clients buy solutions, not time

hand building word "solution" with letter blocksplus 4 notes about client phone calls.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

“forget about pricing and think about what people buy.”

more on radicalism: how to leverage social media | target content to consumers, not industry | social + strategy = success | make the cloud work for you | 5 ways to capitalize on trends | embrace disruption | new thinking brings new results | 10 questions to prepare for radical change | who’s your competition? everyone | how the ‘new firm’ was born | radical firms embrace 4 values | radical or complacent? you choose | 3 questions to ask if you dare
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customers are not buying our time. they may be buying our expertise. but they’re really buying a solution to their problem.
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8 ways to manage clients

two men shaking hands across a tablethis is job 1 for the practice owner.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli

whether you simply desire to improve your firm’s operations or identify and implement a new long-term strategy, you need to be clear about the role that the owners, partners or shareholders should be playing in your firm.

more on performance management: the limitations of rainmakers | different roles for different partners | how big ‘books’ hurt firms | developing a three-year vision [video] | more merger questions than you imagined | mps: how to elect them … and fire them | partners as role models: the good, bad & ugly | managing the managing partner
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to be sure, the roles and responsibilities of a cpa firm owner or owners will vary from firm to firm, based on that firm’s needs and circumstances, and you need to adapt any recommendations to fit your firm’s situation.
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what it means to be a real-time accountant

chart10 behaviors that pinpoint the difference.

by rob nixon

the vast majority of accountants i meet are offering “redundant data” advice. they are offering up information based on old data.

more on strategy: what it means to be a real-time accountant | are your goals big enough? | finding new opportunity in compliance services | how offshoring is shaking up accounting
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clients don’t want services that are late. they want real-time services that are on time, relevant and pre-emptive.
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why offering packages can catapult your revenue

eight ways bundled services help you and the client.

by sandi leyva

more accountants and bookkeepers are moving from hourly billing to fixed fee and package offerings.

more on small-firm growth strategies: share data 5 easy ways| 7 ways to generate leads | blow your own horn already! | take the focus off price | 5 solutions when clients balk at price |want more clients? take these 5 steps | 5 skills to grow your practice | how a spreadsheet can help stop leaks | 5 cures for the summertime blues

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but, just what does an accounting package look like? and what are the benefits of offering packages?  here are some answers.

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reconnect with your why

portrait of a young pensive businesswoman in officechoose what, with whom and your reward.

by sandi leyva and michelle long
the ultimate accounting virtual conference

let’s think about what is it we really like doing. what do you enjoy doing?

more small firm growth strategies: 5 steps to get clients to say ‘yes’ to cloud applications | 10 easy tips to boost your business cash flow | 2 ways to serve clients better | 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
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i know when we first start a practice you’ll do anything. you just need money. you need clients.
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the limitations of rainmakers

young man under rain-covered umbrellawhy marketing has to permeate the firm and the process.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli

for most firms, new business comes in through referral. therefore, the bigger a partner’s client base, the more likely that partner will bring in new business – which simply means that the more clients a partner knows, the more referrals that partner is likely to receive (not in percentage, but in raw numbers).

more on performance management: different roles for different partners | dealing with a-d clients (you know who we mean) | how small ‘books’ hurt firms | why the partner agreement matters | merging for the wrong reasons | how to implement strategy, step by step | accountability requires clear expectations | how retirement issues affect succession planning | how partner ratings factor into equity
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

other drivers of referral success are long-standing service (seniority) and position in the firm (such being one of the named or senior partners). in these cases, there is an extended opportunity for referral simply because:
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are your goals big enough?

climber standing atop mountain with another in distance“what pain do you want to fix and what pleasure do you want to achieve?”

by rob nixon

most accounting firms set no goals or at best they set small goals. if they do set any goals they set smags – small minded adequate goals.

more on strategy: is your business by design or default? | 12 predictions on the future of accounting | finding new opportunity in compliance services | the world is flat | will the internet replace cpas? | how offshoring is shaking up accounting | the profession disrupted: compliance commoditized
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

if you go back to my success formula (doing what you want, when you want, with whom you want, in a manner you want) then a smag may be appropriate for your style. at least it’s a goal – albeit a goal that doesn’t fill your potential.

in my opinion (and this entire approach is based on my opinion – plus a lot of research) we’re only here once so let’s do something purposeful. let’s do something grand. let’s do something that lives beyond us.

let’s set some bhags – big hairy audacious goals.
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survey results: how top tech vendors are failing cpas in the cloud

failed stamp showing reject and failuredon’t blame accountants.

by bob scott
the accounting firm operations and technology survey

the major question about accounting professionals and the cloud is not whether they are moving to web-based applications in greater numbers. the real question is what is necessary to make this as complete as it has been in other areas of the business market and with consumers.

more from the survey: master change, master the future | why every cpa firm is a tech company at heart
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the clear signs are there – the greater acceptance of portals although from a security perspective, although a troubling
number of practitioners still rely on email for transmitting tax documents.
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different roles for different partners

image of charts in foreground and business partners in backgroundsome people should stick to technical roles, but there’s an impact on profitability.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli

when you are a client relationship partner, regardless of your technical specialty, you take on the role of being that client’s general contractor for professional services – that is, his or her most trusted business advisor.

more on performance management: dealing with a-d clients (you know who we mean) | firms only grow when partners play their roles | the four basic parts of cpa firm partner agreements | younger partners see succession differently | how to compensate your managing partner | the job of managing partner: empowered or emasculated? | how the best managing partners turn ideas into reality
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

if you are unwilling to fulfill this role, then you shouldn’t be a client relationship manager; you should be a technical partner. we define these two roles broadly as follows:
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how good is your network?

4 happy co-workers looking at man's tabletbonus checklist: 5 questions to evaluate your network and skills.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

ask yourself and answer these questions when considering the current and future “conversion” tactics that you’ll employ.

more on the passport to partnership: shift thinking from ‘we’ to ‘you’ | when to ignore a white lie: a cautionary tale | communicate your worth and value | best practices for one-on-one communication | learn to read your firm’s culture
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  1. if i were to start today, could i name four businesses that i’d like to reach out to?
  2. what is our firm’s net fee growth goal this year and what can i do to contribute to it?
  3. what do i need to do to be able to handle the tough stuff like negotiation, pricing and handling objections? what start to learning these skills can i make today?

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firms only grow when partners play their roles

money tree growing in the middle of green meadowhow often are you seeing your clients?

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli

whether you simply desire to improve your firm’s operations, or identify and implement a new long-term strategy, you need to be clear about the role that the owner(s), partners or shareholders should be playing in your firm.

more on performance management: how big ‘books’ hurt firms | how small ‘books’ hurt firms | why the partner agreement matters | merging for the wrong reasons | accountability includes partners | 7 succession questions to ignore for now | develop your employees or suffer the consequences
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the roles and responsibilities we’ve suggested are based on the best practices we’ve had the opportunity to observe and be involved with in our work with cpa firms throughout north america.
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chemistry and mutual respect matter

beakers containing colorful chemicalswhy and how to evaluate chemistry among partners.

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

birds of a feather flock together according to the old saying.

more on great partnerships: why expectations must be defined | why shared values are important | why ‘walking together’ is so important | 6 ways to pay partners | how to build a better firm through teamwork | 8 questions to analyze your pricing | 24 points for after the deal is done | 5 questions for every mp to answer honestly | 6 practical ways to innovate | how to combine two firms after merger: carefully
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

you can generally judge your chemistry with someone in the earliest minutes of meeting them. it’s often best to trust your first impressions, which are based on a lifetime of experience interacting with other people.
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