here’s what you’re looking for: steven sacks

bad reputations spread more quickly now.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

technology has overtaken the traditional forms of communication that include face-to-face interaction, telephone conversations and of course, the handwritten or typed note slipped into an envelope, affixed with a stamp and dropped in the mailbox.

more: don’t overlook office relationships | how to deliver authentic value | making the jump from small to mid-sized firm | what sets your firm apart … if anything? | why deadlines get missed | too busy? you may need to reprioritize | is it time to outsource? | five reasons you’re not swot-ready | who needs another meeting? | 4 questions for cpa firm boards
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

but wait. how can professionals succeed if the situation calls for in-person interaction if they have not been given the necessary training in the art of a conversation? whether you are involved in a job interview or entertaining a potential client over a meal, how you exercise the appropriate behavior will determine whether a relationship is forged or tossed on the pile of failed results.
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consider it from the client’s perspective.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

do you ever wonder if events you attend have an air of authenticity around them or are they simply staged? what about the options offered on new cars or the latest and greatest upgrades to a tech gadget? is the hype greater than the actual product? is what is considered innovation really just an incremental change that competitors can duplicate, albeit with minor modifications?

more: what sets your firm apart … if anything? | why deadlines get missed | five reasons you’re not swot-ready | are you productive or just busy? | accounting is a profession, not an industry
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

as for professional services firms, are they providing a unique service in a unique fashion? today, clients are looking at the cost of traditional audit and tax work. because they are commoditized services, the decision is price-driven, so lowballing becomes routine for firms.
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you might have to rethink how they’re established.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

distractions, distractions and more distractions, coupled with deadlines. ah, deadlines! those are the bête noire of executives, journalists, record producers, book authors and anyone else in the workforce whose deliverables are expected by a certain date.

more: too busy? you may need to reprioritize | is it time to outsource? | five reasons you’re not swot-ready | who needs another meeting? | 4 questions for cpa firm boards | are you productive or just busy? | the five big rules for powerpoint presentations | how aging boomers impact the accounting profession | accounting is a profession, not an industry
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

and what about those dates? are they arbitrary or do they have the real urgency of, say, a court order?
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five steps to better time management.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

some firms encourage expanding workloads, creating questionable tasks or keeping people occupied under the pretense that their actual activities provide real value. what is the meaning of busy, really? and how are outcomes from efforts measured for value?

more: is it time to outsource? | five reasons you’re not swot-ready | who needs another meeting? | 4 questions for cpa firm boards | are you productive or just busy? | the five big rules for powerpoint presentations | how aging boomers impact the accounting profession | accounting is a profession, not an industry
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

part of the illusion of being busy is that you can master many things at the same time. it certainly would keep you busy (or occupied) but you won’t nurture new skills and discover what your real aptitude is to help yourself and/or your firm.
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it starts and ends with people.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

you read about companies every day: those that separate themselves from the competition by disrupting the norms and those that remain steadfast, much to their detriment. for the former, think about amazon, uber, netflix and other “change agents.” now, think about the latter: jcpenney, kmart and sears.

more: five reasons you’re not swot-ready | who needs another meeting? | 4 questions for cpa firm boards | are you productive or just busy? | the five big rules for powerpoint presentations | how aging boomers impact the accounting profession | accounting is a profession, not an industry
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

as the late chairman and ceo of intel, andy grove said, “success breeds complacency. complacency breeds failure. only the paranoid survive.”
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the tool works. but you need the prerequisites.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

cpa firms that seek to position themselves for the future must be brutally honest and self-aware. they might normally start with a top-down or bottom-up analysis of their operations. one tool that has been around forever is the swot analysis.

more: who needs another meeting? | 4 questions for cpa firm boards | are you productive or just busy? | the five big rules for powerpoint presentations | how aging boomers impact the accounting profession | accounting is a profession, not an industry
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

swot stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. there are benefits to this tool because it serves as a motivator to examine a situation (e.g., operational, cultural, financial), assess core competencies and capabilities, identify the need to (and key drivers of) change and enable – if conducted correctly – an organizational cross-section of input and insight.
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