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9am Lowdown
AccountingWEB

9am Lowdown: Brexit, attracting new clients, & AAT

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22nd Mar 2017
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Welcome to the mid-week Lowdown. How's the week been for you so far? In the news this morning, the House of Lords sub-committee warns of a no EU trade deal scenario and we bring you some insightful advice from the AccountingWEB community. 

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Community: Attracting new clients

Once you’ve set up a new practice the next thing on the agenda is finding those all-important clients. But for one AccountingWEB member this process feels like it is happening “rather slowly”.

If you’re in a similar predicament you should follow the Attracting new clients thread over on Any Answers. Although the member dabbles with Facebook, Twitter and a website, AccountingWEB regular Glennzy recommended they invest in Google Adwords and Facebook adverts to produce results quickly. “If your website is decent you will need to get it up on Google rankings, this costs and takes time also,” he advised.

Meanwhile, AccountingWEB practitioner Marks said in an extensive post that the member should consider setting up a few sales funnel channel, including direct mailing, social media and strengthening SEO on their website. And they should think about their ideal clients and differentiating themselves from their competitors.

This is a really useful thread for anyone looking for new ways to gain referrals and clients.   

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Peers say no trade deal would cause “serious harm”

A no-deal scenario or a UK-EU trade deal without consideration towards non- financial services would risk “serious harm” to sectors such as professional business and digital, the latest House of Lords Brexit report has concluded.

Lord Whitty, chairman of the EU internal market sub-committee, said that trade with the EU is critical to the UK economy because it creates such things as employment andwe can’t afford to lose that”.

“To protect the UK’s status as a global leader of trade in services, the Government will need to secure the most comprehensive FTA that has ever been agreed with the EU. Walking away from negotiations without a deal would badly damage UK plc, particularly in sectors such as aviation and broadcasting which have no WTO rules to fall back on.

Therefore, Whitty added that the government must prioritise securing a transitional trading arrangement with the EU. The committee concluded that, in negotiating a UK-EU FTA, the government should seek to secure market access.

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AAT signs the women in finance charter

AAT has become the first accountancy body to sign up to the women in finance charter.

Firms that commit to the women in finance charter pledge to build greater gender balance in financial services. The Treasury introduced the charter last year to support the progression of women into senior roles. AAT recently added its voice to gender equality in business by holding a roundtable to discuss how employers could tackle the gender pay gap.

Olivia Hill, AAT’s Chief HR officer, said: “We are proud to be the first accountancy body to have signed the Women in Finance Charter. AAT has been at the very heart of encouraging gender diversity across the accountancy and finance profession and through signing, we are demonstrating our ongoing commitment to this important cause.”

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