249 search results for "by sandi"

show me the margins: six ways to take home more of what you earn this tax season

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options to grow your profits besides raising revenue and lowering costs.

by sandi smith, cpa
 accountant’s accelerator

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.

sandi smith

more for soloists and small firms:  seven checklist secrets for turning tax season into opportunity season  •  how to stay energized, upbeat, and thinking bigger through busy season • seven ways to wow your prospect • rev up your revenue with these two daily rituals • 10 tips for creating more energy this tax season  • take a cue from venture capitalists: your firm needs a brain trust trinity   •   five ideas to reduce client price-sensitivity • rise to the top with a fresh elevator speech

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.

here are six more ways to get more profit out of your practice: read more →

the 9 biggest billing mistakes that cost accountants their hard-earned profits

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. . . and what you can do about it.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

a critical measure for accountants – whether they bill either by the hour or a fixed price – is the amount they bill clients each month.  as anxious as many accountants are to raise their revenues, their daily activity often sabotages that goal with the same common billing mistakes.

sandi smith

more for soloists and small firms:  seven checklist secrets for turning tax season into opportunity season  •  how to stay energized, upbeat, and thinking bigger through busy season • seven ways to wow your prospect • rev up your revenue with these two daily rituals • 10 tips for creating more energy this tax season  • take a cue from venture capitalists: your firm needs a brain trust trinity    •   

in this article, i present you with a checklist so you can compare your behavior with the list.  i’ll give some tips on how to break the bad habit, and the rest will be up to you. read more →

seven checklist secrets for turning tax season into opportunity season [pro member exclusive]

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use your time with the client to ask about more than just this year’s tax return.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

here are some fast tips to help you make the most out of busy season, which is when you have the highest amount of your clients’ attention all year long.

more for soloists and small firms:  how to stay energized, upbeat, and thinking bigger through busy season • seven ways to wow your prospect • rev up your revenue with these two daily rituals • 10 tips for creating more energy this tax season  • take a cue from venture capitalists: your firm needs a brain trust trinity    •   accountants, do you know your opportunity number?    •  five ideas to overcome client price-sensitivity   •    5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients  •  3 steps to start running on millionaire time   •  the missing ingredient in your marketing that will make all the difference   •  on the road to a stress-free life: identify your character strengths  •

1. make a checklist to go through with your prospects during the initial meeting (a/k/a “the sales call.”).

  • this is the time to find out what your prospects need and why they might be switching accounting service providers.  you can get your hands around the scope of a clients’ needs best when you use a checklist.

some example entries could be: read more →

how to stay energized, upbeat, and thinking bigger through busy season

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five motivation tips from the masters.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

here are a few of the best lessons i’ve received from the masters. although tried and true, their stories and hardships keep me energized, upbeat, and thinking bigger.

1. don’t give up

  • thomas edison performed 10,000 experiments before he discovered the light bulb. friends asked him what he would carry on after getting no results. edison said, “i got lots of results. i haven’t failed. i’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”
sandi smith

more for soloists and small firms: seven ways to wow your prospect • rev up your revenue with these two daily rituals •  10 tips for creating more energy this tax season  • take a cue from venture capitalists: your firm needs a brain trust trinity    •   accountants, do you know your opportunity number?    •  five ideas to overcome client price-sensitivity   •    5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients  •  3 steps to start running on millionaire time   •  the missing ingredient in your marketing that will make all the difference   •  on the road to a stress-free life: identify your character strengths  •

  • beethoven had his share of critics during his time and was in constant conflict with the royalty that hired him to write his works. his response: “a few fly bites cannot stop a spirited horse.” read more →

seven ways to wow your prospect

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and stand apart from the competition.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

as the competition for clients heats up, it’s time to pull out all the stops and make your prospect feel like you’ve rolled out the red carpet.

sandi smith

more for soloists and small firms: • rev up your revenue with these two daily rituals •  10 tips for creating more energy this tax season  • take a cue from venture capitalists: your firm needs a brain trust trinity    •   accountants, do you know your opportunity number?    •  five ideas to overcome client price-sensitivity   •    5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients  •  3 steps to start running on millionaire time   •  the missing ingredient in your marketing that will make all the difference   •  on the road to a stress-free life: identify your character strengths  •

how can you do that? here are seven ways to wow your prospect and help them decide you’re the perfect vendor for them. read more →

10 tips for creating more energy this tax season

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good habits for thriving through the tough times.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

is keeping a high energy level a challenge for you? here are a few tips to revitalize your personal energy. some of these are very simple, so simple you may think they won’t do anything for you.

sandi smith

more for soloists and small firms:  take a cue from venture capitalists: your firm needs a brain trust trinity    •   accountants, do you know your opportunity number?    •  five ideas to overcome client price-sensitivity   •    5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients  •  3 steps to start running on millionaire time   •  the missing ingredient in your marketing that will make all the difference   •  on the road to a stress-free life: identify your character strengths  •   

as you read, check to see which ones have slipped from your current daily routine. in that way, you’ll discover how to change your routine to gain more energy. read more →

take a cue from venture capitalists: your firm needs a brain trust trinity

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how to give your firm the three distinct personality traits that spell outrageous success.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

i was reading chip conley’s book, the rebel rules: daring to be yourself in business. despite its title, the book doles out fairly standard business advice, except for a handful of tiny tidbits of sheer brilliance. one is the list of items that investors are looking for when considering providing startup money to new businesses.

