five ways to grow new service lines

you may have to manage them differently.

more: how crisis illuminates your biz dev skills | take the pressure of ‘selling’ out of ‘cross-selling’ | don’t confuse marketing with biz dev | business development and sales aren’t scary
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as firms look to these affiliated service lines and entities to be part of their growth, the move often presents some major challenges. here are a few tips to help avoid or address some of the most common challenges.
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how to cas: first, break bad habits

woman and man meeting in an officeyou’re providing more than reports.

by hitendra patil
the definitive success guide to client accounting services

a successful client accounting services practice requires increased interactions with clients. your usual non-cas methods of client communications are not sufficient to meet the demands and expectations of your cas clients. you must leverage new tech tools to reach out, communicate and collaborate with clients more frequently.

more: how much cas profit per person? | five reasons the top 100 loves cas | look backward for your cas processes | make sure your differentiation is truly different | is it time to outsource? | your firm’s cas team: who and how many | two tech approaches to cas | when to start building your cas tech stack | stop derailing cas | show your priciest cas package first
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some accounting software can help you automate client notifications (by email/text) based on customized triggers set up in the software. similarly, automated payroll software can keep clients informed automatically. mobile apps of core accounting software are becoming a necessity to deliver client service and communications.

why?
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when good things happen

be open to unexpected opportunities.

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

my friend al is a sole practitioner with seven staff members and a thriving audit practice, besides the typical tax and small business tax clients.

more: when an employee’s growth has gaps | my first trainee | the growing pains of a small firm | giving clients the best you’ve got | why map programs are essential | 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
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he is getting older, and while he has no plans to retire and is actively trying to grow his practice, he periodically meets with larger firms to see if there is an interest in acquiring his practice when that day comes. by doing this he stumbled on a fantastic business development formula.
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the key that unlocks client advisory services

man looking at 5 keyswhich of the five types will you deploy?

coming soon:
profit in disruption

a special report by gary bolinger.
click here to be notified when it’s ready.

by gary bolinger
profit in disruption

an annual strategic review is key to a structured advisory services practice. the review provides an annual event where everyone’s attention is focused.

more: if you can’t explain it, no one will buy it | the three types of advisory services clients need today | you can’t separate the business from the client | tell managers what ownership means | clients: what accountants don’t understand | why accountants fail at consulting
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the review can follow the annual financial report or precede when budgets are being put together. the annual strategic review articulates and confirms your strategic role. and make no mistake, the annual strategic review delivers a process to secure recurring fees and upon which to hang your advisory hat. the client receives a copy of the plan and then the fun starts when you support them in the implementation of their plans, one project at a time and one action at a time. billable time.
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how crisis illuminates your biz dev skills

relationships remain king.

by sarah johnson dobek
inovautus consulting

a common turn of phrase is that a crisis reveals our character in how we respond. while that may be true in some respects, i believe what a crisis actually uncovers is how effective we are with our skills. the question is, what is this crisis revealing about your cpa firm’s business development skills?

more: take the pressure of ‘selling’ out of ‘cross-selling’ | don’t confuse marketing with biz dev | business development and sales aren’t scary
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it’s easy to sell when selling is easy. you don’t have to be as effective; skills don’t have to be as honed. frankly, it’s easier to get by with mediocre skills.
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keep clever from turning fraudulent

turn stress testing into a profitable revenue stream.

by anthony glomski and russ alan prince
your $5-million high-net-worth practice

for the extremely wealthy, financial stress testing is quite common. just consider the following case.

more: six benefits of family offices | how to profit by being a thought leader | the best wealth coaching candidates | opportunities within covid-19 | clients who prefer obscurity | four steps of stress testing | the smart way to handle financial products
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a super-rich individual (net worth = $500 million or more) asked us to examine a tax mitigation strategy he was using. he was quite proud of how ingenious it was and how well it worked. the complication was that some of his business dealings were under scrutiny, and he wanted to make sure his wealth planning would not cause any problems. as part of this tax strategy, he had done several things:
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civility goes a long way

business people laughing at lunch in a cafe outdoorsbad 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
goprocpa.comexclusively 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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four strategies for a future-ready firm

young businessman walking on bungee cord between question mark and dollar signembrace these to ensure you remain relevant.

by donny c. shimamoto
the center for accounting transformation

a recent article from harvard business review, “what makes a company future-ready?”, shared insights from multiple industries in looking at which companies adapted and thrived versus those that didn’t perform as well.

related: the changes ahead for corporate finance | top issues for 2022: talent, time, and transformation

learn more about the center’s audit advisory board or view the center’s transformation courses.

