An interview with Holly Fish, Director of Client Services and Marketing, for EGP PLLC
Marketing in the CPA world is a challenge. Add business development, and the climb toward shared understanding between CPAs and marketers is even steeper. In Arkansas, there's a true merging of marketing and sales going on, and it's pretty impressive.
Meet Holly Fish, Director of Client Services and Marketing for EGP PLLC Certified Public Accountants and Consultants (3 offices, 5 partners, and 30 employees), headquartered in North Little Rock, Ark. As EGP's marketing and business growth specialist, Fish assists with all aspects of client service, client satisfaction, business development, public relations, and marketing. Fish joined the firm four years ago. Her strong background in business, sales, and marketing, along with more than 14 years of accounting and information technology consulting experience, has made her a key catalyst in EGP's growth.
One of the many hats Fish wears at EGP is participating on boards and in associations within the community, keeping visible and involved for her professional and personal satisfaction. This past summer, Fish was named Women in Business "Champion of the Year" for the state of Arkansas by the Small Business Administration. She was praised for her work supporting minorities and women in business and as chair of Women in Networking (WIN), a monthly business networking group in Little Rock.
Fish has a host of diverse projects on her desk at any minute, and she credits driven and visionary partners for her ability to get it all done.
"The only way I've been able to achieve so much at EGP is due to my partners backing what they preach. The efforts would never get off the ground if the partners were not advocates for change and didn't act on this belief on behalf of the firm's future," Fish emphasizes.
Getting partners on board has been critical to her success. She is included in client meetings and works cooperatively to fill and manage a pipeline of opportunities. The partners' participation in the process of business development has helped Holly build and continue to expand a database for her marketing efforts.
With the January 1 merger between EGP and Jerry, Gorman & Associates, PLLC, Fish will be rolling out pipeline review processes and developing marketing and business development goals for the North Little Rock, Heber Springs, and Bryant locations.
In larger organizations, employee development and managing company culture generally falls into the hands of human resources. In smaller firms, it often lands in the lap of marketing. It's crucial to the success of the firm to mold that culture in ways that create open communication and support actions that drive business results. When Holly came on board with her firm, she found ways to do just that.
Among her many successes was the creation of a monthly employee newsletter. She uses it to highlight successes and community involvement of the staff with articles and photos, and includes a section, "Brags and Gags," just for fun. "Everybody really gets a kick out of it and looks forward to it each month," Fish says of the newsletter.
Fish also organizes ongoing staff gettogethers and community service activities, helping to "breed a culture of open communication between the staff and partners at our firm."
Through well-coordinated business development initiatives and heightened community visibility, Fish is building a rock-solid foundation at EGP.
