How did this proadvisor build a waiting list of clients?

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I know what you’re thinking… the very thought of a “waiting list” is bizarre.

Shouldn’t you always take the work?

Is that how you grow…never say “no” to any prospect?

In our interview with Ingrid Edstrom, a Firm of the Future advisor, we asked her how (or

perhaps more importantly… WHY) she has a client waiting list.

During the conversation, she said a few key points:

  • She wanted to get her foundation in place (mission, vision, values, team, workflow, service offerings) together before they added more clients
  • She wanted to make sure she was providing GREAT service to existing clients
  • She wanted to give her team ownership in the firm

A few points that are really important here:

Ingrid KNOWS the type of client they want to do business with, and have no problem saying they’re not a good fit (ie perhaps they’re in an industry they don’t typically work with) and even referring them to a fellow proadvisor.

She wanted to set up her firm to scale in a smart, controlled manner. Meaning she didn’t want to grow so fast that their quality of service suffered.

And finally, she wanted to make sure the team, clients, and processes were all aligned before adding more clients.

It takes a very disciplined owner to say “no” or even add a waiting list, but if you look at the long term impact of this, I imagine Ingrid and her team is going to have a long term, ultra successful firm because they are willing to be patient, they obsess over how to serve clients, and they make sure they are working with the right client for their firm.

So the next time you feel the need to say “yes” to all clients and prospects, be sure to take a deep breathe and ask yourself… are we ready to grow?

David Cristello is the Founder and CEO of Jetpack Workflow, a recurring client management

and workflow application for Accounting firms. He’s also the host of Growing Your Firm Podcast, where top practitioners share their tips and strategies on how they’re increasing profits, managing and recruiting team members, adding new profit centers, and much more. You can learn more at https://jetpackworkflow.com