In the worlds of finance and accounting, complex rules, regs, jargon and acronyms dominate the landscape. This complexity — some would say leads to hubris — only makes it harder for you to communicate with clients, prospects and even your young team members. To avoid falling into the complexity trap, a simple yet effective approach has emerged; it's called the "Call Your Mom" strategy.
The Call Your Mom strategy encourages you to seek feedback from someone outside your professional circle. It should be someone who isn't mired in industry jargon; someone you can count on to tell you the unvarnished truth about whether something you're attempting is good or not. It's about finding a fresh perspective — the way you would try to explain to your mother a new product or service you're rolling out. Would she understand it? Would she use it? This approach is rooted in the idea that if someone outside the financial world cannot grasp your message, then it's unlikely to resonate with a broader audience.
The limitations of traditional feedback
Typically, when CPAs roll out a new service, change their fees or introduce a significant policy, they turn to advisory boards or internal team discussions. While these methods have their merits, they also have limitations. Advisory boards can be echo chambers, reinforcing what you already believe rather than challenging it. Internal team discussions also tend to succumb to tunnel vision, as teams within the same industry often share a similar mindset.
The beauty of the Call Your Mom strategy lies in its simplicity and directness. It circumvents the "
A real-world example
Imagine you're sending out a newsletter to clients about a new financial planning service your firm is offering. You run it by your team and everyone tells you it's great. But when you explain the new service to your mother, she's confused and a little skeptical. She doesn't understand the service, what its key benefits are, or how it's relevant to her financial situation. This should be a red flag that you need to simplify your language about the new service and make your message more relatable to clients and prospects.
Most professionals find it easy to fall back on industry jargon and acronyms when explaining important accounting, tax and financial concepts. Clients aren't impressed by all the jargon you use. If you pay attention to their body language, you can see you're losing them. The Call Your Mom strategy reminds us that our communication should be accessible to everyone, not just to our inner circle.
Implementing the strategy
To adopt the Call Your Mom strategy, find someone in your life who matches your client demographic, but who isn't a financial professional. If your mom isn't available, it could be your spouse, a close friend or a peer from a professional networking group. Run your communications by them and pay close attention to their reactions. Are they confused or intrigued? Are they skeptical? Do they understand the value of what you're offering? Use this feedback to refine your message.
As I discussed in my recent article about the
In an industry that thrives on complexity, the Call Your Mom strategy is a great reality check to use before going live with your next client communication effort. By adopting this approach, CPAs can ensure their services and messages resonate with a wider audience, making both client engagement and referrals more likely.
What's your process for handling client communication at your firm? I'd
