client service opportunities

how to avoid getting run over (or left behind)

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cars in trafficsmart cpas will remain their client’s most trusted advisor – but not by staying in their lane.

by kyle walters

are your clients asking you specifically for help with their insurance, investments and estate planning? are they asking you how these options impact their taxes?

more: use 3 colors to create clarity and deliver value | are you growing or getting left behind? | what can you offer that ibm’s watson can’t? | the what, so what and now what? | clients don’t have a fee problem, they have a value problem
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

most cpas will say, “yes, all the time!” the reason clients are bringing these issues to you is because they trust you. cpas have long been viewed as their clients’ most trusted advisors. when most clients have financial issues or complexity to deal with, they go to their cpa first.
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use 3 colors to create clarity and deliver value

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illustration of traffic lighthow the three colors of a traffic light can improve your client relationships.

by kyle walters

from the cpa’s perspective, a completed tax return is a summary of all the hard work that you have done on behalf of your client. the return represents a mountain of paperwork that you have tamed – everything you had to evaluate, research and consider in order to complete the often-complex process of preparing and filing a u.s. tax return.

more: are you growing or getting left behind? | what can you offer that ibm’s watson can’t? | the what, so what and now what? | clients don’t have a fee problem, they have a value problem
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

however, when you deliver a tax return to your client, the final return seems like nothing more than a huge pile of paper in the client’s eyes. other than seeing how much they owe in taxes, most clients don’t know what to do with all the information on their return because they don’t understand irs-speak. they don’t understand the implications of the numbers contained in the nice neat rows and columns.
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4 ways a production orientation can harm a firm

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men doing precision work on a production linewhat kind of partner is more valuable?

by august j. aquila

a pure production orientation can have negative consequences for an accounting firm.

more: why choose a marketplace orientation? | how traditional fee methods hurt firms | 6 questions for planning your succession | underperformers come in many shapes and sizes | 6 focuses for managing partners | 10 steps to transitioning to a new mp | what managing partners should be doing
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these consequences include a focus on internal measures, billable hours and technical aspect of tasks, and inhibit the development of a marketing orientation.
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order takers and history writers

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hand writing a letter with a plume“clients want you to be proactive.”

by rob nixon

unbeknownst to those who work in accounting practices, the favorite word (and often it seems the firm’s mantra and culture) is to “wait.”

more on strategy: the bizarre habits of accountants | the final critical traits: how do your tires look? | how to calculate a value price | boost efficiency and your bottom line | 4 sales systems and some secret sauce | marketing must generate leads | be an ‘object of interest’
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here is some dialogue you may have heard before:

“why can’t we get that job out?” “i have sent the client an email and i am now waiting for them to send the missing bank statement in.”
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are you growing or getting left behind?

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businesspeople coming together to cup hands and hold dirt and a seedlinghow to build a successful firm for the future.

by kyle walters

as most of you know, the accounting profession is feeling the pressure of commoditization and fee compression. what’s more, many firms are finding it difficult to hire and retain qualified staff.

more: what can you offer that ibm’s watson can’t? | the what, so what and now what? | clients don’t have a fee problem, they have a value problem
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

in order to overcome these challenges in your practice, you will need to address three important considerations asap:

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clients don’t have a fee problem, they have a value problem

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clients don’t pay you to fill in forms, they pay you to help them make better financial decisions.

by kyle walters

key takeaways

• clients are buying expert advice and recommendations from you. they’re not buying the tools you use to do your job.

• unfortunately, that makes many cpas nervous because advice doesn’t balance. advice can’t be guaranteed.

