By: Chris Camara
For firm partners looking to hone their marketing and business development strategies, the Association for Accounting Marketing’s (AAM) 2025 Summit in Phoenix May 12-14 offered a guidebook for sustainable growth, stronger client relationships, and smarter internal and external communications. Whether you lead a regional powerhouse or a small, boutique practice, these top 10 takeaways from peers and thought leaders can help elevate your firm’s brand and business development approach.
1. Mind Your KBIs
DEI and marketing consultant Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk’s top takeaway was the value of pairing KPIs (key performance indicators, or what you measure) with KBIs (key behavioral indicators, or how you get there) to improve client experience. “KPIs without KBIs mean results with no clear playbook, while KBIs without KPIs show activity with no proven impact,” she said. To boost results, define desired outcomes, identify key behaviors, align both to the client journey and refine using real-time feedback. The lesson also resonated with Anne Angera, director of marketing at DunlapSLK: “Changing the way it’s done is more important than just measuring the numbers.”
2. Trust Is Built in Drops and Lost in Buckets
For Beth More, senior marketing director at Grassi, a standout quote from the Summit was: Trust is built in drops and lost in buckets. “And that applies across all relationships whether they’re inside your firm or outside your firm,” More said, referring to a presentation by Lori Langholz, principal and chief business development officer at BDO. Langholz reminded marketers that firm partners are trained to be analytical. “It’s important to understand that when they find something wrong, you’re going to lose that trust.”
3. Get Clear on Your Ideal Clients – and Build Relationships Through Research
Apoorv Dwivedi, CMO, Fixyr Marketing, highlighted insights from keynote speaker Keith Ferrazzi, researcher, entrepreneur and author of Never Eat Alone. “He was really inspiring about how even smaller firms with limited budgets can be very specific in putting together a list of the people that they want to do business with and how to go about doing that – by building relationships through value-added research.”
4. Balance AI and Human Connection
Laura Metz, AAM president and senior growth manager at HCVT, emphasized the importance of balancing the use of AI and human interactions. When a client says, “I have a problem,” firm leaders are often quick to offer a service solution, but they may simply need a referral, a connection or just a trusted conversation.
5. Turn Internal Culture into External Brand Strength
Alice Lerman, CGO at Roth & Co., was inspired by an informal conversation with a young marketer who launched an internal employee engagement survey – not only to understand what’s working and what’s not at the firm, but to position the firm as a top workplace.
6. Make Serving Others Your Growth Strategy
Caren Rodriguez, CMO of DMJPS CPAs and Advisors, took to heart Keith Ferrazzi’s reminder that true business development is about being in service to others. “Use that as your mission, your vision and your guiding principle,” she said.
7. Progress Beats Perfection
Katie Minion, a CPA and freelance writer, pointed out that too many firm partners hesitate to take action for fear of not getting it exactly right. But today’s clients and prospects respond to authenticity over polish, as was shown during the frequent and sometimes-messy live interactions with clients during the COVID pandemic that ended up building rapport. “Don’t worry about perfection, just be authentic.”
8. Create Staff Personas to Improve Internal Communication
Rachael McGrew, marketing director at Landmark CPAs, took away an innovative idea: build internal profiles for your team the same way you would for clients. Entry-level staff, managers and partners all consume information differently and share different concerns. Understanding those preferences can help tailor communications across generations.
9. Think About What Won’t Change
Keynote speaker Pascal Finette, former eBay and Mozilla executive, and founder and CEO of be radical group, reminded attendees that while it’s important to stay ahead of change and disruption, it’s even more important to remember how the job you do for your customers stays the same. For Amazon, it’s low prices and quick delivery. For Netflix, it’s watching movies from the comfort of your own home. For accountants, it’s complying with the regulations and saving money on taxes.
10. Take (Some) Risk
Alex Drost, managing principal of Connection Builders, delivered a hard truth: Accounting firms are often risk-averse and would rather take dollars out of the business than reinvest them, but he encourages firm leaders to experiment without guarantees. “You have to be willing to take a little more risk to be able to unlock growth.”
Final Thoughts for Firm Leaders
With more than 40 speakers and dozens of educational sessions, networking events and keynotes, the AAM Summit made clear that accounting firm marketing today is less about flashy tactics and more about strategic clarity, human connection and authenticity. Leadership in these areas – internally and externally – can give your firm a competitive edge.
Chris Camara, a Rhode Island-based writer and editor, has been reporting on the accounting profession for 20 years. She has a deep knowledge of the issues and priorities of public accounting firms and clients, managing partners and C-suite executives.
