Diversifying Accounting Services in the UK: Why Marketing Training is the Next Big Step
- Performance For Sales
- Sep 30
- 4 min read
Why Accountants Need to Diversify in 2025
For years, compliance has been the backbone of accountancy services. Tax returns, audits, and statutory filings remain an essential offering, but with automation, access to online platforms, and the increasing pressure to offer competitive fees, these traditional services alone are no longer enough to sustain growth.
The firms that thrive in the future will be the ones that add value beyond compliance. Diversification is now essential – not optional! The ability to offer advisory services, strategic insight, and new revenue streams is what will keep practices relevant and profitable in today’s fast-changing market.
So where should forward-thinking accountants look for growth? One opportunity stands out . . . . diversifying accounting services with marketing training. This isn’t about replacing core services. It’s about strengthening them by giving clients something they already need: structured support with marketing and growth.
Turning Marketing from a Cost into a Service
Marketing has traditionally been viewed as a cost centre for accountants - necessary but not fee-earning. But things are changing.
In a recent ICAEW article, they noted that “the most sought-after accountancy skills will be those that blend technical expertise with strategic business influence.” (ICAEW, February 2025)
That’s exactly where marketing fits. By becoming licensed to deliver The Marketing Performance Framework®, accountancy firms can transform marketing from an internal function into a billable advisory service:
Instead of just helping clients manage tax, you can also help them manage growth.
Marketing moves from being ‘in the background’ to a structured, client-facing service.
You create impact that goes beyond the balance sheet - directly supporting your clients’ commercial performance.
This is where licensed marketing training for accountants in the UK becomes a game changer, providing a structured, repeatable way to deliver added value.
Start with Your Clients: Researching What They Need
Diversification doesn’t start with guesswork. It starts with listening to your audience.
Ask your existing clients:
Would you value structured support with marketing planning?
What would make our firm more attractive to you over the long term?
Where do you see gaps in your current business growth support?
Often, the biggest opportunities are already within your existing client base. Many SMEs struggle to connect marketing with real commercial outcomes. By offering business coaching and marketing training as part of your advisory services, you fill that gap. Not only are you setting your firm apart in a competitive marketplace, but you’re also supporting your customers with their own business growth, strengthening client loyalty at the same time.
Advisory Services that Add Real Value
Forward-thinking accountants are already expanding beyond compliance. Offering payroll, wealth management, and outsourced FD services are common steps. The most innovative firms are going further and including business growth advisory services in the mix.
As the ICPA notes: “Entrepreneurial firms that innovate grow faster.” (ICPA, 2025)
Adding a licensed marketing training framework to your services fits perfectly into this trend. The Marketing Performance Framework® gives accountants the tools to advise confidently on an area many clients struggle with, while positioning your firm as a partner not just in financial compliance but in business growth.
Benefits of Adding Marketing Training to your Accountancy Practice
Here’s why marketing training is the logical next step for accountants who want to diversify:
New revenue stream: Turn marketing into a billable service, not an overhead.
Client retention: Offer additional value, making clients more reliant on your firm.
Differentiation: Stand out from competitors stuck in compliance.
Efficiency gains: Integrate marketing technology that improves processes.
Future-proofing: Position your practice in the advisory space where the industry is heading.
In short - it’s the opportunity to move from compliance-only services to structured accountant growth training – strengthening both your practice and your clients’ businesses.
Delivering Training Online and at Scale
One of the biggest advantages of licensed marketing training is flexibility.
The Marketing Performance Framework® is a proven system that turns marketing into a driver of real commercial success.
Performance for Sales provides full training on delivering the framework, along with tools, materials, and ‘train the trainer’ support so your current professionals gain the skills and confidence to deliver high-quality programmes.
Training can be delivered face-to-face or virtually, making it scalable and accessible for firms of all sizes and locations.
It is easy to integrate into existing advisory or business growth packages.
This means your firm doesn’t just add a new service, it gains a proven, repeatable system that can be delivered at scale.
Final Thoughts: Grow Smarter by Diversifying with Marketing Training
Diversifying accounting services is about more than adding a new line on your website. It’s about securing your firm’s relevance, building stronger client relationships, and creating sustainable growth for your business.
By diversifying accounting services with marketing training, accountants can turn a traditionally non-fee earning function into a profitable advisory service. Offering licensed marketing training for accountants creates a new revenue stream, positions your firm as a strategic partner, and helps your clients achieve real commercial impact.
The Marketing Performance Framework® provides a proven system and the credibility of licensed marketing training for accountants. With it, your firm moves beyond compliance and generic advice into a space where strategy, structure, and growth come together. You add tangible value for clients while positioning your firm at the forefront of industry innovation.
Learn more about becoming licensed with Performance for Sales and discover how diversifying with marketing training can transform your practice in 2025 and beyond at one of our free upcoming online events for accountants. It’s time to future-proof your firm with a service that delivers real results!