keep more of your busy season earnings

closeup of money being counted by woman6 profit-growing options besides the usual “lower costs, raise revenue.”

by sandi leyva

many accountants these days are anxious to hit the golden $100,000 mark this year. others are interested in growing their revenues steadily and incrementally. still others are focused on lowering costs, raising profits from that side of the equation.

more on small-firm growth strategies: ready for tax season? not so fast | make your services an investment, not an expense | want more clients? take these 5 steps | 5 skills to grow your practice | how a spreadsheet can help stop leaks | two daily rituals: focus and measure | if you don’t develop your business, who will? | 11 ways to add value for clients

all of these approaches are well and good to help you keep more of what you make, but there are far more options to grow your take-home dollars besides raising revenue and lowering costs.
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the dreaded ‘quick question’

young businessman in office on phonemaybe a training session is what’s needed.

by michelle long and sandi leyva
the ultimate accounting virtual conference

let’s talk about how to handle those “quick questions.” how many times do we have clients who say “i just have a quick question” and it’s never a quick answer?

more small firm growth strategies: 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 | 3 ways to implement value pricing | how small firms can use value pricing | building reputation to build your business | your existing clients are your best leads | need more business? focus on referrals

what are we going to do? are you going to bill? what about the time and effort to track and invoice your clients for those quick questions? what about the questions that are never quick?
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19 ways to boost your cash flow

three jars of coinscut costs, find more cash for the busy season.

by sandi leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

could you use a bit of extra cash each month? i think most people would say yes.

more on small-firm growth strategies: ready for tax season? not so fast | prospects like a little wooing | is it time to reboot your practice? | 9 ways to boost your value (and your fees) | 5 ways a deadline can help close a deal | draw new clients in like a magnet | busy season survival tips: 5 ways to turn a tough day into a great one

here are 19 tips to start your new year with a little more green in your pocket. read more →

best practices for handling mistakes

businessman horrified by what he sees on computer screen3 steps to take.

by michelle long and sandi leyva
the ultimate accounting virtual conference

we’ve all made a mistake. admit it; we have all made a mistake before. maybe we missed a deadline or you posted things to the wrong account or overlooked something. what’s a mistake you made before?

more small firm growth strategies: 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

the first time i made a mistake i thought the world was going to end. i was devastated and thought my future and having my own firm was over. i’m out of business because i messed something up.
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how to manage client expectations

businesswoman conducting video meetingneed data by a certain date? make it clear what happens when you don’t get it … and what it costs.

by michelle long and sandi leyva
the ultimate accounting virtual conference

you’ve accepted a new client and now you have to communicate with that client and set the expectations. so we want to clarify and manage the expectations. we want to make sure we tell the client what information are they supposed to give to us and when, how and in what format. you need to tell the client “i need your receipts to be scanned and input into this folder by the 10th work day of the month” or every week on thursday – whatever it is.

more small firm growth strategies: 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

so keep in mind when you get a new client you have to spend a little time with them up front training them. it’s like having a new puppy right? you have to train them initially, spend more time with them and hopefully they don’t potty all over the floor. so we have to train our clients, spend more time with them up front and give them very specific information. if you want them to scan and upload documents, then do a remote session and log in and show them how to do it and walk them through it how to do it.
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how to choose clients right

businesswoman on the phone in front of modern buildingquestions to ask, plus a welcome letter for those who make the cut.

by michelle long and sandi leyva
the ultimate accounting virtual conference

you really need to have confidence when you’re discussing your fees with your clients and realize that you may lose some clients. that’s okay because they’re probably not the kind of client you want to have anyway.

more small firm growth strategies: 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

i had one conference participant say, “many ask about price but i now see it as an opportunity to explain the value i can provide.” that’s great, i like it. someone else suggested saying, “it seems like responding to price is your primary concern.” that puts it back on them to let them explain it and so that’s a good idea as well.
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how to handle price sensitivity

man in glasses and striped shirt holding a pink piggy bank“have you ever known anyone to go up to an attorney and say, ‘why do you charge so much?’”

by michelle long and sandi leyva
the ultimate accounting virtual conference

how comfortable do you feel when a potential client asks you how much do you charge?

more small firm growth strategies: 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 | 3 ways to raise your prices | building reputation to build your business | 3 killer lead generation channels | your existing clients are your best leads

don’t you love that? you answer the phone and the first question is how much do you charge? how do you feel about this? are you very comfortable, somewhat comfortable or somewhat uncomfortable or very uncomfortable?

of our conference participants, 37 percent are somewhat uncomfortable and another 9 percent are very uncomfortable when someone asks about their fees. so that’s almost half of us are uncomfortable discussing our fees. only a fourth of us, 24 percent, are very comfortable.

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ready for tax season? not so fast

purple no. 4 billiard ball4 resolutions to keep as you prepare for busy season.

by sandi leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

i’ve worked with a lot of accountants who do not realize how valuable their skills are in the marketplace. most people can’t do what we do with numbers. we need to shake any self-limiting beliefs we have in this area because it limits our ability to serve more clients.

more on small-firm growth strategies: make your services an investment, not an expense | how a spreadsheet can help stop leaks | 9 ways to boost your value (and your fees) | 9 ways accountants throw away profits

if you were making resolutions for the accounting industry, what would you suggest? the first resolution i’d make is:
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