advisory & consulting

accounting tech tools to minimize your pain

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a businessman with some jigsaw puzzle pieces in his hand

concrete ways that small to midsized firms can build their back office support.

by penny breslin
it’s not just the numbers

obtaining the source documents is the most difficult aspect of being a virtual back office support (bos). waiting for documents is the death knell for this type of work.

more: strengthen client ties with workflow tools | decoding accounting tech (and all those acronyms) | digital marketing strategies level the playing field | eight tasks to delegate today | advisory services done your way | ai is not your enemy
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luckily, technology has provided tools to take away this pain.

here are just five of the tools we use currently to collect information from our clients:
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20 things you need for a business valuation

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man reading in paper notebook in front of two screens

how to help a client who wants to sell their business. (hint: it’s about them, not you.)

by ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice

question: i have a client who’s thinking of selling his business, and he asked me to recommend a consultant to help him get his business in shape to sell. i am afraid that if he finds someone on his own i’ll lose control of the client. he might end up not selling and i could lose the client. i do not know anyone to recommend. what do you suggest i do?

more: valuing a family-owned business: eight options | business valuation comes down to cash flow | 50 ways to create value for business owners and board members | what earnings mean for a business valuation | use organization charts to rewrite the future | what clients don’t know about cost variances | why and how to track payroll costs
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ed’s response: i suggest that you decide what is best for the client and proceed that way. you can find consultants by contacting other cpas, attorneys, or business brokers that work in this area.

however, i also think that this is something where you can probably do most of the work yourself or through your firm. it is not a magic process, but a four-part process.

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target the family ceo

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woman and man having coffee, laptop open on table

your role? personal cfo.

by anthony glomski

truly consultative collaborative wealth management stands in stark contrast to how most investors and their advisors operate today. even the most affluent and successful people you know – professionals, entrepreneurs, executives – rarely take this type of coordinated and comprehensive approach with their finances.

more: how to implement collaborative wealth management | five challenges of liquidating a business
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the vast majority of people tend to address retirement, estate planning and other financial goals on an ad hoc basis – treating these issues as separate concerns and placing each one in its own discrete box. given that, their efforts to deal with their many interconnected issues are not coordinated. this leads to challenges that can jeopardize their financial health as well as that of their families, their practices or their businesses.
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would you buy your own services?

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don’t expect potential clients to if you don’t know what sets you apart.

by steven e. sacks, cpa, cgma, abc

do you ever wonder why after spending many hours on drafting, editing, proofing, and polishing—and proofing and polishing just once more—your engagement proposal efforts did not result in winning the engagement? and if this happens on a semi-regular basis, the frustration is never easier to take.

more steve sacks: how do you value your most important asset? | how to build a winning proposal | six ways to fix your firm agreement | the great resignation or a reshuffling? | listen to learn | build the framework to a solution with five answers | try for success, not a win
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

you may have the requisite knowledge, experience, and perhaps even a broad view based on a diverse set of clients. however, you may have become complacent by maintaining a “cookie-cutter” approach to developing your proposals. like the old joke defining a consultant: “a person who takes off your watch, tells you the time, and gives the watch back to you,” implies an approach that you believe is best for your potential client, yet reflects no understanding of what the client actually needs.

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bundle tax services with financial planning

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businesspeople having a meeting over coffee sitting together at a table discussing a document, young man and two middle-aged women present

two sample engagement proposals.

by ed mendlowitz
how to build a stronger tax practice

following are two sample engagement proposals for tax return preparation bundled with additional financial planning and business planning services.

more on marketing: when clients haven’t filed taxes for years | seven keys to a complete succession plan | the tax effects of buying or selling a business | elder care: not sexy, but vital | how to guide clients through divorce | help clients manage their investments
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

letter 1:

dear _________________:

it was good meeting with you last week. ed and i are excited to be working with you and look forward to a long and satisfying professional relationship.
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strengthen client ties with workflow tools

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bonus: a solution for authentication code headaches.

by penny breslin
it’s not just the numbers

managing tasks and workflow through email, handwritten notes, telephone messages or walking down the hall is a recipe for disaster. a web-based tasking app, preferably linked to your document management system, allows the back office support to inspect what they expect:

  • recurring tasks done on time and accurate load leveling of resources
  • audit trail of work
  • set up, review, make notes, share information and complete tasks while maintaining the relationship with the client

more: decoding accounting tech (and all those acronyms) | do your apps play well with others? | it’s ok to have favorite clients | ten questions for teamwork | yes, you can be an outsourcer
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

tasking applications come on the market regularly and there are a few that are specific to the accounting industry. they can run the gamut in price ranges and capabilities. from advance flow to 17 hats, a firm large to small can find one that will work and fulfill 80 percent of their needs. below are some we work with and that get high reviews with our staff:
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how to implement collaborative wealth management

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closeup of two older businessmen talking

this is an ongoing process, not one and done.

by anthony glomski
your $5 million high-net-worth practice

just like starting a business or building a practice, most of your successful clients know that nothing truly valuable is free or easy. same goes for their pursuit of financial freedom. it will take hard work, discipline and smart thinking to overcome and solve those challenges.

more: five challenges of liquidating a business
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

but what most type-a business owners, executives and professionals you work with don’t realize is that they don’t have to do it alone. there is plenty of help available to empower them to close the gap between where they are today and where they want to be down the road. chances are they’re going to reach out to reach out to you (their cpa) first for guidance. will you be ready when they call?
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want higher profitability? turn to cas

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man's hand drawing upward arrow labeled "profit"

the effects of various pricing strategies.

by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide

pricing your services correctly to ensure reasonable profitability is a major decision you will take in your client accounting services practice.

more: cas requires reaching out more | your cas engagement letter needs a reset option | help your clients run their businesses better | cas tech stack depends on cloud use | five ways to profit from cas | cas is a value pitch | accountants are perfect for virtual cfo roles | raise client expectations with cas | the why behind your cas why
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the accounting profession’s largest cas survey results revealed how cas firms price their cas offering:

  • the topmost method of pricing the cas offering is fixed/flat fee, used by 41 percent of the respondents.
  • the next common method of pricing cas is “mixed method of pricing” (a mix of hourly, fixed and value pricing), charged by 36 percent of respondents.
  • hourly billing method is used by 33 percent of respondents.
  • about 28 percent of respondents use value pricing as the method for cas pricing.

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