Acquiring a crack accounting website design is a wonderful means to impress both clients and prospects, but it can be a considerably more powerful prospecting instrument if you take the time to individualize it!

The one most common misapprehension most accountants and website designers make when building their websites is failing to accurately identify what prospects are looking for in a CPA. As a result numerous CPA websites interpret as stuffy and neutral. To really convert new clients you have to re-examine your assumptions and revisit the primary question, "What are prospects genuinely looking for?".

That's easy, right? Your prospects are looking for the best accountant for the best price.

That seems pretty self-evident, doesn't it?

Believe it or not… that's wrong! I mean it's the most rational answer, sure. Even the prospect thinks that what he's looking for. But study after study has been done on this and they have determined an equally obvious fact that we all already know, but most of us overlook when we're marketing.

People aren't entirely rational creatures. You can be the best accountant on the planet an slash your costs in half, but if you can't overcome the prospects fear of strangers you're going nowhere fast. This fear is compounded by the intimacy of the relationship between you and your clients. Keep in mind the old joke, "Only God knows a man better than his accountant." Well trust me on this one… only accountants find that funny… Well… and probably God. To everyone else it's just plain intimidating.

The best way to overcome the "terrifying stranger" factor is to get the prospect to LIKE you. Now this principle applies to all your marketing efforts; and I want you to keep it in mind from now on whenever you're interacting with prospects and contacts either personally or through ad media; but how exactly do you apply this principle to your accounting website design?

Well I'm going to give you a list of practical steps to go over, but what it boils down to is simply...

Likability Matters

What's the point of convincing me how great you are if I'm too shy to call you afterwards?

This, by the way, is one of the many reasons your accounting website is such a great marketing tool. People who are afraid to call you are a lost sale unless you give them another avenue to contact you, a route that doesn't require as much intestinal fortitude, to check you out! Well your website is a perfect portal for these sales. It gives the prospect a real chance to get to know you before committing to a phone call.

Some Practical Design Tips for Your Website:

Include pictures

Add pictures of your staff and yourself. You don't have to be pretty. If the visitor feels he knows the person picking up the phone he's much more likely to call, and knowing what you look like will help them cultivate a sense of familiarity.

Be a Person

Personally I love football. That's a possible personal connection. If you're a fan too I'm going to be inclined to like you! What are your interests? Dogs? Do you play tennis? Are you into mountain climbing? Surfing? Skiing? Clubs… Business organizations… Religious organizations… Charities you are involved with. All these things open the door for a personal connection and that personal connection is key to making your prospect feel comfortable with sharing his most intimate life's details with us.

Show Trust

You first. Accounting is a trust based profession, and trust is a two way street. Show your prospect some trust on a personal level. Not only does this make it more likely that you will get an initial contact, it also improves your odds of landing a sale. It's just the way people think. Very few people make decisions intellectually. They make the decision emotionally and then rationalize it.

Don't be a Wise Guy

Nobody like a wise guy. Resist the temptation to make your content too smart. Don't write over the prospects head. Don't lecture or talk down to your visitor. If you're lucky you'll just bore your customer, but if you make your visitor feel frustrated, confused, or stupid you'll only aggravate the fear factor. Dumb it down a little for us normal folks. We really don't care about the details. If we understood what the heck you were talking about we wouldn't need you in the first place. We just want you to git-'er-done so we can back to running our lives and businesses.

Your CPA site is a marketing goldmine, but the more you grasp about using it appropriately the more wealth it will make you. Take some time to individualize your site. You will not regret it.

Brian O'Connell is the owner and founder of CPA Site Solutions, one of the country's largest businesses dedicated exclusively to accounting website design. His firm presently provides websites for more than 4000 CPA, accounting, and tax preparation firms.