Turn Advisory Into Your Firm's Growth Engine

Only 15% of SMEs See Their Accountant as a “Key Strategic Partner” – Where Do You Stand?
Have you read the commentary from Intuit QuickBooks on the SMB Navigator Report 2025?

The report surveyed 500 small business operators and asked them to rate their accountants based on the level of services they were receiving.

This is exactly how accounting firms across Australia want to be perceived.

But here is the confronting reality.

Only 15% of surveyed SMEs said their accountant met this standard.

The Perception Gap

In a separate 2025 survey conducted by a highly experienced Chartered Accountant, accountants themselves estimated that 80% of their clients would rate them very highly.

So which is it?

✅ Do 80% of clients believe their accountant is a strategic partner?
✅ Or is the real number closer to 15%?

Unless those surveyed accountants were exclusively in that top 15%, there is a significant perception gap between what firms believe they deliver and what clients actually experience.

And that gap represents both a risk – and an extraordinary opportunity.

Compliance Is No Longer Enough

You already know this:

✅ Compliance work is increasingly commoditised
✅ Margins are tightening
✅ Technology is automating traditional services

SMEs are under pressure:

✅ Many are not profitable
✅ Many owners earn less than the average wage
✅ Many work harder each year for diminishing returns

Yet most business owners do not fully understand that their accountant can deliver structured advisory services that materially improve performance.

They don’t know.

Which means you must start the conversation.

Advisory Services Are Sold – Not Bought

This is the turning point.

Advisory is not something clients wake up wanting to purchase.

It must be positioned.

It must be explained.

It must be connected to outcomes that matter.

The real question is not:

“Do you want forecasting or benchmarking?”

The real question is:

❓ What can the business owner do now that they couldn’t do before?
❓ Do they have more clarity?
❓ More profit?
❓ More time?
❓ More lifestyle freedom?

You are not selling reports.

You are selling change.

And people are naturally resistant to change – unless they clearly understand the benefit.

What Does It Take to Become a Key Strategic Partner?

To earn that 15% classification – and move beyond it – firms need:

✅ Structured advisory systems
✅ Benchmarking capability
✅ Profit improvement tools
✅ Commercial conversation skills
✅ Confidence in pricing and value communication
✅ A clear referral and retention strategy

Technical skill alone is no longer enough.

Leadership and positioning matter.

Sales competence matters.

Confidence matters.

A Practical Solution: Sales Coaching for Accountants

That is why we are introducing a powerful opportunity in collaboration with The Boss Factor Library.

For a modest monthly investment, two of Australia’s top sales training coaches – Trevor Marchant and Eve Dallas – will coach you one-to-one on how to:

✅ Sell advisory services (any service)
✅ Attract high-quality referral clients
✅ Build retention strategies to protect your best relationships
✅ Position yourself as the trusted advisor — not just the tax preparer

And they guarantee their work.

This is not generic sales training.

It is specifically designed for accountants, bookkeepers and business advisory firms.

The Advisory Infrastructure You Need

At the same time, ESS BIZTOOLS provides the structured advisory framework to support delivery.

The Starter Package includes:

✅ 320 explanatory papers across 60 subject headings (branded with your firm’s details)
✅ Practical flowcharts (including R&D guidance)
✅ Business advisory product packages
✅ Training modules for your team
✅ Client Mentoring and Coaching modules
✅ Fee setting spreadsheet to determine targeted profit and charge-out rates
✅ Business sale worksheets to maximise client exit value
✅ Debtors’ Management resources
✅ Tradie Charge-Out Rate Calculator
✅ Business Plus Newsletters

This is the system.

This is the structure.

This is how advisory becomes embedded – not accidental.

A Special Package Designed to Help You Reach “Key Strategic Partner” Status

We are offering a combined opportunity:

This integrated solution combines:

✅ Sales capability
✅ Advisory systems
✅ Structured resources
✅ Practical implementation support

Everything required to move your firm toward genuine Key Strategic Partner recognition.

EXPLORE THE BOSS FACTOR LIBRARY AND SUBSCRIBE HERE

The Real Question

If only 15% of SMEs currently see their accountant as a Key Strategic Partner…

Will your firm be in that 15% next year?

Or will you lead the next wave that moves the benchmark higher?

The profession is changing.

Clients are expecting more.

Visit our website – www.essbiztools.com.au – to discover the detailed overview of the services provided by ESS BIZTOOLS. You are also welcome to contact us on 0418 190 181 or email .

Free Webinars by ESS BIZTOOLS

Live Webinar with TaxFitness

📅 Friday 6 March | 11am AEST - REGISTER HERE

📅 Friday 20 March | 11am AEST - REGISTER HERE

Live Webinar with The Boss Factor Library

📅 Friday 13 March | 11am AEST - REGISTER HERE

ESS BIZTOOLS Podcast

Only 15% of SMEs rate their accountant as a Key Strategic Partner. Why is that – and how do we change it?

In this episode of Accountants Minute Podcast, Peter Towers (ESS BIZTOOLS) and Trevor Marchant (The Boss Factor Library) unpack what it truly means to move beyond compliance and become your client’s go-to advisor for growth, strategy and innovation. From debtors management and cash flow forecasting, to R&D Tax Incentives and capital raising, this episode explores the missed opportunities sitting inside most accounting firms – and how to confidently communicate, package and deliver them.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST

Listen to more Accountants Minute Podcast episodes here

You’re invited to join us in the following upcoming live podcasts:

Live Podcast with TaxFitness

📅 Thursday 12 March | 11am AEST - REGISTER HERE

Live Podcast with The Boss Factor Library

📅 Thursday 5 March | 11am AEST - REGISTER HERE

📅 Thursday 19 March | 11am AEST - REGISTER HERE

Want to know more?

Visit www.essbiztools.com.au.

If you would like to have a discussion about how this concept of virtual CFO services can be supplied by Australian accounting firms please ring our Managing Director, Peter Towers, on 0418 190 181 and we will arrange a complimentary 45-minute Zoom meeting to discuss your firm’s position and to give you our advice.

We believe that this is the blueprint for the delivery of an enhanced range of services by Australian Accounting and Bookkeeping firms to assist SME businesses to add value to their businesses and to assist accountants and bookkeepers not only to attract but to retain outstanding talent who want to be involved in the delivery of “real accounting services”.

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