Office TShirts (Uniform)

Howdy everyone -

Has anyone worn a collared shirt/t-shirt with their business logo (example: XYZ Tax Services) to their firm? I am thinking of wearing that as a uniform for my solo practice. Feedback welcomed

Yes I did in my early years after a friend/client who was in the Logo T Shirt business convinced me to give it a try. Company name was put on the front pocket and sleeve. It looked ok. the first two years then a few of my other clients told me it looked silly!

So now I wear a straight Oxford shirt, dress pants, necktie and a (business jacket sometimes) with no advertising.

I wore branded apparel for a while. Now I just dress casually most of the time, and dress up when it is necessary. I can't say I have ever responded to a logo on a shirt or hat or vehicle, other than potentially thinking ill thoughts of the company.

I think there are instances where it is can be beneficial to have logos on apparel/hats, such as certain service companies like IT, pest control, maintenance, etc., but not CPAs or lawyers.

I was actually really excited to try the shirts with a logo of my business. It would save me the trouble of ironing my clothes every day and not think twice about what to pull from the wardrobe. I guess it might be a bit tacky :/. Thank you for sharing your experiences

It would save me the trouble of ironing my clothes every day and not think twice about what to pull from the wardrobe.

How was that going to save you the work? Are you saying you would wear crumply uniform? Were you planning on having a uniform company take care of the upkeep?

My suggestion, contract with a drycleaner to drop off your dress shirts and pants. That is what I do during busy tax season.

I guess I was alluding to the mental energy on choosing an outfit each day. Uniform would be automated with out much thoughtm I'm slowly shying away from the idea of the uniform.

Back when gas stations still had full service, the attendants and mechanics would often wear a shirt with the oil company logo, and their name, on embroidered patches affixed to the front of the shirt. I know, I did that job one summer as a teenager.

Utility company field workers usually wear logo'd uniforms, so that hopefully you won't shoot them for trespassing when they're checking your meter.

At a dot-com company I worked for, we had logo embroidered backpacks and shirts, it was strictly for employee morale, not customer-facing.

At H&R Block and most banks and grocery stores I've been in, the customer-facing (new client) workers have to wear name badges of some kind (the magnet-backed ones are easiest to add/remove).

Based on my personal experience with logo'd uniforms, I'd say it's only a good idea if you are constantly meeting new customers who don't know your name yet, especially if you are one of several workers doing the same job.

After a while, it gets old seeing someone in a logo'd shirt all of the time. A friend and his brothers own a pizza joint and this guy wore the shirt everywhere, even on dates!

When I tried logos, it was to test to see if it initiated interest from people I'd walk past in public that perhaps needed a company that rendered the services I offer. Hardly anyone looked at the logos. They're too commonplace now. It takes a person to see your logo/name/company something like 7-8 times before they even remember it, so at one point I also had branding on the back windows of my cars. I no longer use any of it.

I did make a magnetic name tag for networking events with my other company, though I need to have a new one made for my current CPA firm.

A friend and his brothers own a pizza joint and this guy wore the shirt everywhere, even on dates!

At least the date knew she would not go hungry!

Talking about branding, I get a lot of mileage with pens with a flashlight. Last season I got a batch ($1.39 each) to try out and gave it to clients who I wanted to nurture for more referrals and it does seem to work! When I did the collared T shirt and dress shirt I think I spent over $300 with a discount!

A friend and his brothers own a pizza joint and this guy wore the shirt everywhere, even on dates!

At least the date knew she would not go hungry!

Yeah but this guy's family, especially his mother we're major budinskis.

Talking about branding, I get a lot of mileage with pens with a flashlight. Last season I got a batch ($1.39 each) to try out and gave it to clients who I wanted to nurture for more referrals and it does seem to work! When I did the collared T shirt and dress shirt I think I spent over $300 with a discount!

Oh, yes...I did invest in 200 decent quality pens with my logo and contact info. My intention has been to leave them at various businesses or with individuals that I'd like to potentially do work for, or leave them with restaurants to use with patrons for credit card receipts. Problem is, I forget to take the pens with me!

I figured pens are still readily used, and it is also a form of a business card. Now to pull out another batch of pens to carry and just leave around town...

I pass out "Get Out Of Jail Free" cards.

Oh, yes...I did invest in 200 decent quality pens with my logo and contact info. My intention has been to leave them at various businesses or with individuals that I'd like to potentially do work for, or leave them with restaurants to use with patrons for credit card receipts.

I am curious what the quality and quantity of the clients you get with that method of advertising. I failed miserably with direct advertising and now find that the best quality of clients is from referrals particularly centers of influence.

I have done the pen thing and I don't think that I will get a new customer just because they get one of my pens. I'm not enough of a marketer to compute the indirect return I get. I just think it's a good idea to keep my name in front of tax-only clients throughout the year, and spending a couple hundred bucks on some decent pens isn't the worst gamble in the world. I need pens anyway!

I am generally unconvinced that direct advertising is all that effective for small accounting firms, and that its effectiveness is probably declining. Fifteen years ago, everyone advertised in the Yellow Pages and were starting to think about getting a website. How times have changed. Referrals are probably the most important marketing out there.

Referrals are probably the most important marketing out there.

You are correct! I now get almost 99% of my new clients through referrals from existing clients or centers of influence. The quality of clients is much better than off the street walk-in. But I know other preparers that welcome than and swear by volume rather than quality.

I am curious what the quality and quantity of the clients you get with that method of advertising. I failed miserably with direct advertising and now find that the best quality of clients is from referrals particularly centers of influence.

Realistically, not many or high which is why I have yet to take on any clients as a result of that method of marketing. But, it only takes one client to make it worthwhile. I focus heavily on client quality control. Still, it is cheap, and since it does take someone seeing your name 6-7 times before they even remember you, leaving pens here and there is not of any harm.

I am a firm believer marketing is not how CPAs grow their businesses. I grow through referrals by existing clients, and colleagues that trust me. Also, a good website that reaches page 1 results for your intended search phrases is a very good way to obtain clients--I know from history. It's how I received one client that in the course of 7.5 years earned my firm (and eventually me, as their controller) over $500k in fees/wages. Despite that belief and experience, I have not had time to get my new website up since I bought out my partner last year and rolled CPA firm into another entity.

I am a firm believer marketing is not how CPAs grow their businesses.

I spoke to a fellow who attended one of Chauncey Hutter's seminars. He teaches a totally opposite view!

What do others think of Chauncey Hutter's seminars?

I've never heard of Chauncey Hutter, but I'd say that marketing is important, but not all forms of marketing is. I think I used the wrong word when I said I was unconvinced that direct marketing is all that effective for our firms (again, I'm not a marketing guy). I was describing more along the lines of advertising.

For most of us, putting up a billboard or paying someone to dance outside our office in a statue of liberty costume is not a great form of marketing for our firms. Clients referring others to your firm is a major part of your marketing. Being involved in local organizations is marketing. Actually talking to people, having a personality, and being a decent human being is all marketing for us accountant types.

I have a website, and its purpose wasn't to generate random leads (although it does that, too). It's there so that when a client refers me to someone else, that person can learn a bit about me when they almost inevitably Google me, and to give them a way to send me an e-mail without exposing my e-mail address to spammers.

Despite that belief and experience, I have not had time to get my new website up since I bought out my partner last year and rolled CPA firm into another entity.

I'm sure there's someone here that can make it easy to set up a website in a short amount of time... if only I could think of the name of the company