giving clients the best you’ve got

what it looks like in black and white.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

we all use the cliché that we give the clients the best we got, but what does it really mean?

more: how to become a specialist | making sure the son got proper credit | 10 more reasons cpas quit public accounting | preparing for the worst (thanks to my wife) | why accountants quit | when cpas leave to work for a client | readers rip: ‘she wanted her shoebox back’ | how bickering can ruin a family business
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i’ve written about value-added services and efforts we can do on behalf of our clients, but here is a different approach i have used.
read more →

why map programs are essential

cpe isn’t the only reason to attend a program.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

i attend management of accounting practice (map) cpe programs. in many instances these do not qualify toward the mandatory cpe requirements. who cares?

more: how to become a specialist | secrets in specialties | making sure the son got proper credit | yes, shirt logos can matter | 10 more reasons cpas quit public accounting | family trees of clients
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i go because i want to make more money, work more effectively, service clients better, excite and retain staff, and have more fun doing what i love to do and have to do anyway.
read more →

eight ways to charm a client

we get measured on the small things – the good and the bad.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

clients are our customers. they pay our salary and enable us to make good livings.

more: thorough vs. sloppy: is everyone on the same page? | four issues with ‘quick’ tax questions | 11 steps to better client tax instructions
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

do what you can to accommodate them and make them feel important – as important as they believe they are. read more →

prepping for tax season: plug small leaks before they become big floods

tiny businessman standing on dripping faucet5 key points to keep in mind.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

some people are micromanagers and anal with details. others are big-picture managers, letting details take care of themselves. neither is completely effective and both disciplines need to be balanced.

more: thorough vs. sloppy: is everyone on the same page? | four issues with ‘quick’ tax questions | when to pick up the phone this tax season | these five procedures will simplify your tax season | 11 steps to better client tax instructions | get your team ready for tax season | 12 ways to squeeze fun into tax season | 6 ways to get paid faster in tax season
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

there is a time for details and a time for big-picture thinking. when setting up procedures and processes it is essential that all details be considered and planned for.  read more →

you’re only as good as your last screw-up

businessmen miserable over errorprepping for tax season: clients notice the little things.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

don’t be sloppy. it gets noticed.

more: four issues with ‘quick’ tax questions | when to pick up the phone this tax season | these five procedures will simplify your tax season | 11 steps to better client tax instructions
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

sloppy work is always evident and usually incomplete. thorough work is careful and usually complete.

read more →

four issues with ‘quick’ tax questions

businessman is dialing phone for advicesometimes things aren’t so simple.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

i keep a few of the one-volume tax guides in my office so i could look up a quick answer when i need to. recently a golf buddy emailed me a question that i thought i could answer quickly. he wanted to know that if he was in the “zero” percent capital gains tax bracket, did that apply to an unlimited amount of capital gains? sounds like a simple question.

more: when to pick up the phone this tax season | these five procedures will simplify your tax season | 11 steps to better client tax instructions | get your team ready for tax season | 12 ways to squeeze fun into tax season
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

well i looked it up online and then in three one-volume tax guides. only one source had thorough coverage of the issue. i ended up spending an hour on this “simple” question including my emailed response. nothing is simple anymore.
read more →

how to become a specialist

woman's hand pressing words "ask an expert"some of your training can happen on the job.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

once you decide upon a specialization, you need to go about making yourself an expert. read, join professional associations, take focused cpe, and try to write articles or give speeches. accountants who are industry experts become industry thought leaders.

more: success secrets in specialties | making sure the son got proper credit | yes, shirt logos can matter | 10 more reasons cpas quit public accounting | family trees of clients
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

some specialties require obtaining designations or certificates of completion that require study and time – an investment you and the firm would have to make. there is no easy path to growing and establishing expertise, but it is a joyful ride.
read more →

when to pick up the phone this tax season

businessman talking on phone in the officepersonal touches help retain clients.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

clients are not numbers on a list that needs to be reduced. they are all individuals and consider themselves very important people and want professionals who treat them accordingly.

more: these five procedures will simplify your tax season | 11 steps to better client tax instructions | get your team ready for tax season | 12 ways to squeeze fun into tax season | 6 ways to get paid faster in tax season
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

it is attitudinal and accountants must adopt that mindset and transmit that through to their culture. so you need to know when it’s essential to pick up the phone.

read more →

these five procedures will simplify your tax season

man talking to woman with checklistof course, this includes checklists.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

one way to guarantee extra work is to have everything always done differently each time it is done.

more: 11 steps to better client tax instructions | get your team ready for tax season
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

not establishing uniform procedures is bad business and unnecessarily consumes part of your life. consistency in performance reduces work and review time and creates a greater reliance on the staff people.
read more →

11 steps to better client tax instructions

help them help you.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

providing instructions of what a client needs to do must be clear enough so that the client doesn’t call you to find out what to do.

more: get your team ready for tax season | 12 ways to squeeze fun into tax season | 6 ways to get paid faster in tax season
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

sometimes taking an extra minute to lay out what the client should do can eliminate that call or indecisive moment a client might feel.
read more →

get your team ready for tax season

happy multi-ethnic business team with thumbs up in the officethree steps to a happier grind.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

if you have staff, have happy cheerful helpful people. don’t surround yourself with downers and naysayers.

more: 12 ways to squeeze fun into tax season | 6 ways to get paid faster in tax season
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

also have team players. part of this is your firm’s culture. it takes work to get people to work together and to focus on doing what it takes to service the client fully, properly and timely.  everyone working together gets it done.
read more →

success secrets in specialties

make sure your choice is interesting and portable.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

i was not a specialist. in some respects, i am the last of the “expert generalists” and generalists are fast becoming extinct.

more: making sure the son got proper credit | yes, shirt logos can matter | preparing for the worst (thanks to my wife) | why cpas should stay in public accounting | readers rip: ‘she wanted her shoebox back’ | ceos don’t always know numbers
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

in this age of specialization and niche expertise, being a generalist is a negative to most people, indicating a lack of competency in their area. i tend to think of the old general practitioner physicians versus the modern-day specialists. no one looks at the whole patient.
read more →

12 ways to squeeze fun into tax season

four young happy office employeeswhy not?

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

tax season presents exciting opportunities for accounting firms and their staffs. every moment should be enjoyed and appreciated.

more: 6 ways to get paid faster in tax season

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

following are 12 reasons:

1. tax season is profitable and accounting is a business where we try to maximize our earnings. sure, there is a great concentration of work in a short period with occasional pressure, but if handled properly, the work can be managed sensibly with tensions at reasonable levels. i also believe much of the pressure is self-induced by poor scheduling, inadequate quality control and the lack of uniform systems that are followed by everyone in the firm, particularly the partners.

read more →