Q&A

Sally Glick

Sally Glick is business development advisor at CLA (Clifton Larson Allen LLP) since SobelCo combined with CLA in February 2023. She has been named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting by Accounting Today, one of the most Powerful Women in Public Accounting by CPA Practice Advisor, the 2003 AAM Marketer of the Year and was inducted into the AAM Hall of Fame in 2007. She began her career working for her father, a sole practitioner CPA. At the time, her best technology tool was a fax machine and accountants were prohibited from marketing. She reflects on her years in the industry and the unifying thread that ties marketing in the 1980s to the 2020s in the digital age.

With growing talent and succession concerns, firm mergers and consolidations are an industry trend. What does industry consolidation mean for marketers?

When firms merge there can be more opportunity for marketers. Larger, national firms often provide many pathways for career progression. You may be designing an ad for somewhere halfway around the country. But depending on your personality, you may not enjoy being a part of a bigger organization. If you like that small, cozy attitude and small team, you can miss it. If you use a different lens, though, you can see that you now have the benefit of a deeper, richer, broader spectrum of talent to lean on.

What was it like when you first started in this discipline, what has happened over time and what’s it like today?

I got into helping my dad, who was a sole practitioner CPA before it was legal for accountants to market their services. He said to me, “I have time to serve more clients, but no time to find them. Go find them.” This was before the internet. This was when you joined the chamber of commerce, you’d go to banks and look for small clients who didn’t know how to do budgets or read financial statements, etc. He’d present topics using a projector. We printed and mailed newsletters. We knocked on doors.

The things that mattered most for the last 50 years have not changed. Today we may do a webinar or podcast, but we’re still talking to and sharing information with clients and prospects. What hasn’t changed is the caring, the handholding and the nurturing of our clients. Being the trusted advisor and building relationships is still the key to marketing, regardless of how technology changes.

Many consider you a pioneer of accounting marketing. What opportunities did you see for yourself and for firms?

The 1987 ruling that made accounting marketing legal made our role legitimate. Before that ruling, everything was very low key. We were building relationships, but we couldn’t use logos or firm names. CPAs even answered the phone with their phone number. We knocked on the doors of banks and were chamber of commerce members. We got to know people and built these strategic alliances. After the ruling it really meant you weren’t going to be alone in the mix. As this profession has grown, it has been exciting to see all the paths that have opened up for marketers.

How do marketers gain a seat at the firm’s leadership table for strategic planning?

You need to be seen as a leader and decision maker. The trick is to believe you are a decision maker and to have the emotional intelligence and confidence to know that. Don’t wait with your hand out, saying, “I didn’t know what you wanted.” Instead, say, “Here is what I believe we need. Here are some things that I suggest we do.” To be seen as a leader you need to show your strategic thinking. Also, you need to be involved with and knowledgeable about your community. The more people you know, the more of an asset you can become to your firm. These are ways to prove yourself and show that you belong at the table.

Interview by Jaqueline Harnevious