Episode 152: Phil Hobden Resources

https://humanisethenumbers.online/episode-152-phil-hobden-of-sage/

https://vimeo.com/1138443263?fl=tl&fe=ec

1. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Phil Hobden of Sage. Phil talks about the importance of demonstrating your value to your clients.

2. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Phil Hobden of Sage. Phil shares his thoughts on seeing MTD as an opportunity.

3. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Phil Hobden of Sage. Phil shares some brilliant stories in this podcast, including a couple about his relationships with his optician and dentist and why they matter.

humanisethenumbers.online/episode-152-phil-hobden-of-sage/

1. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Phil Hobden of Sage. Phil shares his journey before working at Sage, including dealing with the banking crisis and getting into banking at the wrong time, and what led him to work with accountants. Phil also talks about his first six months at Sage and how he reunited with some old colleagues, as well as what it's like to work with people you know, like, and trust.

2. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Phil Hobden of Sage. Phil shares what he has discovered in his first few months at Sage, including why the culture is different, why their vision for the future has changed, why they are open about learning from their mistakes, and why they are now a business more focused on the people and the future than ever before.

He talks about how Sage is being BOLD and why the team are being encouraged to make bold moves – to be agile, to test, learn, fail, try again, and tweak things if they are not going right.

He states that the approach now is 'how can we be better, how can we approach things in a way we have not done before, what can we do with the customer in view?'

3. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Phil Hobden of Sage. Phil discusses the role of an accountant and believes that they are critical to the success of a client's business – the right accountant, that is. He sees the opportunity to be right at the heart of your client's business, providing crucial support. He believes that when accountants build real relationships with their clients, they have a chance to add so much value and to really make a difference.

4. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Phil Hobden of Sage. Phil talks about pricing and value and how, while accountants can price based on the products they offer, they frequently under-price when it comes to the value they deliver. Phil explains that this is largely because accountants don't see the value of what they offer. Something that takes the accountant ten minutes to prepare might be inordinately invaluable to the client, so much so that they are willing to pay much more than the accountant is often charging.

5. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Phil Hobden of Sage. Phil talks about how value is key and about the importance of communicating to your clients the value you can deliver, the difference you can make to their business and to their lives. This is generally a salesperson's role and not normally something accountants find comfortable doing, but in Phil's words, 'talking about your own value and why you're brilliant is what sets you apart from the other accountants.'

To quote Phil, 'accountants are not good at shouting about their value and expertise, but when you can talk about it and bring it to life with stories of how you have helped other clients – that is the gold standard.'

6. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Phil Hobden of Sage. Phil talks about the importance of regular client interactions and the difference they can make to your client relationship. He discusses the merits of looking at MTD (Making Tax Digital) as an opportunity, not as a pain, because it's now an opportunity to meet with your client four times a year to discuss their business, instead of just once. But he also stresses that this needs to be reflected in your pricing, as you will be delivering a lot more value if you are meeting four times a year.

7. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Phil Hobden of Sage. Phil talks about the advancement of AI. He feels it should not replace people, but that the extra time that AI and tech provides should be used as an opportunity to deliver more personal services.

8. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Phil Hobden of Sage. Doug and Phil discuss the move from transactional to relational when it comes to conversations with your clients.

Phil feels that client conversations are not just concerned with talking about the numbers and the tax bill and the products your client has, but talking about their family, their personal goals, what's driving them, where you can support them, and what they want their business to deliver for them. When you do this, the relationship is not a transactional one.

9. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Phil Hobden of Sage, as Phil reiterates the importance of relationships with a great stories about his optician and dentist. These stories demonstrate perfectly why all accountants should be focused on value-driven relationships with their clients.

10. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Phil Hobden of Sage. Phil talks about the success of the Sage MTD roadshows and why there is real confidence behind the work being done. He also shares his thoughts about the AI tech they have built to support people and the strengths of the business going forward.

humanisethenumbers.online/episode-152-phil-hobden-of-sage/

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Here is a soundbite of the interview with Phil