sandi smith

more for soloists and small firms:   accountants, do you know your opportunity number?  •   five ideas to reduce client price-sensitivity • rise to the top with a fresh elevator speech  •  four ways to practice entrepreneurial perseverance • 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients • the top 12 business card blunders accountants make • seven tips to keep the clients you have • how to attract clients like a magnet • eleven easy ways to deliver more value to clients • 

even if you’re never going to seek venture capital money to help to fund your practice, chip’s advice makes a great question to consider for your firm, especially if yours is a small or sole-owned firm. read more →

accountants, do you know your opportunity number?

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the pragmatic six-step way to evaluate potential new clients.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

every week, do you get wonderful, exciting calls from new clients who want to use your services? you might want to talk with every one of them to get the sale. the problem is, if you do, you’re likely to go bankrupt. let me explain.

sandi smith

more for soloists and small firms from at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间:  five ideas to reduce client price-sensitivity • rise to the top with a fresh elevator speech  •  four ways to practice entrepreneurial perseverance • 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients •  the success secrets women already know  • his and her brains at work in tax and accounting  • the power of deadlines in closing a deal • on the road to a stress-free life: identify your character strengths • the missing ingredient in your marketing that will make all the difference  •

each of us has 24 hours in one day. most of us have annual revenue goals. a few of us have monthly, weekly, daily, or even hourly revenue goals. hopefully you know what your revenue goal is. (if not, you should!) if you don’t pull in that level of revenue for the week or month, then you’ve missed your plan.

let’s say you want to generate $1 million in sales for the year. on average, you need to pull in $20,000a week. that’s $4,000 a day. read more →

five ideas to overcome client price-sensitivity

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just in time for busy season.

by sandi smith
the accountant’s accelerator

no matter how small or large your practice is or how experienced you are, you’re probably going to meet some prospect or clients this busy season who are price-sensitive. many of you try to run from them as far away as possible, and others of you tell me you have to take these clients or you wouldn’t have a full practice.

sandi smith
sandi smith

more for soloists and small firms from at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间: rise to the top with a fresh elevator speech  •  four ways to practice entrepreneurial perseverance • 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients •  the success secrets women already know  • his and her brains at work in tax and accounting  • the power of deadlines in closing a deal • on the road to a stress-free life: identify your character strengths • the missing ingredient in your marketing that will make all the difference  •

so you might already have a solution to dealing with price-sensitive clients that you’re happy with. if you don’t, or are ready for more ideas, this article is for you. read more →

rise to the top with a fresh elevator speech

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3 tips for a powerful pitch.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

an elevator speech is that short and sweet 30-second answer to the question “what do you do?” in networking circles, it’s critical that your elevator speech is clear and interesting. if it’s not, people will be confused, and no one who is confused will know how to refer you to others.

sandi smith

more for soloists and small firms from at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间:  four ways to practice entrepreneurial perseverance • 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients •  the success secrets women already know  • his and her brains at work in tax and accounting  • the power of deadlines in closing a deal • on the road to a stress-free life: identify your character strengths • the missing ingredient in your marketing that will make all the difference  • 3 steps to start running on millionaire time  • 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients • why you’re missing out on 98% of your new business potential • how to win new clients with a freebie strategy  • the top 12 business card blunders accountants make • seven tips to keep the clients you have • how to attract clients like a magnet • eleven easy ways to deliver more value to clients• five things accountants take for granted that costs them revenue • what’s in your new client funnel? • what’s in your welcome kit for new prospects? • five fun and easy ways to wow your clients • six ways to give yourself a raise • strategies to stop losing business to competitors

the typical networker recites their elevator speech by listing everything they do. for example, i recently heard an insurance agent say, “we insure your auto, car, home, life, …” well, i heard part of it. she listed a dozen more things – the kitchen sink may have been in there – and i bet some of those services haven’t been sold in years. read more →

how to win new clients with a freebie strategy

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build trust by giving prospects a small sample of value.
[for another view, see when not to offer a free initial consultation]

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

today’s biggest marketing challenge for soloists and small firms is getting people’s attention, then getting their trust. one way to completely overcome the trust issue is to let prospects receive a small sample of value from you at no charge.

sandi smith
sandi smith

related: the success secrets women already know  •    why you’re missing out on 98% of your new business potential  •  the missing ingredient in your marketing that will make all the difference • 3 steps to start running on millionaire time  •  on the road to a stress-free life: identify your character strengths   •  the power of deadlines in closing a deal   •   his and her brains at work in tax and accounting • 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients • the top 12 business card blunders accountants make •

because the trust factor is at an all-time historical low, as a practitioner you need to do one or more of several things before clients will do business with you in most cases:

  1. spend a lot of time developing individual relationships until people trust you,
  2. provide a complementary sample of value up front,
  3. spend a lot of time in the proposal stage wooing the prospect. read more →