three questions about conversion

man writing in notebook

bonus: rate yourself in five areas.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

ask yourself and answer these questions when considering the current and future conversion tactics that you’ll employ.

more: clients can’t grow without you | six keys to getting a proposal accepted | tell the world your worth | four surprising keys to communication | culture can’t be ignored | three questions about your competence | 10 can’t-skip steps for business development
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  1. if i were to start today, could i name four businesses that i’d like to reach out to?

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women-owned businesses upbeat but need help

line chart

access to capital is a concern … and an opportunity for accountants.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

despite a few challenges, small businesses are somewhat optimistic about their immediate future. according to the bank of america’s “2023 women & minority business owner spotlight,” 67 percent expect their revenue to increase over the next 12 months, and 46 percent plan to expand their business.

more: survey: 42% of accountants turn away work over staff shortages | ethics on sustainability puzzle some accountants | accountants hopeful, concerned and confused about ai | survey respondents see exciting year coming up | the 7 categories of cybersecurity solutions firms need | how auditors can beat ai | why the u.s. must act now to protect our online privacy
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this guarded optimism is in the face of several perceived problems. only 34 percent think the national economy will improve in that timeframe, a number unchanged since last fall. a few more – 41 percent – see their local economy improving, though that number has dipped 2 percentage points since last fall.
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outlook: it’s time for a new business model

three people looking at charts on laptop and papers

how about a chief growth officer?

by gale crosley
the rosenberg map survey

editor’s note: every year, the rosenberg map survey asks the industry’s top consultants to share their observations from cpa firms across the country. how do you think the next 12 months will unfold? also, how would you assess the last 12 months?

our homogenous profession consists of firms with similar ownership and governance structures and business models. looking forward we’ll see an increased variety of approaches.

more: rosenberg map: partner incomes surge 11.4%
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many will look more like the corporate world, where ownership is not just in the hands of equity partners. governance structures will include a c-suite of non-cpa players. business models will include the melting away of geographic borders, value-based pricing and a variety of career paths.
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clients can’t grow without you

woman's hand pressing words "ask an expert"

do they know why they need you? do you?

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

please start understanding, valuing and respecting your own value in the marketplace with clients who could not reach their goals without you.

more: six keys to getting a proposal accepted | six keys to turning prospects into clients | four reasons people struggle with communication | why firm culture matters for partners | three things that rich accountants do | four reasons it’s hard to sell
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businesses are in need – sometimes desperate need – of your technical expertise and caring approach.

take that to them instead because, speaking as one who is looked after well myself, we love it and we are prepared to pay a premium without ever asking for discounts.
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accountants to the rescue as startups struggle

line chart

 

three ways that you can help.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

small businesses rarely make the headlines, but as a whole they represent a huge portion of the american economy. more than 98 percent of all american businesses have fewer than 100 employees, and 77 percent have between one and 10. together they account for 36 percent of the national workforce.

more: talent gap widening: be very scared | accountants hopeful, concerned and confused about ai | looking for recent grads? good luck | cpa biz is booming, but for how long? | survey respondents see exciting year coming up | survey: accountants economic outlook brightens | research: accounting pros cautiously optimistic about generative ai
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americans, generally an independent bunch, are known for cranking up new businesses. one in 10 small businesses is less than one year old. the attrition rate is high, of course, but 45 percent have held on for one to 10 years, and they account for 34 percent of small business jobs.
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why other accountants are great referral sources

plus 9 ways to meet more people.

by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor

referrals should be your greatest way of obtaining additional business and in particular tax services.

more on marketing: do you really want that client? | want more tax clients? here’s how | seven keys to a complete succession plan | the tax effects of buying or selling a business | how to guide clients through divorce | help clients manage their investments | help heirs with tax issues | every client can use financial planning
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referrals do not just come from existing clients, but can come from almost everyone you know. referrals are made by people who believe
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karen reyburn: fix your marketing and fix your business

not more clients, better clients.

subscribe to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 podcasts anywhere: apple, google, spotify, iheart, deezer, amazon music and audible, player fm, audacy, gaana (india), and boomplay (africa).

