Segment 3. Consultancy and accountancy
Partners, practice MDs and the independent expert. Consultancy: boutique and mid-size firms, independents and fractional executives; about 5,455 with 10 to 249 staff; direct for owner-led firms, considered where partners agree (1 to 4 months, not measured); Holly default Suggest. Accountancy: practices outside the largest firms; about 3,565 with 10 to 249 staff; usually considered; Holly default Observe (D8); Accountex London, 12 to 13 May 2027 (walk it, do not exhibit).
Care about. Work comes in on a person's name. Partners are too busy billing, and their posts read like press releases. The partner wants reputation without selling; accountancy partners also worry about professional behaviour and confidentiality in public. Triggers: a big engagement ends with a thin pipeline; partner joins, leaves or retires; tender season; a quiet quarter after a busy one.
Opening"When work comes in, it comes in on a person's name, doesn't it? People buy you. So what is your name doing for the firm in the weeks you're too busy doing the actual work?"
Key discovery. Where did your last three pieces of new work come from, and whose name started each? What would you never want to see in a post from someone at the firm (this finds the rules)? How many partners would genuinely post if it took a few minutes?
Demo. The moment: "Draft a post on [the client issue they mentioned], for finance directors, no selling, in [demo voice]." Mark up and apply in one pass (their craft). "Turn this morning's top story from the [sector] feed into a short post with a view on it." Demo rules such as "never name a client", "never give tax advice in a post", "never comment on a client's results", with one line flagged.
Objections
| Objection | Answer |
|---|---|
| "I'm not a marketing person and I hate posting." | "You're exactly who this is for. You never face a blank page: Holly writes the first version from what's happening in your clients' world. Your job is to read it, change what you'd change and decide. If you can review a letter before it goes out, you can do this." |
| "Won't it sound like a robot wrote it?" | "It's built from your own writing, and you can mark up any line. It's strongest with a body of writing to learn from; if there isn't one, there's a five-minute guided interview. I won't call it undetectable. I'll say it starts from your own writing and gets closer every time you edit." |
| "Client confidentiality worries me." | "Rightly. You can turn your own rules into checks on every post, such as never naming a client, and require approval for anyone you choose. It's a second pair of eyes; the judgement stays with your people." |
| "We'll just use ChatGPT." | "Everybody has the writing now. The difference is that the second one is you, and the first one has no idea who read it, or whether it broke your policy." |
| "How do I know it pays back?" | "No marketing platform proves revenue, and I won't pretend this one does. Worked illustration, and I'm labelling it as exactly that, because I'm not going to pretend this is a forecast: a ghostwriter is about £1,800 a month for three posts a week for one person. This is [open band price] a seat for each of you. If one piece of work a year starts with someone reading a partner's post, what's that worth at your fees?" |
Also: "I don't want to look like I'm selling." "Good: the posts that work for people like you teach a client something, they don't sell."
Offer and path. Owner-led or independent: open founding band, payment at sign-up, onboarding, 30-day review. Partnerships: considered; a slot at the partners' meeting or a one-page summary for the champion. First success, for example "each partner posts once a week for a quarter without anyone chasing".
Compliance and not to say. Accountants work under their professional body's ethics codes; the firm decides how they apply. Never imply a post is compliant with any professional code. Consultancies working for public bodies may have contractual limits on publicity: ask. Never say "a marketing department in one login" as a promise that replaces people, "one new client covers years of it", "you'll recognise some of the names", or name any client or professional body endorsement.