the small firm and solo practice

2 ways to serve clients better

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young smiling woman using red laptop in office…and get them to spend more with you.

by sandi leyva and michelle long
the ultimate accounting virtual conference

here are two ways to serve clients better.

more small firm growth strategies:3 ways to work less and earn more | when to turn over client data files | the dreaded ‘quick question’ | how to handle referrals – and how not to | why clients need dashboards | 3 ways to raise your prices | your existing clients are your best leads | need more business? focus on referrals

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one thing that we see is a lot of times when you bring a client on board you kind of wing it and don’t really have a process. i want to suggest to have you move from reactive to proactive.
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3 ways to work less and earn more

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businesswoman relaxing in the office with bare feet up on her deskthink about the value you’re providing.

by sandi leyva and michelle long
the ultimate accounting virtual conference

let’s talk about three ways to earn more in fewer hours.

more small firm growth strategies: when to turn over client data files | how to fire a client | how to manage client expectations | trashing the spreadsheet: best practices in modern expense management | 3 ways to implement value pricing | building reputation to build your business | need more business? focus on referrals

one of the first things you can do is learn more about modern accounting apps. there are so many apps available today that really allow us to work faster and more efficiently, whether it’s for us or our clients. so it’s really important that you keep up with these changes and with technology because there are new apps coming out every single month.
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when to turn over client data files

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hands of two men playing tug-of-warnot everyone agrees about how to handle this.

by sandi leyva and michelle long

how do you feel about turning over a quickbooks data file when a client leaves?

more small firm growth strategies: how to fire a client | what to do when a client doesn’t pay | how to handle price sensitivity | how to find hidden money for your clients | how small firms can use value pricing | 3 killer lead generation channels

we asked this in a video conference and limited it to three answers:
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what to do when a client doesn’t pay

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ask questions. negotiate. and be ready to cut your losses.

by michelle long and sandi leyva

how many times have you been unable to collect from a client?

more small firm growth strategies: the dreaded ‘quick question’ | how to manage client expectations | how to handle price sensitivity | how to handle referrals – and how not to | trashing the spreadsheet: best practices in modern expense management | how to find hidden money for your clients | why clients need dashboards | 3 ways to implement value pricing | how small firms can use value pricing | 3 ways to raise your prices | building reputation to build your business | 3 killer lead generation channels | your existing clients are your best leads | need more business? focus on referrals

when we asked this question in a poll, 26 percent of you had never gotten stiffed from a client… yet.

that’s good. but a lot of us have gotten stiffed or burned when we’ve not collected money from a client. it’s happened to us.

if you’re one of the smart ones it’s only happened once and never again.

what do we do when there is a billing dispute? first, yes, get paid up front and that’s a good policy.

let’s talk about some situations where there is a billing dispute. first, if you have a big job and they want you to do some cleanup or catchup work and you estimate it will be a minimum of $2,000, you want them to pay you $1,000 up front before you do the work. if they’re not willing to pay you $1,000 now what makes you think they’ll pay you $2,000 later? right, so they should be willing to pay some money up front.

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5 quick steps to getting organized

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man staring at computer screen in shockclients and stakeholders benefit, and so do you.

by sandi leyva

do you ever get any of the following questions from clients or co-workers?

more on small-firm growth strategies: 7 ways to generate leads | 6 metrics of marketing | want better clients? 5 ways to hook them | stop thinking small | make your services an investment, not an expense | do you want to do compliance your whole career? | 5 ways to get more referrals | 3 ways to get to ‘yes’ with prospects | 5 cures for the summertime blues | 11 ways to add value for clients

  • i can’t find your email.
  • i accidentally deleted what you just sent me.
  • my computer crashed and i lost everything. (and i want you to take up your precious time to help me recreate everything you’ve ever sent me.)
  • i lost my tax return and i need it in the next five seconds.