• your output as a cpa firm is to help clients make better financial decisions. everything you do needs to be centered around client success – not around manufacturing tax returns.

as a cpa, it’s easy to think your job is simply to provide tax and auditing services – i.e. to give clients a historical analysis of their financial statements. your input is data; your output is more data in the form of a completed tax return. chances are, you became a cpa because you’ve always liked numbers and structure. like many of your peers, you have always enjoyed balancing debits and credits because that way, you can prove without question that the output is right. read more →

how to beat automation in accounting

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classic drawing/puzzlefour frustrations … and which one to focus on.

by hitendra patil

do you see an old lady or a young lady or both?

more on entrepreneurial strategy: podcast: how to become a true ‘accountaneur’ | how to fly the automation dragon to your dream practice | your clients hold a secret key to your practice growth | seven lessons for accountants from self-driving cars | you don’t think technology helps get new clients?
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according to brainbashers.com, this image appeared in a 1915 edition of the puck.
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10 times clients should contact you

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businesswoman speaking on phone in officethere may be boons or pitfalls clients are overlooking.

by blake christian

it is important for clients to understand when they need to contact you prior to making significant business or personal decisions or commitments.

more: entity choice in light of estate and gift tax rules | 11 tax client questions for year-round billings
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for example, our experience has proven that unwinding a business deal is more costly as deals progress than being involved before clients start negotiations. here’s a short list of issues clients clients should know about:
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the 10 fastest-growing industries in the u.s.

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the race for fast-moving clients.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

if you already have clients in the information technology industries, you probably already know that keeping up with new developments is a challenge.

but do you know about the other nine of top ten fastest growing industries that should be attracting intense cpa firm competition?

according to new data from sageworks, a financial information company, construction-related businesses make up much of the rest of the list.

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entity choice in light of estate and gift tax rules

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man and woman in meetingwhat advisors need to know about the structures under which their clients do business.

by blake christian

as many advisors have learned, the 2013 increase in personal federal income tax rates – up to 39.6 percent, plus a potential 3.8 percent federal tax on net investment income (nii) – combined with a drop in the maximum estate and gift tax rate to 40 percent (only on net assets of $5.34 million per spouse), significantly changed estate tax planning for most taxpayers. it’s especially important for your successful business owner clients.

more: 11 tax client questions for year-round billings

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

one of the most common questions i get from clients and friends is about which legal structure they should opt for to run their new or existing business. my standard answer is, “well, it depends.”
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when tax filing season is over, what’s next?

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woman ladder binoculars city view outlook vision success climb adobestock_57204649.jpegno more ‘off-season!’ seven post-season tactics for building income streams year-round.

by jassen bowman
tax resolution systems

after one tax season ends and another begins, it’s time to turn your attention to business planning for the rest of the year.

more by jassen bowman: how to end the tax revenue roller coaster with a four-season practice model  |    how to turn routine cpe into a new marketing opportunity  |  more

 

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you do need to start planning ahead for what your business will look like for the rest of the year.

if you fail to plan ahead for the post-filing season, then you may suddenly find yourself wondering, “what now?”

here are some things to consider when it comes to your post tax season planning:

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11 tax client questions for year-round billings

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question markshow to identify post-busy season projects.

by blake christian

while most cpas and staff are in survival mode during busy season, the weeks following tax day offer excellent opportunities for cpas to identify challenges and opportunities, and begin inventorying projects to complete now that the rush has ended.

more tax practice: a lesson in basis taught to us by almond trees  |  how to end the tax revenue roller coaster with a four-season practice model  |  five ways to protect clients from ‘the sleazy six’ tax season scams  |  tax season productivity hacks  |   how to sell bundled tax services  |  46 avoidable tax-filing errors – if clients only knew  |  21 reasons why tax clients switch firms  |

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

this time of year generally presents more opportunities to talk directly with your clients—either in person or on the phone—to discuss their business and personal financial matters. reviewing their source documents also provides numerous ways to identify work that they’ll need your help with in the coming year.

when you meet with clients in the weeks after busy season, it can be helpful to develop a short agenda of topics to cover. these can include not only industry and technical issues, but also longer-term operational and personal issues. here is a sampling of questions to consider asking clients—especially those for which you don’t produce monthly financial statements—when you meet with them in the period immediately following busy season.

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