what we know about pricing strategies

price targetwhere penetration comes in.

by august j. aquila

pricing in the real world is much different than in the accounting profession. usually, wholesalers and retailers set their prices by using markups as the product moves through a distribution channel.

more: make the most of your marketing mix | marketing orientation is what firms need | when hourly billing hurts profits
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producers or manufacturers usually set a list price. think of the manufacturer’s suggested list price on the window of a new car. car dealers will use various methods to price the new vehicle. let’s look at the most common pricing strategies that you may consider.
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why competition matters most

…of great hilarity only a decade or so ago. such can be the quirks of evolution. august aquila, a leading international consultant on accounting firm management (and my co-author of…

make the most of your marketing mix

"target market" illustration with arrow and bull's eyeupdating the five p’s.

by august j. aquila

forty-five years ago, in 1977, the landmark u.s. supreme court decision in bates & o’steen v. state bar of arizona, 433 u.s. 350 (1977) changed the accounting profession forever. that decision prompted accountants to pursue a wide range of marketing activities. and, ever since that eventful day, accountants have been struggling with the meaning of marketing and the impact of marketing on their practices.

more: marketing orientation is what firms need | when hourly billing hurts profits
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some would say that it has been the best thing that ever happened to the profession and others, of course, would voice just the opposite opinion. whichever side of the debate you are on, there is one certainty: marketing is here to stay.
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marketing orientation is what firms need

production orientation is where too many rest.

by august j. aquila

let’s look at the different focuses or orientations that firms can take toward managing and running their practices and see which ones the traditional pricing methods encourage. any organization, whether an accounting firm or not, usually tends to have one of four focuses.

they are either selling-oriented, product-oriented, production-oriented or marketing-oriented.

more: when hourly billing hurts profits
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each focus will have a direct impact on how a firm looks at servicing clients and pricing its services. the predominant focus is often dictated by the value system of the founders of the organization or its current management team. perhaps when the firm was first started, the predominant focus was appropriate. however, a danger exists when the external environment changes and the internal environment of the firm stays the same. in the ’70s and early ’80s firms did quite well by following a production orientation focus. in the late ’80s and the ’90s, this strategy did not work as well. and it certainly does not work today.
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when hourly-billing hurts profits

the rule of three algorithm vs. the new cost-plus worksheet.

by august j. aquila

the time has come for the accounting professional to rethink the paradigm on which pricing has been based.

most now agree that the traditional methods of price setting can have a negative impact on a firm.

more: the morning after the merger | 6 action steps for a smooth retirement transition | the eternal riddle of being an effective leader | 7 pieces of leadership advice | tomorrow’s leader in 9 bullet points | 5 ways to get clients to accept a new pricing philosophy | 11 alternative pricing methods

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somewhere along the line accountants began to believe that an hour of their work had a set value to their clients. as we shall see, this false assumption has led to the current state of affairs and has caused accountants to:

  • produce more chargeable hours by constantly reinventing the wheel
  • hoard work and, consequently, do a poor job of delegating
  • inhibit the creation of more efficient ways of producing accounting services
  • hinder the development of more efficient project management

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dom esposito, ex-grant thornton ceo, dead at age 74

dom esposito: 1947-2021
dom esposito: 1947-2021

a long and distinguished career at the pinnacles of the cpa profession.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

domenick j. esposito, the former ceo of grant thornton, vice-chair of bdo, and national growth director at cohnreznick, died sept. 22 at the age of 74, at his home in westport, conn.

the family said he passed peacefully in his sleep. survivors include wife dorothy savino esposito, daughter karen, and a granddaughter. funeral arrangements, details and tributes can be found here.

from comments: “a good friend and colleague who will be missed by many..”  “the kindest man i ever met…”   “made me a better accountant…”  “always a gentleman…”  “great competitor and friend…”  “truly one of the most brilliant in the profession…”   “a great visionary and leader…”

“dom was a pillar of the cpa profession he so loved, and his work lives on in the thousands of lives he touched in a long and distinguished career,” said rick telberg, ceo of 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间, which published his “8 steps to great: the eight essential strategies driving success at the world’s largest cpa firms. and how to apply the lessons at firms of all sizes.”  see his articles for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 here.

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