7 Essentials For Brilliant Accountancy Partnerships
Ben Foulds
![Ben Foulds]()
Ben Foulds
Sales and Marketing Director @ HDUK - Hosted Desktop /Digital Transformation /Cloud Hosting /Application Hosting Specialists
A group of senior accountancy figures suddenly cornered me at a national accountancy event (you know the one).
They had me.
They had questions and they wanted answers…now!
It sounds dramatic, doesn’t it?
It happens all the time.
I would be concerned and disappointed if you didn’t have questions for me.
One of the best parts of my job is getting out of the office and meeting you all.
I frequently get asked questions about our partnerships.
You know, the people we work with to build a complete proposition for you.
At HDUK we partner with many different businesses.
We work with global giants and smaller niche UK companies.
HDUK always evaluates any potential partnership before we offer it to the accountancy sector.
Is it needed?
Will this move the needle?
Will it help you beat your competition?
(You want to beat them and win clients from them, right?)
If they pass the test - they will make a difference to you.
So I get questions like…..
What is coming up?
Who’s doing what?
Anything exciting?
All great questions.
So today I thought I would delve into our partnerships and share some of our “must-haves”.
In 2024 it’s hard to survive in a competitive b2b marketplace without having some help.
Having an edge. An advantage.
At HDUK these seven points are key to any successful relationship.
To fast-track your business it pays to partner with people with a vast amount of experience in your sector.
Just because someone can turn on a tap doesn’t make them a plumber.
Join forces with people who share the same values.
This is exactly what HDUK has done.
For over ten years, we have been working with the best.
Why?
We do it so you can gain leverage to solutions that you normally wouldn’t have access to.
This gives you a commercial advantage because we aggregate these relationships.
Which helps to drive down the cost to you.
Ok, here is the first of the seven.
Trust.
You can’t have any kind of meaningful partnership without it.
A partnership built on trust leads to open dialogue.
Number two on the list is whether we can make it cost-effective.
Will your investment have a fast ROI?
No point in spending time and money on developing solutions that are just too expensive.
In the b2b market being competitive is simply a basic fundamental.
Your clients demand both value and service from you.
Ok, number three. We focus on you.
The accountancy businesses all across the UK.
With different skills and all different sizes but with one thing in common.
An overriding desire to do more.
We all have a vast amount of experience across the sector.
It’s shared knowledge and it’s come from listening to you.
We want to deliver a win/win/win.
For you and your clients.
Number four. Keep our promises.
Sounds easy.
It’s not.
When HDUK forms a partnership, we both strive to deliver on our promises.
We set out to deliver consistent meaningful business solutions that add tangible benefits to you.
That doesn’t mean we can pat ourselves on the back and say the job is done.
We can always do more.
So a key ingredient is to stay hungry and never feel completely satisfied.
We never reach the horizon.
Many strategic partnerships can only succeed if there is a lack of alignment of goals and objectives.
This brings me nicely into number five (nearly finished).
A true partnership will navigate the difficult waters together when things don't go well.
Carry out an audit and learn from it.
In a word, stickability.
Who would you want next to you as you hack your way through the jungle with a machete?
We’re both committed to driving technology solutions that make a difference in the accountancy sector.
For me, number six is loyalty.
A commitment.
An ongoing positive relationship between two companies dedicated to the sector.
Which brings me back to the culture of trust and transparency.
All these are interlinked, I’m sure you noticed.
You can’t have one without the other.
Number seven must be growth.
After all, what is the value of all previous virtues if it doesn’t deliver increased opportunity and growth?
We exist to help you move forward.
We don’t view partnerships as a simple opportunistic way to deal with a current challenge but look to define a broader partner strategy.
Great partnerships don’t work on automatic pilot, they need proactive management and development.
Then it becomes a long-standing worthwhile partnership with value for everyone.
I also have to recognise that at HDUK I need to improve my communication with you.
What are we working on?
How will it benefit you both today and in the future?
You have my word we will improve this area but please do still corner me at accountancy events!
GTM Expert! Founder/CEO Full Throttle Falato Leads - 25 years of Enterprise Sales Experience - Lead Generation and Recruiting Automation, US Air Force Veteran, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt, Muay Thai, Saxophonist
2moBen, thanks for sharing! I am hosting a live monthly roundtable every first Wednesday at 11am EST to trade tips and tricks on how to build effective revenue strategies. I would love to have you be one of my special guests! We will review topics such as: -LinkedIn Automation: Using Groups and Events as anchors -Email Automation: How to safely send thousands of emails and what the new Google and Yahoo mail limitations mean -How to use thought leadership and MasterMind events to drive top-of-funnel -Content Creation: What drives meetings to be booked, how to use ChatGPT and Gemini effectively Please join us by using this link to register: https://forms.gle/iDmeyWKyLn5iTyti8