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Refine your cloud proposition
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Refine your cloud proposition

Your cloud proposition 2: The proposition

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9th Dec 2016
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The second instalment of Richard Sergeant’s practical roadmap to cloud implementation tackles the basics: what are you trying to achieve and what do you want to offer clients?

If strategy is about setting out the ground rules and deciding policy, then refining your proposition is getting to the point around what you are trying to achieve and for whom.

If you already have clients using cloud systems or have a service in place, this part of the process will help you test how clearly your proposition is being articulated and identify further opportunities and refinements in a methodical way.

Thinking clearly about what kind of clients you are going to focus on (either by type, sector, service or even attitude) will unlock your approach and influence future decisions.

Heather Townsend, director of Excedia, explains: “Do you really have a client proposition, or are you still talking about attracting clients from broad swathes of the marketplace like SMEs, owner-managed businesses or high net wealth individuals?

“An effective client proposition is normally a very tightly defined, narrow sector of the marketplace and gives your clients a reason to work with you beyond your fees.”

Identifying your targets then is the cornerstone of the approach. This is usually best managed through working as a group internally (with a facilitator if possible), mapping out types of clients that you currently service or would like to.

Working through each type will quickly reveal which offer the most potential.

Concentrating on these client groups and identifying the challenges they face and how you will help overcome them will drive everything from software choices to marketing strategies and onboarding.

“Delving into the business challenges of your niche and becoming very knowledgeable in their business terminology will help you to identify where you can add value and how to translate that into services. Getting to know the software choices should be a clear second,” says BlueHub MD Matt Flannagan.

Once you have worked through your chosen client groups, you need to be able to explain your decision simply and clearly. Write a three-paragraph summary that outlines the proposition for each chosen client type and how this proposition would be expressed to clients and communicated to staff.

This in the round approach will ensure you have the building blocks to tell others what your approach is and what the benefits will be.

Whether it is a firm-wide revolution, a focus on a specific sector or an ambition to create a whole new separate brand, having a clear expression of your proposition will help others understand how they will contribute to success.

Cloud proposition action points

  1. Identify which types of clients offer the best opportunity
  2. Clarify their business challenges and how you overcome them
  3. Be clear about the role cloud will play
  4. Distil into propositions that can be shared and easily understood
  5. Test with real clients (covered in the next instalment)

For more details about how to clarify your firm’s cloud strategy, download Richard Sergeant’s free guide ‘How to create your firm’s cloud proposition’ at www.cloudproposition.co.uk. The 52-page guide presents a practical framework to guide accounting firms through their cloud journey. This vendor-neutral initiative was produced in association with ICAS, and supported by FreeAgent.

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