FAQ - Reputation-to-Growth Accelerator (RtGA)

Accounting and advisory leaders may have the following questions before making a decision to invest in the Reputation-to-Growth Accelerator Program (RtGA). 

That largely depends on the current level of visibility for the accounting professional and the level of commitment they can bring to building a reputation that attracts buyers. That doesn’t mean accountants and advisors need to drop everything else. In fact, due to the real demands of client service and firm management, the best chance for success will come from deciding just how much time can be spent each week on reputation-building activities, and then protecting that time for consistency's sake. 

Many professionals need 6 to 12 months to establish recognized visibility and clear positioning from ongoing thought leadership. Lead generation may not occur for several more months after that as trust is further established with decision-makers and other influential stakeholders. Hinge, a professional services research consultancy, interviewed more than 200 “Visible Experts” and confirmed that reputation-driven growth is not a quick win but a byproduct of deliberate consistency.

A strong firm reputation is invaluable and can attract buyers to want to learn more about your services and solutions. But as sales conversations deepen, a purchasing decision-maker will ultimately be engaged in a one-on-one conversation with a partner, principal or manager. Inevitably, the decision-maker’s curiosity (and concern!) will turn to the reputation of the individual professional representing the firm. Accounting firm branding ultimately becomes personal branding, and the success of your sales efforts can depend greatly on whether the business developer is perceived as capable and trustworthy. (Karbon Magazine: 3 Reasons Why a Strong Personal Brand is the Secret to Your Accounting Firm's Brand)

The managing director of Kovacs Communications spent more than 20 years in in-house marketing leadership roles at two mid-sized accounting firms. He understands how marketing teams work and how much they can get done; he also knows that it can be valuable to bring in external consultants occasionally due to time constraints or to help in areas for which there is not sufficient expertise—or in situations where that expertise exists but cannot be applied due to the chronic demands of ongoing marketing operations. 

Kovacs Communications supplements the expertise of internal marketing leaders with strategic inputs that elevate their impact. We perceive ourselves not as a threat but as a marketing team’s “hired help” that contributes deep enough expertise to help the team and its accountants and advisors shine. 

That makes sense: you don’t want to make a bad investment! 

The best way to get a taste for how RtGA operates is to take a complimentary assessment, which is a 15 to 20-minute questionnaire that asks you to discuss the current growth trajectory of your practice and your desired long-term growth goals. After you submit the assessment, Kovacs Communications will review your online presence and then, based on your responses to the assessment and our audit, we will develop a growth scorecard for you, rating you on a 0-25 scale in four areas, and a 90-day customized growth plan. Then we will schedule a complimentary session to go through the scorecard and the growth plan to highlight how you can get from where you are now in your professional journey to where you want to go. 

None of it costs a thing, and you may decide that an investment in building your reputation to attract buyers and accelerate your growth is worthwhile.

Not at all. On the contrary, it likely means you're prioritizing client service, which SHOULD be your priority. Accounting firms often struggle with how to integrate business development skills training into day-to-day operations. RtGA operates with absolute respect for your professional commitments. A key part of the RtGA kickoff is determining just how much time a professional leader can realistically carve out of their schedule to make progress toward their goals without adding stress due to conflicting priorities.

Many accounting firms rely primarily on referrals for growth purposes, and that makes sense. It removes the concern about having to devote time to business development. The two primary reasons a firm shouldn’t completely rely on referrals is: a. the firm doesn’t control how or when referrals come in, and b. the referrals may not be ideal clients, not as profitable as you would like or not well-matched to your professionals' expertise. 

In fact, while referrals remain the primary source of new business for accounting firms, many are harnessing their power to build growth-driving reputations. (NJCPA: From Referrals to Reputation: How CPA Firms are Approaching Growth in 2026).    

As mentioned in the last question, the investment of time you make to build your reputation should align with your other professional commitments. Co-existence is possible and can act as an insurance policy for a successful growth trajectory that doesn’t rely on unpredictable referrals.  

No. We don’t necessarily want you to become an influencer. I mean, sure, it can be cool, but we sadly live in an age where vanity metrics misplace perceptions of real worth and value. Genuine growth comes from establishing trust and credibility with the right decision-makers, and from building relationships to support that trust. Whether that means your LinkedIn posts are getting three likes or three thousand likes doesn’t matter to us. Nor does it matter to your long-term business success. What matters is discipline, consistency, learning what works, adjusting when necessary and having enough patience for a reputation-building program to generate the buyer interest you need for impactful growth.