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7 ways to generate leads

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woman and man in videoconferenceforget what worked 20 years ago.

by sandi leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

the big change in lead generation for accountants is that there are many more methods out there today to get clients’ attention. the problem — or the opportunity! – is most accountants are still only using the old methods.

more on small-firm growth strategies: want better clients? 5 ways to hook them | 5 ways tech makes your work easier | want more clients? take these 5 steps | 3 tips for following up with prospects | 5 ways a deadline can help close a deal | if you don’t develop your business, who will? | draw new clients in like a magnet

when accountants think about lead generation, methods like telemarketing and direct mail might instantly come to mind. (you might also have a really negative connotation of these methods, but if you do, hang with me for a minute.) it used to be that in telemarketing, if you made a certain number of calls, you could get one appointment, and for every certain number of appointments you set, you could get one new client.
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6 metrics of marketing

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businesswoman checking a spreadsheet on a tabletyes, you can do marketing with a spreadsheet and a checklist. (yay!)

by sandi leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

one way to help accountants embrace marketing is to fill training sessions with spreadsheets and numbers, things that most accountants love working on. there’s a lot of insecurity around learning marketing, but when accountants hear they need to do some spreadsheets first, they dive right in.

more on small-firm growth strategies: want better clients? 5 ways to hook them | is it time to reboot your practice? | how a spreadsheet can help stop leaks | how to calculate your ‘opportunity number’ | 3 tips for following up with prospects

here are six numbers i suggest you track:
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3 ways to make cpe work for you

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businessman hailing taxi at airportbe honest about the true costs of attending, then compensate.

what’s on accountants’ cpe agendas this year?
join the survey; get the answers.

by sandi leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

attending and learning from conferences can be amazing opportunities for your career or your business. they can also be huge money drains. it’s easy to take a look at the conference registration and make a quick decision about whether we can afford it – or even worse – whether it will clear our credit card limit or not.

more on small-firm growth strategies: stop thinking small | make your services an investment, not an expense | 5 skills to grow your practice | how to calculate your ‘opportunity number’ | 9 ways accountants throw away profits | 3 ways to test your revenue forecast

a smart business owner will take a bit different approach. here’s how to calculate how much revenue or increase in price you need to justify the expense of attending a conference.
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blow your own horn already!

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woman yelling into bullhorn and newspapers flying out10 ways accountants are newsworthy.

by sandi leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

as a marketing channel, public relations is one of my personal favorites.

more on small-firm growth strategies: want better clients? 5 ways to hook them | 5 ways tech makes your work easier | stop thinking small | make your services an investment, not an expense | do you want to do compliance your whole career? | 5 ways to get more referrals | 3 ways to get to ‘yes’ with prospects | two daily rituals: focus and measure | 8 must-haves for a prospect kit | if you’re a ‘best-kept secret’ cut it out! | take advantage of 4 key marketing strategies

it includes
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want better clients? 5 ways to hook them

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word "client" caught on a treble hookfind the sweet spot for your target client.

by sandi leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

many accountants serve clients with extremely small businesses that gross six figures a year or even less. these clients are prone to being price-sensitive and often struggle with budgets and cash flow. if you’re serving these clients, you’re definitely meeting an important need in the marketplace, but you may also start to question your own prices, or worse, underprice your services.

more on small-firm growth strategies: 5 ways tech makes your work easier | take the focus off price | 5 solutions when clients balk at price | keep more of your busy season earnings | want more clients? take these 5 steps

the good news is that, on average, the higher revenues a company earns, the more likely they are to be a higher-quality client for you. owners with larger companies, on average, are less price-sensitive and less emotional about running their businesses.
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5 ways tech makes your work easier

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tech finger blueyour clients may be asking about these already.

by sandi leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

after over 30 years in this profession, accounting has never been more promising and more exciting. the main reason is technology is driving data entry costs so low that it’s just about to disappear. that means we can finally focus on helping small businesses get more out of their accounting dollars through more analysis and better tools.

more on small-firm growth strategies: take the focus off price | 3 ways to save time during busy season | stress less this tax season | prospects like a little wooing | is it time to reboot your practice? | 9 ways to boost your value (and your fees) | design your business around your strengths

here are five areas that i believe are essential to serving clients best:
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take the focus off price

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red dollar sign label3 other ways to differentiate yourself.

by sandi leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

i hear more accountants grumbling every day about how price-sensitive their prospects and clients have gotten. and they are right, to a degree. the economy has caused even the rich to count their pennies, and the percentage of people who look at a price tag before they buy has increased over the last five years.

more on small-firm growth strategies: stop thinking small | 5 solutions when clients balk at price | make your services an investment, not an expense | 9 ways to boost your value (and your fees) | 9 ways accountants throw away profits | 9 ways to increase sales through ‘power networking’ | 5 things you know that clients don’t | 3 ways to test your revenue forecast

yet studies show that roughly 54 percent of buyers are not price-sensitive, and i would be willing to bet even more are selectively price-impervious depending on what they buy: women’s shoes, men’s cars, personal services, jewelry, vacations, cosmetics and hair, to name a few exceptions.
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