how traditional fee methods hurt firms

a road sign depicting falling dollarsrule of three and cost-plus overlook some key considerations.

by august j. aquila

the time has come for the accounting professional to rethink the paradigm on which pricing has been based. let’s discuss the traditional methods of price setting and how they can have a negative impact on a firm.

more: price to get the maximum fee | why value pricing? | solving underperforming or dysfunctional partners | the 3 types of partners you need | how mps can make a real difference | 5 reasons that leaders fail | 11 things all partners must do | why partners need written goals | the 6-step plan for transitioning clients

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

 

read more →

the what, so what and now what?

kyle walters: "to raise fees, you need to raise the value you provide."it’s no longer enough to be a historian.

by kyle walters

ever noticed that a car’s windshield is always larger than its rearview mirror?

more: 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.

when you are driving down the highway of life, looking ahead is far more important than looking behind you. the same is true when it comes to your client’s financial goals.
read more →

price to get the maximum fee

piggy bank on scale with dollar signsdon’t work more hours or harder. work smarter and learn how to price your services accordingly.

by august j. aquila

even if your billing methods and philosophy are diligently followed and your collections are under control, if you are not pricing your services properly, you are still leaving significant dollars on the table. you should price your services to receive the maximum fees possible.

more: why value pricing? | 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 | do your partners pay their own way? | 7 keys to becoming an equity partner | how and why to achieve partner unity
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

most other professionals today price their services based on what the market will bear. why not accountants?

read more →

how to beat automation in accounting

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

according to brainbashers.com, this image appeared in a 1915 edition of the puck.
read more →

why value pricing?

woman checking a departure board at an airportcompare accounting firms to airlines.

by august j. aquila

it is hard to believe that it has been over 25 years since i first wrote about pricing accounting services. much has changed in the accounting profession, the world, and in my personal life.

more august aquila: 6 questions for planning your succession | 7 issues in partner retirement planning | is it time for a partner compensation checkup? | 13 points of a good compensation plan | 5 ways to keep your edge | how to become the firm of choice
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

technology is now a driving force in the profession, professional marketing is well established and accepted by firms, the united kingdom voted to leave the european union (brexit) and donald trump was elected president of the united states of america.

i have moved away from the marketing and business development for professional service firms to be a leader in the area of mergers and acquisitions, leadership development, compensation design, and change management.
read more →

12 traits of a better you

man facing mirror that has bursting out of it a hand holding a red question markplus a 12-step annual goal-setting process.

by rob nixon

i’ve said that you should design your business by your rules and the way you want it to be. you’re taking all the risk so you should have all the spoils.

more on strategy: how to calculate a value price | why old pricing models are unethical | 8 ways to improve firm profits | 17 killer questions for prospects | growing your client database | niche markets are your best buyers | is your business by design or default?

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

many partners of accounting firms get the concept and they agree with the theory. what i find is that they often lack the personal development to pull it off.
read more →

what a value proposition truly is (and isn’t)

words "customer" and "value" on interlocking gearsdo it right and win in 4 key areas.

by domenick j. esposito

it is a myth that pricing is the main reason a cpa firm loses clients or proposals.

more on strategic planning: the importance of m&a culture due diligence | get your money’s worth from non-billable time | stay independent but keep looking upward | ineffective partners and how to address them | the dangers of low-hanging fruit | 10 common leadership traps | expand your national and global geographic reach
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

price is a one-dimensional sales pitch – your firm is either the lowest price or you’re not – end of the story and end of the sales pitch.
read more →

how to calculate a value price

price and value balanced on scale above a tablet computer3 areas of focus.

by rob nixon

the problem with pricing by the hour is that the assumption is that the price per hour is correct (often calculated by a salary multiple) and the time to do the task was correct. the assumption is that time multiplied by the rate equals the correct price.

more on strategy: why old pricing models are unethical | 8 ways to become super-efficient | sales is like workflow management | sales is about trust | how to dominate the internet | marketing objectives determine marketing amount | what products should you create? | keep a watchful eye on clients | rewards go far beyond money | people still needed, but in different ways
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

in my view, nothing could be further from the truth.
read more →

why old pricing models are unethical

listen to the marketplace.

by rob nixon

i am using the ethics card right up front to get your attention.

more on strategy: 8 ways to become super-efficient | boost efficiency and your bottom line | 4 sales systems and some secret sauce | marketing must generate leads | be an ‘object of interest’ | marketing must be about sales | turn your knowledge into products | why clients really stay | 8 ways to build team engagement | how to create 4 new billable hours per day | do you know what clients want? | is your business by design or default? | the world is flat | the profession disrupted: compliance commoditized
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i personally feel that pricing by the hour in arrears is an unethical way to price. here’s why:
read more →

build your revenue plan in reverse

young woman working at deskcalculate exactly how many clients you need.

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

when i started my business, one of the first things i did was teach a quickbooks class at the local adult education center. i was paid a lousy $20 per hour to teach a six-hour class of up to 12 entrepreneurs how to set up a chart of accounts, create invoices and enter bills. after the first class, some of the entrepreneurs came up to me and said, “this is good, but i don’t want to do it. do you want to do my quickbooks for me?” and i started getting clients.

more small firm growth strategies: 3 steps to using social media to increase your search rankings | clients need advisory services more than they know | marketing vs. sales and how to plunge in
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the thing about how i started my business was that it was completely reactive; i was at the mercy of who approached me. i wasn’t actively selling. the result was that my business grew incrementally and slowly. i truly didn’t know where i was going, and i didn’t have a plan.
read more →

cpas put the brakes on price increases

non-cpa tax and accounting firms hit the gas pedal.

long-term view: pricing index at cpa firms (index = 100, 2003)

 

which pricing strategy works best today?
join the survey. get the answers.

 

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

under pressure by an increasingly competitive and uncertain business environment, cpa firms are pressing the brakes on new price increases, according to new data obtained by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

read more →

solving underperforming or dysfunctional partners

two businessmen arguingplus 21 ways to identify them.

by august j. aquila

i’ve been dealing with underperforming or dysfunctional partners for a quarter of a century. while the underperformers and dysfunctional ones haven’t changed much in that time, the way firms are dealing with them certainly has.

more on great partnerships: underperformers come in many shapes and sizes | is it time for a partner compensation checkup? | 13 points of a good compensation plan | 5 ways to keep your edge | how to become the firm of choice | why ‘walking together’ is so important | how to build a better firm through teamwork | 8 questions to analyze your pricing | 5 questions for every mp to answer honestly | 6 practical ways to innovate
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the so-called white gloves in the accounting profession came off many years ago when dealing with competitors. they are now off when dealing with these two types of partners.
read more →

back up your bandwidth

technology center with fiber optic equipmentand review your options regularly.

by roman h. kepczyk

the internet has undoubtedly had a profound impact on firm communications. it has become the primary driver toward the next generation of accounting applications that run entirely on the web through “cloud” computing.

more on tech spending: remote access takes planning | get in front of application updates | why you need offsite backup | use scanners to capture source documents | develop monthly it flash reports | centralize contact administration | is your ap digital yet? | a better way to handle time & expenses
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

before we get ahead of ourselves discussing cloud opportunities, we have to assess how the internet is used within your firm today.
read more →