Growing client base by 19x in six months
Discover how Santi Accounting acquired 142 new clients in six months while saving 40 hours a week in admin by balancing automation with personalised service.
“Ignition has allowed me to be confident with my prices. The way the Ignition proposal is packaged and professionally presented helps my clients see value in my services. I’m able to get even my most fee-conscious clients across the line.”
Mia Stirling, Founder, Santi Accounting
When everyone is focused on providing run-of-the-mill accounting and compliance work, sometimes it pays to do things differently. With the “same old” approach from a previous firm fresh in her mind, Mia Stirling opted for a more personalised model when she set up Santi Accounting in 2021 – putting her clients and their goals at the centre of her business.
This dedication to her clients has paid off. In just six months, Mia has built a strong reputation for service and a bank of more than 150 recurring clients. We spoke to Mia about how she’s managed this incredible growth, and the role Ignition has played in helping create a first-class client experience, while relieving the burden of administration.
The Challenge: expanding without sacrificing quality
Mia began her firm with eight clients on the books. She had big ambitions to grow, but didn’t want to take on the expense of an admin employee, and knew she didn’t have the time to handle it all herself.
Also top of mind was a strong commitment to providing a great client experience. Since Mia had decided to service her clients on a monthly subscription-based model with all-inclusive packages, she needed to be able to keep in close contact, ensuring she was meeting their goals, and providing a personalised client experience.
Mia knew she’d need help from a client engagement platform to help her achieve this mix of automation and personalisation. Having heard of Ignition at a previous firm, Mia decided it was the right platform to help her achieve her client growth goals.
"When starting my accounting business I spent a lot of time getting the foundations right. Signing up to Ignition was key to this process.”
The Solution: Ignition proposal templates and automated workflows
Using Ignition's ready-made templates, Mia was able to quickly establish herself as a professional and efficient operation, while still being able to put her signature touch on each client interaction.
“It’s so quick and easy to get started with Ignition. I used the engagement letter templates from the get-go and I also love using the proposal templates to get ideas for customising my own proposals.”
Since using Ignition, Mia has found her clients are reviewing the proposal in more detail, looking closely at the services summary, and asking questions where needed. This gives her clients clarity and confidence in the services they will be receiving and sets the relationship up for success from the start.
“Ignition helps me win clients by giving my proposals a point of difference. My clients often tell me how professional the proposals are and how great their experience was during engagement. That positive feedback means a lot to me.”
On top of that, Ignition has saved Mia 40 hours a week on admin as well as the associated costs of employing someone, while integrations help automate workflows like invoicing and job deployment in XPM.
“With Ignition I can avoid wasting 40 hours a week on admin like preparing service packages, going back and forth with clients over email, and chasing up payments.”
Since implementing Ignition, Mia’s business growth has skyrocketed, with 142 new clients acquired in the first six months. Mia finds using the Proposal Options feature as well as upfront payments helps her grow her revenue while avoiding the awkward money conversations.