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GullySales
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Chartered accountants and accounting firms · Professional services

Get chosen for the retainer you want, without breaking the ICAI code.

Most firms grow the same way. A satisfied client tells another, a banker passes on a name, and the partners take whatever arrives. That works until the firm wants a startup before its first funding round, and finds nobody outside its circle knows it does that work.

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Scope, fee, reporting and term are agreed in writing after we have read your brief and spoken to you.

Realistic editorial illustration of chartered accountants and accounting firms at work in India

In one paragraph

Marketing for a CA or company secretarial practice means being findable for the clients and assignments you want, within what ICAI and ICSI allow. Sales means turning a banker's referral into a clear engagement letter and a long retainer. GullySales works on the being-found side and the closing side, so the July filing rush leaves you with retainer clients still on the books in October.

A practice cannot solicit like a retailer. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) code of ethics restricts advertising and solicitation by members in practice. The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) has its own rules. Within those limits, a clear website, correct directory details and partner-written articles still do a lot, as long as someone follows up the enquiries they bring.

Last updated 17 Oct 2026. Rules for this trade differ by state and professional body, and they change. We describe restrictions in general terms, so check the current position with your own council or adviser before you publish anything.

How buyers decide

How chartered accountants and accounting firms are chosen.

Clients almost always arrive through a person. A business owner asks another owner who does their accounts. A banker suggests a firm during a loan application, or an investor introduces a founder. The prospect then searches the firm's name and reads the partners' LinkedIn profiles. They are checking one thing: has this firm handled a business of our size and sector?

The trigger moments follow the compliance calendar and the business cycle. Income tax return deadlines in July and the tax audit due date in September bring a rush of individual and small business enquiries. An owner looks for someone new when a GST notice arrives or an ROC filing is missed. A first statutory audit, a funding round or a loan needing audited accounts does the same. So does a bad year with the previous accountant.

What decides it is confidence that the firm understands this business and will answer when needed. Owners comparing firms mostly want to know whether a partner or an article assistant will handle their file. The firm that sends a clear engagement letter within days, and follows up after the first meeting, usually wins over the one that waits to be called back.

The problem

What usually goes wrong for chartered accountants and accounting firms.

What owners tell us on the first call, in their words.

  • “Every July we take on work we do not really want”

    The return filing rush brings dozens of small, one-time enquiries, and we have no time left to pursue the audit and advisory clients we want.

  • “Our website says nothing a prospect can use”

    It lists every service a CA can offer in one paragraph, so a startup founder cannot tell whether we handle funding due diligence.

  • “Referrals from bankers and lawyers have dried up”

    A branch manager who used to send us loan clients was transferred, and nobody built a relationship with the new one.

  • “Proposals go out late and vague”

    A prospect meets a partner, then waits two weeks for a scope and fee note that could apply to any client.

  • “We are nervous about doing any marketing at all”

    We are not sure what the code of ethics allows, so we do nothing, while unregistered bookkeeping services advertise freely.

  • “Our secretarial and advisory work is invisible”

    Clients think of us only for returns and audit, and hire someone else for ROC compliance, valuation or company formation.

What we do

What we do for chartered accountants and accounting firms.

Everything included for chartered accountants and accounting firms, and the result each part is there to produce.

  1. A website organised by client type and service

    Pages for manufacturers, traders, startups and NRIs, and for audit, GST, ROC compliance and advisory, stating facts about the firm within ICAI guidelines rather than claims of superiority.

    Result: A prospect sent by a banker can confirm in a minute that you handle their kind of business.

  2. Directory and profile information kept correct

    The Google Business Profile, institute directory details and partner LinkedIn profiles checked for consistency of name, address, services and partners.

    Result: A prospect who searches your firm's name finds accurate, matching details everywhere.

  3. Knowledge content written by the partners

    Articles and short notes on GST changes, budget updates and compliance deadlines, published under the partner's name and drafted from a short conversation with them.

    Result: The firm is seen to know its subject without advertising itself.

  4. Referral relationship record

    A list of bankers, lawyers, valuers and investors who send work, with a note of each introduction and a plan for staying in touch as people move branches.

