Consultant questions value in ‘adviser re-branding’ for accountants

Speaking to Accountants Daily, Make the Shift co-founder Rhondalynn Korolak said that rebranding from an accountant to an adviser is unnecessary, and in some cases inappropriate.

“I don’t see any value in rebranding and calling yourself an adviser,” she said.

“If you are an accountant, advisory is part of what you already should do under the mantle of what you are.”

“I don’t believe that people need to go out and rebrand themselves on social media and do a whole sales and marketing campaign around advisory, I believe that if all they do is cure the pain that keeps their clients up and awake at night, the clients will be happy, the clients will treat them as their trusted adviser, pay them a fair amount, and they will refer their friends and family.”

Ms Korolak also believes that, currently, advisory in the accounting profession “looks a hell of a lot like compliance”.

“You can only call it advisory if you've got leverage on the client and you've influenced them to take action, otherwise it’s just compliance dressed up as advisory,” she said.

“Accountants and advisers need to stop doing things for people and empower and influence the clients to be accountable in their own business, to take action, because we can’t keep doing it for them.”