Connect with Mark
1. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Mark Allen, co-founder of the TAG Community. Mark talks about why its important to be liked and trusted.
2. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Mark Allen, co-founder of the TAG Community, as he shares the importance of being the guide, not the hero, in your client's story.
3. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Mark Allen, co-founder of the TAG Community, as he talks about the value of compassion.
https://humanisethenumbers.online/episode-135-mark-allen-co-founder-of-the-tag-community/
1. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Mark Allen, co-founder of the TAG Community. Mark talks about what the phrase 'humanise the numbers' means to him and how his personal and professional journey has led him to believe that it's about being humorous in the right environment, as well as liked and trusted. For an accountant, this, along with being good with numbers, is the perfect cocktail.
2. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Mark Allen, co-founder of the TAG Community. Mark shares the importance of building rapport – spending time with people, getting to know them, looking them in the eyes – and being authentic.
As Mark states, 'It may not be nuts to go with your guts.'
If you are not authentic, people can spot it, so be yourself. He believes it's much easier to have 1-to-1 conversations with clients who are also friends.
3. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Mark Allen, co-founder of the TAG Community. Mark talks about creating capacity in your accountancy firm and about the importance of letting go of whatever distracts from the key work with clients. He gives two examples of how he did this by getting rid of time sheets and setting targets for billing.
Listen here.
4. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Mark Allen, co-founder of the TAG Community. Mark discusses the challenges of recruitment and how he had to step away from it as, in his words, he 'was terrible at it'.
He shares the steps they put in place to get recruitment right, including having another partner in the interview and performing two levels of testing.
It transformed their recruitment process.
5. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Mark Allen, co-founder of the TAG Community. Mark shares what he believes is the core purpose of the profession – integrity. He believes that this is everything. Your client has to trust you in the way they would a doctor. He believes that, if clients understand there is a sense of loyalty, common purpose, and values within the firm they are dealing with, then this trust and the integrity you have as their accountant is the cornerstone of the relationship.
6. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Mark Allen, co-founder of the TAG Community. Mark talks about how the accountant can really make a difference to a client's business and life and says, 'Behind every great entrepreneur is a great accountant.'
He discusses the role the accountant plays as the guide in the client's journey and likens it to the great books and movies where there is a hero and a guide.
In your client's story, you are the guide and they are the hero. You are their confidant, and you want to be the person they turn to say 'what do you think?' Mark believes that, as an accountant, whatever your level of training, that is your goal.
Your clients need to know what they are looking at – that is your job. Clients need your wisdom, knowledge and financial know-how.
Listen here.
7. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Mark Allen, co-founder of the TAG Community. Mark and Paul talk about the challenges affecting the accountancy profession, both now and in the future. And although AI technology is discussed as a challenge, Mark feels that the accountant's ability to pivot as they have done in the past puts them in a strong position for the future. He also believes that, as a sector, accountants have led the way with the adoption of tech, and it's the same with AI. He feels that the profession has to stay educated on AI, tech, and robotics. Listen to this fascinating discussion here.
https://humanisethenumbers.online/episode-135-mark-allen-co-founder-of-the-tag-community/
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Here is a soundbite of the interview with Mark