business development can be done remotely, but it can’t be skipped.
by carl george
the rosenberg map survey
editor’s note: every year, the rosenberg map survey asks the industry’s top consultants to share their observations from cpa firms across the country. how do you think the next 12 months will unfold? also, how would you assess the last 12 months?
firms will continue to upgrade their client profiles and disengage from clients that no longer fit. disengagement is one of the major initiatives that must occur to meet the challenge of the “40-hour guarantee.”
more: five ways staff shortages are changing firms forever | outlook: soft skills are front and center | outlook: it’s time for a new business model | rosenberg map: partner incomes surge 11.4%
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as it was explained so eloquently by a ceo of a large firm, “we do not have a staffing shortage, we have a ‘d’ client overage!” well said. traditionally difficult for us to do, but we do not have the option of not executing this critical strategy.
firms are taking back control of their clients and developing client expectations that if not met, the work will “go to the end of the line!” for the past few years, many clients have lost the sense of urgency in being timely with their cpa firms.
to be fair, it has been very difficult for clients with their own staffing issues, just like our profession. but it causes havoc with cpa firm staffing, and maybe most important, staff morale (starts, stops, cannot finish, etc.). clients were “calling the shots” – not so much now. we are. that is a good thing.
“bd vacation” is over. for some, “we just need to serve our current clients” has been the mantra for a few years. for obvious reasons, that is not a long-term strategy. it’s time to return to business development, but also recognizing that the business model has changed, and remote bd is an important element of the overall strategy.
the last 12 months were challenging, profitable and filled with opportunity. here is how i view it:
of course, for most firms, the most significant challenge was staffing. but i believe a different dynamic has taken center stage. for years, recruiting enough people has been the #1 strategy for most firms, with retention a close second. now, i see those priorities changing position.
one firm explained to me, “we are reversing our r’s and retention is the top priority.” to back that up they are emphasizing the “length of stay” metric for all staff and coupling it with the turnover ratio. if the average length of stay is four years for example, what do we need to do to increase that metric to 4.5, 5.0, etc.? i like this positive approach toward retention of our most valuable assets.
an emerging challenge and unique opportunity for many firms is to take a “clean sheet of paper” approach: “if we were starting our firm today, what would our staffing model look like?” this approach will take some serious study and buy-in by partners, but it may be the answer to the profession’s challenge of being more attractive for careers. it’s time (long overdue) to re-look how we do business with our 100-year+ staffing models.
firms are starting their model changes with the “40-hour guarantee.” nice tagline, but how can we do it? they are finding ways. the traditional model is dying, and it is our charge to develop a model that meets the needs of both our firms and our work force. i am convinced we will meet that challenge.