chances are you offer clients more than you realize.
by jody padar
to me, the most trusted business advisor is the small business advisor. that’s what my customers see. my firm serves small businesses from the ground up to $10 million. yes, we look at their numbers, but, practically speaking, one gains a lot when you’re in their financial underwear drawer.
most of our conversations are around their questions. it’s a natural extension of the work we already do – financials, taxes, payroll, cash flow and forecasting. read more →
to me, the most trusted business advisor is the small business advisor. that’s what my customers see. my firm serves small businesses from the ground up to $10 million. yes, we look at their numbers, but practically speaking one gains a lot when you’re in their financial underwear drawer.
most of our conversations are around their questions. it’s a natural extension of the work we already do – financials, taxes, payroll, cash flow and forecasting.
these people are not asking complex tax questions. they’re asking about it, human resources, general licensing and for help with some decision-making. we’re small business consultants. read more →
there’s a new formula for the business acumen needed to improve the overall performance of an organization: 3 x 3 = “10” in business performance. are you an accountant who “gets” this new math?
business owners are looking for an accountant who understands that for a business to be a “10,” they have to have the 3 x 3 fundamentals down pat. business owner expectations are on the rise, and client satisfaction may take a hit as these minimum expectations become the status quo.
to win in any game you have to know three things: read more →
income statement, balance sheet, cash flows? it’s time for a fourth statement.
edi osborne
by edi osborne
ceo, mentor plus
in the words of bonnie raitt, “let’s give ’em something to talk about; a little something to figure out.”
fact or fiction, rumors or true business intelligence, those that can make the distinction have a huge opportunity to add value to their business relationships.
recently, i had the opportunity to sit down with several business owners to interview them about how they make business decisions. decisions, as it turns out, are one of the most important reasons business owners walk away from nine-to-five jobs. business owners like to have control over their destiny. they actually thrive on the decision-making process and are willing to live with the consequences of those choices. and although, business owners don’t want anyone to take away their options, they do want someone to help them examine them. they want to know that the information they are basing a decision on is accurate and relevant. that it is not conjecture, rumor, or worse yet, self-serving misinformation provided by others at the company. sounds like a job for a true, trusted adviser, would-be super hero.
unfortunately, when asked about the quality and quantity of data, business owners utilize daily to inform their decisions, including the real-time, management value of financial statements, their answers paint a very unsatisfactory picture of the decision support provided by their accountant. as the role of cpas who serve as cfos in a corporate environment has morphed into that of a cio — chief information officer — cpas in public practice continue to lag behind in this transition. when pressed on this issue, many cpas admit they want to do more, but they are not comfortable outside the realm of compliance matters.
more from edi osborne for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 pro members (go pro here):
so how can public cpas become chief information officers? how can they utilize their accounting skills to capitalize on the fast growing business intelligence market?
what do these three tag lines have in common? predictability.
dominoes and fed ex built their entire business model on making (and keeping) an uncomplicated predictability promise to the customer. dominoes and fed ex looked at their marketplace and asked one simple question, “what is your number-one frustration in dealing with pizza and package delivery?” those frustrations were dissected and turned into game-changing promises that rocked everyone else in their industry.
in the same way, accounting firms that adopt a “no surprise billing” promise could be game changers in their marketplace as well.
more from edi osborne for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 pro members (go pro here):
edi osborne does your firm get “it”? quiz your partners and staffers. by edi osborne mentor plus everywhere i go, experts in the profession have a debate about what percentage…
we can all relate to the desire to be a superhero, to swoop down from the clouds in superman/woman-like fashion to rescue the damsel in distress. however, if the accounting profession is banking on mobile or cloud technology to make them a superhero in their client’s eyes, clients should not hold out much hope of being rescued.
chances are you offer clients more than you realize.
