Practice Paradox

You can click here to view a recording of this webinar

Our webinar last Thursday was entitled, Play to Your Strengths: Why Some Accountants Can Sell, Most Can’t, and How to Assess Your Own Potential. We covered a model which overlays the DiSC® profiling system regarding communication styles with the Minding, Grinding, Finding and Reminding concepts.

We each have our own strengths and weaknesses. This means (1) we should focus on those tasks we are naturally suited to, and (2) we should not expect ourselves (or our team members) to perform roles that they “are not cut out for” – why teach elephants to dance, as the saying goes? Sadly, this often happens in the area of rainmaking (marketing and selling) where team members are expected to perform a role (e.g. finding new clients and/or up-selling existing clients onto additional services) that they are neither suited for, nor trained in. This sets everyone up for stress and disappointment.

DiSC profiling is a useful tool for working out who within your firm should focus on Minding, Grinding, Finding or Reminding. It’s common for people to be good at two of these roles. Rarely do you find someone who is good at three of them. No-one is good at all four of them.

You need to know your communication profile (DiSC is one of a variety of tools of this type), and you need to know your team members’ profiles. Know thyself. Know your team.

Is the message that accountants cannot sell? Absolutely not! Many can. The point is, identify who in your firm has potential to be good at it, then get them training in professional selling skills … and do this on an ongoing basis.

You can click here to view a recording of this webinar