four issues and solutions in leadership and management.
question: one of my managers is complaining that the staff don’t listen to him. the specifics are that he assigns work and it isn’t completed on time and is usually incomplete and full of errors. he says he doesn’t want to supervise people anymore. any suggestions?
answer: i have many suggestions, sorted into four general areas.
here goes: read more →
and 5 ways to get more business tax clients.
question: i need a few more clients for tax season. any suggestions?
response: since we will be getting ready for tax season now is a good time to address this. here are two checklists, one for individual returns, the other for business client returns.
checklist: 10 ways to get new individual tax clients read more →
…by making people more accountable.
by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor
question: we seem to have a lot of meetings where great ideas are exchanged and then nothing is done. any suggestions?
response: a problem with many meetings is that there are no action items decided upon and assigned. a secondary problem is that many easy and quick-to-do items are assigned but they do not lead the firm toward their overall goals. read more →
and complaining and correcting…
by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor
question: my tax return reviewer continually complains to me about the quality of the returns she gets to review. yet, many of the returns she passes on to me have errors. how do i fix this?
response: common problem. also common is the continuing nature of this problem and the apparent inability of cpa firm leaders to correct this.
more practice doctor q&a: 44 critical criteria for accounting staff performance evaluations | why i don’t hire on experience | 5 time management tips for an overworked accountant | staff training starts with doing something | 11 business-getting tips for the young staffer | when staffers don’t listen to you | questions and answers on selling a practice to staff members | measuring growth in yourself, staff and partners | complaining client? no wonder!
the reviewer blames the preparer, but i see training the preparer as part of the reviewer’s job – if not direct classroom teaching, then an active ojt (on the job training) program where errors are called to the preparer’s attention, and the preparer corrects not only this error, but any returns already in the pipeline that they worked on but haven’t been reviewed with similar errors. read more →
check the checklist: 32 reasons for a merger or acquisition
question: i am getting ready to think about retiring. i don’t want to work forever, and have enough saved so i will be pretty well off when i retire. however, i would like to get the most that i could for my practice. i also would like my staff to not lose their jobs and for my clients to be well cared for.
more q&a with ed mendlowitz: 44 critical criteria for accounting staff performance evaluations | 23 reasons clients really need you for taxes | why i don’t hire on experience | 5 time management tips for an overworked accountant | complaining client? no wonder! | running an accounting business | 14 ways to switch to value pricing
i am a sole practitioner with two part-time bookkeepers, two full-time cpas and a full-time secretary/office assistant. i have an informal relationship with a larger firm where i refer business i can’t handle and they refer back smaller clients they do not want.
question: do you work from a checklist when you’re conducting staff performance appraisals?
response: silly question. checklists? do i have checklists?
seriously, staffing is a big concern, and i believe many smaller firms settle and hire the wrong people, which i’ve written about and probably beaten to death expressing my views.
more practice doctor q&a: why i don’t hire on experience | 5 time management tips for an overworked accountant | staff training starts with doing something | 11 business-getting tips for the young staffer | when staffers don’t listen to you | questions and answers on selling a practice to staff members | measuring growth in yourself, staff and partners | complaining client? no wonder!
here is a checklist to get you started.
question: this is not a question that an accountant asked me, but a fellow traveler on my vacation. he was using a tax preparation service and wasn’t happy and felt he could do just as well by doing his own tax return. i told him there were many benefits to using a tax professional like a cpa or ea that were well worth the extra cost. so my question to myself is “what are they?”
response: people with rental property, unincorporated businesses, investments that generate k-1s, grantor trusts, substantial investments in marketable securities or large retirement accounts and 401(k) balances need to engage a professional firm, and this checklist is directed toward those clients. read more →
question: i know you advocate for hiring entry-level staff, but is there a situation when an experienced person should be hired?
answer: obviously there are exceptions – but i believe they are few and far between and not worth the overall effort of only hiring experienced staff, which many small firms only hire, and occasionally larger firms do when they think a “gem” is available.
the main reason of the whys and wherefores of the exception and hiring experienced people is that the experienced person you interview has worked for only one firm and you believe that firm has the same quality standards for training and development as you have and the person is leaving because of: read more →
question: i am sure you heard this before, but i just can’t seem to get on top of my work – i am always behind and in addition, my income has been dropping.
i am a sole practitioner with no staff and don’t want any. i like what i do, but lately it seems i have been chasing my tail and losing some ground. my practice is 40% 1040s which are mainly done from mid-january to april 15. i do not file many extensions. another 40% are small businesses that i work on monthly. about half i go to and the other half send in their information or quickbooks files. 10% is payroll preparation for clients.
question: i have had a client for 12 years and until recently he has been a pleasure. for the last year he seems to be overly complaining about the fees and has fallen behind in payments. he is not hurting for cash so it is not a money issue. what can i do to get the relationship back on track?
response: i spoke at great length with the cpa and it seems that the client has been taken for granted and the accountant has dropped the ball. calls and emails were no longer returned quickly, an extension was filed this tax season for the first time in years, a long-term staff person left so was replaced, and since client started to complain the partner hasn’t been so anxious to interact with him. also the cpa told me that the work has settled into a routine and nothing much has changed in years “so why should the client be upset now?” read more →
question: i am the managing partner of my accounting firm by default. no one else wanted to do it. i am trying to manage things but i have a full schedule, am shorthanded on staff and continue to do a reasonable amount of marketing. i am overwhelmed. how do others do it?
response: i purposely left off the size of the firm because my response applies to every size firm – those with two partners on up to large firms with upward of 50 partners. no matter the size of your practice, it is a business and needs someone dedicated to running it. smaller firms need less time, possibly less skills and perhaps one of the partners can fill in this role. larger firms need a person who spends substantially all of their time running the business, but not necessarily a partner. read more →
by ed mendlowitz
question: how do i switch to value pricing?
response: there are a number of ways. ron baker’s books tell how to do this. so does dave cottle’s but in a different way. i believe most firms do some sort of value pricing and that is when a fee is determined in advance with the client. i’ve written previously on this and have presented programs for cpa firm management groups, but here is a descriptive checklist to use as a guide: read more →
how good communication habits can head off problems.
by ed mendlowitz
implementing fee increases
professional fees are typically billed based on time. yet, clients want outcomes and place a value on results, which doesn’t necessarily relate to time spent.
ingrained habits are hard to break away from. for ages, many professionals quoted jobs by providing hourly rates and possibly a range of expected hours. some projects are open-ended in the sense that no one knows where it will take them and what will be uncovered once work commences. this might include a forensic investigation, litigation where the discovery process becomes acrimonious, unraveling transactions in a complicated bankruptcy, a first-time audit of a multinational corporation or a tax audit for a reasonably sized business.
however, for most work, there is an understanding of what will need to be done and the approximate value to the client. this could include an annual audit, tax return, setting up a cost accounting or internal control system or a transfer price study. read more →
bill what you're worth optimize profits, delight clients, and build a top-value firm
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best-selling author of the radical cpa and
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