you’d known back then?

Yes and no. I am what you would call a type A, so success is something I strive for. I don’t maintain or deal well with status quo very well. However, I am not sure I ever expected to be where I am today at such an early point in my career. I feel very fortunate and owe most of that to the people who have and continue to mentor me throughout the years. As far as I have come, I do believe I have so much more to accomplish and learn. It’s definitely a journey.

I hate to fail at anything, but it teaches me so much. I was taught failing was bad or frowned upon, but it is by far the best learning experience. Success in marketing and in business is half failure. 

Many young professionals complain of not really understanding what they need to do to make it to partner. What would be your counsel to them?

I would counsel them to take they bull by the horns and work on self development. Making partner is about becoming an asset to the organization. That doesn’t happen by just developing technical skills and it doesn’t happen form 9 to 5 M-F.  Young professionals wanting to make partner need to be able to lead, manage an develop business and show the firm they are invested. Most of todays partners didn’t grow up with a guide book to making partner, which is partially what is so difficult about the current transition CPA firms are facing. Stop waiting for them to hand you something and take the intiave to developing the skills that will position for the role.

Thank you very much for your time, Sarah and anyone wishing to learn more about Inovautus Consulting and the value they deliver can do so here at www.inovautus.com 

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