How to Use a Health Check to Generate Leads and Win Clients

Health Checks, or File Reviews, are a great tool to generate leads and create winning proposals for any bookkeeping or accounting business.

Offering complimentary or low cost Health Checks to potential clients is a great way to generate awareness and interest in the services you offer, communicate your value, and establish the foundations of (hopefully) a long term relationship.

Conducting Health Checks during the client acquisition stage can also provide important insight into other aspects of a potential client's business. For example, it may shed light on how the business operates (including their business ethics), and the level of financial literacy of the owner or key decision makers. This can in-turn contribute to a more informed, relevant, and successful proposal.

When Creating a Health Check to Generate Leads

• Identify a real pain point facing your Ideal Clients. 
• Flesh out the problem and identify key markers that the business owner may be experiencing in relation to it. 
• Create a customised health check that surfaces the problem and the key markers / characteristics that the potential client may be experiencing. You’re essentially holding the mirror up to them and asking – does this look like you? Anything look familiar? 

• Provide them with a Health Check Report - a snapshot of the problem, the impact, and the desired alternative outcome.

The offer and sign-up mechanism can be communicated across a number of channels, such as: 

• Website homepage and landing pages  
• Social Media Platforms 
• Networking Groups relevant to your Ideal Clients 

• Industry sectors relevant to your Niche 
• Business Expos and Events 
• Referral Networks 

When Conducting a Health Check to Create Winning Proposals

Health Checks (or File Reviews) are great tools to use as part of your Discovery & Proposal process. It can help unearth the real problems facing a prospective client and demonstrate your knowledge and value to them. 

Being able to quickly assess the business and highlight any areas of concern provides priceless insight, which you can draw on in your proposal.   

3 Components of a Health Check Report

Once you have conducted the Health Check and compiled your findings, provide a summary to the potential client in the form of a Health Check Report. There are 3 primary components to include:

• The Problem - Reinforce the area reviewed and problem identified. Include a summary of the markers / symptoms they are experiencing. 
• The Impact - Explain the impact that these problems are having on their business, or can have in the immediate, short-term or long-term future if they are not addressed. You may be surprised by how many business owners are oblivious to serious problems, or don’t understand the impact they can have. 
• The Outcome - Paint a picture of what their business/life would look like if this problem was rectified. Communicate the tangible and intangible benefits that the client would experience if this problem no longer existed. 

It's important not to provide The Solution in the report. The Health Check and subsequent Report highlight the desired outcome, and the need for the services and the value you can provide, without providing the solution. The Solution is reserved for when they become a paying client.

Discover more valuable insights from multi-award winning Bookkeeping mentor, course creator, and Bookwiz Academy founder Martine Hoosen on her blog and learn from a trusted Australian industry leader.