    Result: A referral source is not lost just because one person was transferred.

  5. Engagement letter and proposal template

    A reusable scope and engagement letter for each main service, adapted per client within a day of the first meeting.

    Result: Prospects receive a clear scope quickly, which is often what decides between two firms.

  6. Enquiry triage for filing season

    A simple rule and form for the July and September rush, separating one-time filings from prospects who could become retainers.

    Result: The season feeds your retainer book instead of only filling your desks.

  7. Report against the baseline

    Enquiries by source and service, proposals sent, engagements signed and retainers added, reported against the baseline recorded before work began.

    Result: Partners see which relationships and services bring the clients they want.

How the result is measured

  • Enquiries by source and service
  • Proposals sent within three working days
  • Proposals to signed engagement letters
  • Retainers added against one-time filings
  • Referrals by partner relationship
  • Services taken per client

Recorded as a baseline before work starts, so every later report has an honest comparison.

Every service, written for chartered accountants and accounting firms

Each has its own page: what it involves for chartered accountants and accounting firms, what you get, and what it is measured on.

Worth a page and a campaign of their own

Statutory and tax audit · Monthly accounting and bookkeeping retainers · GST registration, returns and notices · Income tax returns and advance tax for business owners · Company incorporation and ROC compliance · Company secretarial retainers and board processes · Startup compliance and funding due diligence · Internal audit and process reviews · NRI taxation and repatriation · Valuation and project reports for bank loans

Priority campaigns

Campaigns for what chartered accountants and accounting firms most want to sell.

Each one planned around when your buyers decide, and measured against the baseline.

  • Startup compliance series

    Knowledge articles and a talk for incubators on incorporation, ESOP basics, ROC filings and preparing for due diligence, shared through founder communities.

    Result: Founders know the firm before their first investor asks for audited accounts.

  • GST notice and reconciliation help

    Plain explanations of common notice types and reconciliation issues, published on the website and shared through trade associations.

    Result: Business owners with a notice in hand find a firm that clearly handles it.

  • Post-season retainer conversion

    A follow-up in October and November with business clients who came only for returns or tax audit, offering monthly accounting or GST retainers where it fits and ICAI guidance allows.

    Result: Some one-time clients become year-round ones.

  • Company secretarial awareness for existing clients

    A short note and review for private limited company clients on annual ROC filings, board minutes and statutory registers, handled by the firm's company secretaries.

    Result: Clients stop hiring a separate provider for work the firm already offers.

  • Banker and lender relationship programme

    A planned sequence of knowledge sessions on project reports and loan documentation for branch managers and credit teams, held where the bank invites the firm and ICAI guidance allows.

    Result: New branch managers learn the firm's name soon after they arrive.

Beyond search

Where we reach buyers of chartered accountants and accounting firms, beyond Google.

Search matters, but it is rarely the only way this industry's buyers find a supplier.

  • Bank branch managers and credit officers

    We prepare a short list of the loan-related work the firm does, to be shared only where ICAI guidance allows, and a routine for staying in touch when a branch manager changes.

  • Lawyers, valuers and insolvency professionals

    We prepare a note and a routine for staying in touch with allied professionals whose clients need accounts, due diligence or tax opinions, with no fee or commission passing either way.

  • Incubators, accelerators and angel networks

    We prepare a compliance talk and a founder checklist for incubator programmes, where speaking is one way to share knowledge within ICAI and ICSI guidance.

  • Industry and trade associations

    We prepare budget and GST update sessions for chambers of commerce and trade bodies whose members are the firm's kind of client.

  • Institute study circles and professional events

    We prepare articles and presentation material so partners can speak at study circles, which builds referrals from other professionals.

Who it is for

This is written for these chartered accountants and accounting firms.

  • Sole practitioner chartered accountants
  • Small and mid-sized CA partnership firms
  • Statutory and internal audit practices
  • GST and indirect tax specialists
  • Company secretaries in practice
  • Accounting and bookkeeping service firms
  • Firms serving startups and funded companies
  • Firms serving NRIs and cross-border clients
  • Second-generation practices modernising their client base

Not for

It is not the right fit if.