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as i read through the article, i couldn’t help but think, “how would these insights apply to accounting firms and the future of accounting?” read more →

four accountability steps for firm success

plus four challenges to address.

by anthony zecca
leading from the edge

i’ve been focusing on the leadership accounting firms need to succeed in a future driven by seismic disruptors. we began with strategy, then empowerment. this third post will address the critical element that makes empowerment work – accountability.

more: the art of leadership: empowerment | the art of leadership, lesson one: strategy
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a characteristic of a great “edge” leader is the ability to empower everyone and understanding that as a leader, your responsibility is to lead and not manage. if you are the type of leader that manages, you own accountability since you can’t manage and empower at the same time. as i defined it in my previous post, a simple definition for empowerment that applies to all organizations is, “authority or power given to someone to do something.” 
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if you can’t explain it, no one will buy it

woman working at desktop computerwhat’s your advisory process?

by gary bolinger
profit in disruption

every firm that is serious about advisory services needs one client-facing advisory process that you can articulate to the market, but that is also consistent with how you deliver advisory services and of course operate internally. there is no need to “customize” the advisory process based on the client.

more bolinger on advisory: you can’t separate the business from the client |tell managers what ownership means | clients: what accountants don’t understand | why accountants fail at consulting | advisory vs. low-value clients | what + who leads firms to better service | how accountants are profiting in disruption | ask the right question(s) | seven elements of engagement for cpas | true advisory work isn’t just consulting

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the value in advisory services is not just in fees from strategic reviews but from all of these services, and often the fees from consulting can be very significant. for this reason, your advisory services need to be structured and not ad hoc. it is important that you have an articulated, repeatable advisory process, which must be client-facing, not just a list of technical services.
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take the pressure of ‘selling’ out of ‘cross-selling’

two businesswomen sitting at table and talking in office courtyardyou don’t have to solve the problem, just make the introduction.

by ty hendrickson

cross-selling at accounting and advisory firms. it’s something a lot of firms often talk about but frequently seem to struggle with. but as the profession continues its shift toward advisory services, it’s never been more critical.

more: don’t confuse marketing with biz dev
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there’s so much opportunity to do more for existing clients (and drive revenue higher). yet, many accounting professionals tend to overcomplicate the cross-selling process, which simply begins – and sometimes ends – with having a conversation.
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must-knows about stock-based comp

portrait of kei morita
morita

new rules make it easier, but traps remain for awards that are not carefully structured.

by kei morita
holthouse carlin & van trigt llp

kei morita is a principal in the los angeles office of holthouse carlin & van trigt llp.

with the war for talent at a fever pitch these days, stock-based compensation (sbc) is one of the most effective ways for private companies to attract and retain valued workers. it’s also a very effective way for early-stage companies and other private entities to preserve cash flow while allowing key employees to share in the company’s growth. but the sbc accounting rules and calculations can be very complex.

more tax practice: new small firm cost seg opportunities  |  what gig workers want  |  avalara crush set for may 17-18  |  accountants agree: the top five ways to fix the irs  |  can the r&d tax credit be used to offset the amt?  |  how the r&d tax credit has expanded over the years

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while fasb and the private company council (pcc) issued guidance late last year to make it somewhat easier for private companies to account for share-based awards, many challenges still remain. if you’re a cfo, controller, treasurer, hr director or another stakeholder in a privately held company – or have clients that are privately held companies – it’s critical to follow the sbc accounting rules correctly.
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when an employee’s growth has gaps

older man and younger man in meetingwhere did all that experience go?

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

we hired sam out of school and he worked for us for two and a half years and then we split up our firm. this was ages ago and sy and i left our third partner to form our new firm on jan. 1.

more: my first trainee | the growing pains of a small firm | giving clients the best you’ve got | why map programs are essential | 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 | preparing for the worst (thanks to my wife)
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

however, there is a valuable lesson here and i think it is worth sharing. it changed the way we hired staff.
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