the disruptors
with liz farr

karen reyburn wants accountants to stop thinking “about marketing as this one-off thing where you tick little boxes,” but instead about the ways you can use your marketing to connect to the human experience. her company, the profitable firm, or pf for short, has been helping accountants with their marketing since 2012.

more podcasts and videos: giles pearson: fix the staffing crisis by swapping experience for education | jina etienne: practice fearless inclusionbill penczak: stop forcing smart people to do stupid worksandra wiley: staffing problem? check your culture | scott scarano: first, grow people. then firm growth can follow | jody padar: build a practice that works for you, not vice-versa | ira rosenbloom: with m&a, nobody wants a fixer-upper | peter margaritis: the power skills every accountant needs | joe montgomery: find the sweet spot of the right clients, right services and right pricesmarie green: your bad apples are ruining youmegan genest tarnow: hire for curiosity rather than complianceclayton oates: one way to keep clients for life |

learn more

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her new book, the accountant marketer: the structured approach any accountant can follow to attract clients they love, provides a step-by-step process for understanding the unique characteristics of their firm and how to connect that uniqueness with their best clients.

in reyburn’s view, marketing is closely connected to the business. “if you have a marketing problem, you have a business problem. if you have a business problem, there’s often a marketing solution that can help with it.”

this book springs out of a pf coaching group called the accelerator, where participants were guided through a process of creating a structured approach to content marketing that made their marketing better. reyburn and pf take a collaborative approach to marketing. “we don’t do marketing for people,” she explained. “we do marketing with them.”

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four considerations for effective client culling

2023: the year “cull” was no longer a four-letter word for cpa firms.

by bill penczak

it finally happened.

for at least the past dozen years, i’ve heard cpa firm partners’ bold talk about culling their clients in order to ease staffing issues, focus on larger, more profitable engagements, or rid the firm of the pita clients, which has nothing to do with animal rights and more about protecting their people from those who are a pain ____  _____  _____ (complete the next three words on your own, and you can skip wordle for today).

more: partner accountability: the only two things that really matter | how to boost profits by (omg) sharing the upside | dustin verity: keep an open mind and constantly learn | secret to success? a growth and abundance mindset | the six essential kpis for managing partners | your marketing sucks: six reasons why | nine smooth moves to build client satisfaction
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a recent study was published that indicated only 1 percent of cpa firms could adequately staff their engagements. and while more firms are migrating to offshore models to get work done, more are actually culling clients, but without a measured process for doing so.  

here are some suggestions for successful extrication of clients who are wearing down the profitability and the morale of firms: 

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keep clients from “balance due” shock

with just a little advanced marketing, you can get paid year-round and have more satisfied clients.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

when i talk with prospective clients in any medium, i lead with tax planning. i don’t care if i’m meeting them, calling them or emailing them. i lead with tax planning. the number one complaint clients have about cpas and tax preparers is a lack of planning. they get tax returns and nothing else.

more: stop clients from performing “favors” | who needs fall tax planning? clients … and you | get clients to bring tax docs early…yes, early | why time tracking still matters | make fewer mistakes, increase revenue and capacity | six ways to create a millennial-friendly firm
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the fun part is seeing the reaction when i mention planning. i tell them that they can know the results while there’s still time to change the results. tax season is no longer stressful because they know the answers in advance about refunds and balances due.
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stop clients from performing “favors”

“oh, you shouldn’t have.” (you really, really shouldn’t have.)

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

we all have clients who bring in tax documents in laminated three-ring binders. they smile big toothy grins and tell us how they’re our most organized client. there’s no reason for us to organize the documents, as they’ve already done us this huge favor. of course, there will be no reason for us to remove anything from the binder and everything should be left in the binder just as it is.

more: who needs fall tax planning? clients … and you | it’s ok to say no to clients (even the large ones) | you train your clients, whether you mean to or not | business owners face one of three exits | how small firms can win the talent wars | do you know your turnaround time?
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we call these people binder boys. they have no clue that organized for them is not organized for tax return preparation. preparing a return from documents in a binder takes twice as long, at least, as preparing returns from a well-organized pdf file.

we also have the people who use five pounds of staples to organize 20 pages. they don’t want any loose documents falling out of the file.
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20 things you need for a business valuation

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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would you buy your own services?

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
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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

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
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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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