  • You want a guaranteed Google ranking or a guaranteed number of leads. Nobody honest can promise either.
  • You need enquiries by next week and have nobody to answer them.
  • You want posts and reach reported, not enquiries and orders.

How it works

How the work runs for chartered accountants and accounting firms

The work itself, in order. How an engagement starts, from your brief to a written scope, is set out on our method page.

  1. 1

    Assess

    We look at where your clients come from, which services and client types you want more of, and what the institutes allow for your firm.

  2. 2

    Fix the proposal step

    Engagement templates and a follow-up rule, so every serious enquiry gets a clear scope within days.

  3. 3

    Build the presence

    A website organised by client type and service, consistent directory details and partner profiles, all within ICAI and ICSI guidance.

  4. 4

    Share knowledge

    Articles, updates and talks under the partners' names, placed where bankers, founders and business owners read them.

  5. 5

    Grow the retainer book

    Season-end conversion, cross-service reviews and referral relationships maintained through staff changes.

Where this fits

Three pieces of sales work, in this order.

GullySales builds every engagement from three pieces of sales work. This page is not one of them, but the same three steps apply to the business behind it.

  1. Step 1

    Sales audit

    Find where deals are being lost and what to fix first.

    Start here if you cannot say where orders are lost.

  2. Step 2

    Sales process design

    One written way to sell, from first enquiry to repeat order.

    Start here if every salesperson sells differently.

  3. Step 3

    Sales management

    A target, a review routine and someone who owns the number.

    Start here if the team has targets and no routine.

Tell us what you need Your brief is read before we call. Scope, fee and term in writing.

FAQ

Questions chartered accountants and accounting firms ask before they call.

Not here? More answers, or ask on WhatsApp.

Tell us what you need
Can a chartered accountant advertise?
Only within the ICAI code of ethics, which restricts advertising and solicitation by members in practice. Websites and directory listings are allowed within the Institute's guidelines, and so is sharing knowledge through articles and talks. We check the current guidelines with you before anything is published and avoid claims of superiority, fee advertising and testimonials.
Can we run Google Ads for our firm?
We treat paid advertising as something to clear against the current ICAI guidance first, and for most firms we do not start there. A clear website, correct profiles and knowledge content usually bring enough of the right enquiries without that question.
Do the same rules apply to company secretaries?
Company secretaries in practice follow ICSI's own code, which also restricts solicitation. We check the rules for each professional in the firm, since one page may describe work by both.
How do we stop the filing season from swamping us?
Triage enquiries by what they could become. A short form separates one-time salaried filings from business owners, so the partners spend time on prospects who may need a retainer.
Bookkeeping companies advertise heavily. Should we worry?
They compete for low-fee, one-time work. Clients who need audit, notices handled or funding due diligence still want a qualified firm, and our job is to make sure those clients can find and understand yours.
Can we use client names on our website?
ICAI guidance on websites is strict about client lists, so check it before naming anyone, and never without written permission. Describe the kind of business and the work in general terms instead.
How much does it cost?
There is no price list, because the work differs by business. The fee is scoped after we have read your brief and spoken to you, and put in writing before anything starts, split into our time, your media spend and production.
How long is the contract?
The term is agreed in writing after we have spoken, along with the fee and the reporting. It is never a default twelve months, and renewal is decided on the numbers against the baseline recorded at the start.
How soon will we see results?
Fixes to reply time, follow-up and your Google Business Profile are the quickest to show, because the enquiries already exist. Ads can follow soon after follow-up is in place. SEO and content take longer. How long each takes depends on your business, and we tell you which applies to you after we have spoken. Nothing here is guaranteed.
Who will actually do the work?
The person you speak to before anything starts. We work from one office in Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru, with no account managers in between.

Notes for owners

Read more about chartered accountants and accounting firms.

Part of Professional services. See the other industries in the sector.

Your next practical step

Tell us what you are trying to grow, and we will read it before we call.

Eight short steps, mostly taps. Skip anything you would rather answer on the call.

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