make your next busy season easier now

sad businessman sitting at desk outdoors and looking straight ahead

five ways to shift some of the heavy lifting to your lighter months.

by sandi leyva
the complete guide to marketing for tax & accounting firms

for some of you, summer can be a slow time in your business. if you do taxes, all the action is during busy season and in september if you have a lot of extensions. if you’re a bookkeeper, your busiest month is january. and if you do software consulting or training, it slows down in july and august.

more: how to put your strengths to work for you | implement these two daily rituals | want to close a deal? set a deadline | five business development mistakes to avoid | how to leverage chatgpt during this crazy tax season | eight steps to getting started with ai: a guide for tax professionals | you don’t have a time problem | three money leaks and how to plug them | eleven ways to serve clients even better
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

if you have a good relationship with your clients, you might be able to move some of your busy season work to off season. and if you have clients who are ready to take advantage of new technologies, there are lots of opportunities in the cloud. here are five quick ideas to stir up some revenue in the slower summer months.

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develop your personal marketing plan in ten steps

woman working on laptop in office setting

are you a trusted resource?

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

let’s face it, achieving the firm’s goal is everyone’s responsibility. it cannot be delegated to a marketing director or a handful of rainmakers.

more: five ways to make partners fall in love with marketing | analyze your firm to keep it current | three more strategies for growing your practice | understand the 10 steps of the buying process | calculate the cost of losing clients | eleven possible pitfalls of mergers | six ways to expand your client services checklist | four questions for choosing your marketing audit strategies
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everyone has his or her own style, strengths, weaknesses and objectives when it comes to marketing and bringing in new business. a personal marketing plan gives you the opportunity to take responsibility for

  • developing a referral network,
  • obtaining new business from existing and new clients, and
  • increasing your personal balance sheet by developing new marketing and communication skills.

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five ways to make partners fall in love with marketing

three businesspeople meeting outdoors and shaking hands

it’s an age-old problem, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept it.

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

if only there were a silver bullet to solve this problem! but unfortunately, there isn’t one.

more: analyze your firm to keep it current | what makes a great website? | four strategies for building your practice | market technology services through workshops and training | the secrets of great business developers | dodge the four curses of a production orientation | client acquisition never stops | ‘sales’ is not a four-letter word | maybe what you need is a marketing audit | three types of marketing message, and which is best
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

getting partners to market and to love doing it has been the achilles’ heel of the accounting and consulting professional for as long as i can remember. what does it take to make progress in this area? here are some ideas to help you move forward:
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eight questions for personal preparation

before you can succeed in business, get your house in order.

by martin bissett
winning your first client

you know the identity of your first client, and if you buy into you, then there’s a good chance of potential clients being prepared to do so, too.

more: perception, even your own, is reality | eight questions that target personal accountability | are you projecting confidence? | does client perception match your firm’s reality? | firm not thriving? five fixes | five questions for grading prospects | health, wealth, stealth: challenges on the path to partnership | don’t let recurring fees kill your practice | rate your personal purpose | five ways to make selling easier
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

this is what we must remember about the purchasing of professional services such as accounting. if your prospective client is a grade a or b style opportunity for your firm, then they are not buying the services you provide per se. the services are the vehicles of delivery; the means to the end.

the client is buying the relationship, and they are asking themselves:
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analyze your firm to keep it current

six people seated at table for a business meeting, with another six people visible on videoconference screen

does everyone have the same vision?

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

i have discussed some of the issues behind developing an effective website. if your partners can’t agree on the overall points of the website, it merely means that there are different visions for the firm within the firm. the best way to overcome this obstacle is to conduct a self-analysis.

more: what makes a great website? | losing can help you win more | eight areas to cover for personal goals | service quality: the key to client retention | how life cycle changes your marketing | clients buy solutions, not features | make sure you know what you will get from your marketing | three pillars support a successful accounting firm | clients have six reasons for needing you | six ways to market your technology consulting practice | sixteen marketing activities to try | the four steps of your personal marketing process
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

you can use the following questions at a firm retreat. hand out the questions to the retreat participants prior to the meeting. ask the retreat participants to write out the answer to each question. then have open discussions about the questions and their answers, and try to come to some agreement. here are the questions:
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perception, even your own, is reality

young businesswoman looking in mirror

you have to believe in yourself.

by martin bissett
 business development on a budget

“no man has the ability to step outside of the shadow of his own character.” – robespierre

as far as our potential clients are concerned, how they perceive us is how we really are to them, regardless of the truth of the matter.

more: eight questions that target personal accountability | how to prepare for partnership | five questions to help forecast your firm growth | do you deliver on your website’s promises? | five questions about facing challenges | be clear about your roi proposition | it’s time to prepare the next generation | who are you more committed to, your firm or your clients? | nine checkpoints before every prospect meeting | three questions about conversion | six keys to turning prospects into clients | don’t overlook internal communication | four reasons people struggle with communication | why firm culture matters for partners
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

because of this, it’s important to realize that when we are meeting a new potential client who has not been referred to us, it does not matter what the reality of our value proposition is; it matters how that potential client perceives our value proposition. therefore, to be effective in winning work, we must understand how we can positively influence their perception of us at each stage of the relationship-building process.
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eight questions that target personal accountability

young man facing image of himself

what are you selling on?

by martin bissett
business development on a budget

the secret to overcoming failure to correctly implement a successful business development strategy is by “winning your first client” and this starts by being accountable to someone for your performance.

more: how to prepare for partnership | stop waiting for business to come to you | four key questions about leadership | showing leadership through customer service | the real math behind the sales pipeline | keep business development going during busy season | walk the commitment walk | two steps toward mastering selling | thirteen ways to show commitment | clients can’t grow without you | seven mistakes in winning new fees | how to develop your communication abilities | five questions for measuring partner potential

 

now that “someone” may be your fellow partners in the firm. if you are a senior manager, that may be the partner to whom you report.
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what makes a great website? 

two women looking at a screen as they design a website

nine things to ask as you build.

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

don’t kid yourself: creating a great website takes a lot of time and creative talent. websites must also be constantly updated with new material.

more: losing can help you win more | three more strategies for growing your practice | understand the 10 steps of the buying process | calculate the cost of losing clients | eleven possible pitfalls of mergers | six ways to expand your client services checklist | ten questions to refine your successful marketing plan | four questions for choosing your marketing audit strategies | four steps to a successful email marketing campaign
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

if you plan to update your current website or prepare one for the first time, or if you plan to do it yourself or just hire a marketing communication specialist with website-building experience, make sure you have clear answers to the following questions:

  • who is your target market? accounting firms usually have more than one market they are going after. consider how your various markets will find themselves on your site.

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