and five areas where innovation will produce significant results
by l. gary boomer
accounting firms generally are not who you think of when you mention “innovation,” yet many firms excel at innovation and there is a pattern to their success.
industry grows to 926,000 employees nationwide.
the scant month-to-month increase came after a stall during the summer, resuming six months of advances from january through june, according to new and preliminary seasonally-adjusted figures from the department of labor.
reach for the low-hanging fruit.
by sandi smith
accountant’s accelerator
if business has slowed for you, it’s not just you. with people making the most of a disappearing summer, getting ready for school, and trying to keep from being too cranky from the heat wave in much of the country, it’s all most of us can do to stay on our routines.
as entrepreneurs, we still need to make payroll, meet our budget goals, and get enough cash in to keep our doors open. so how can we cash in on the low-hanging fruit?
we spend a lot of energy going after the fruit that is out of reach, and most of it spoils before we can get our act together. then we wonder why marketing is so expensive, we don’t close the deals, and we are left with a big expense.
so that’s why i want to share some tips about how to go after the low-hanging fruit. you won’t even need a ladder for these revenue-builders. read more →
defying national trends, accounting industry expands by 2,200 jobs.
total employment in the accounting and bookkeeping sector grew by 2,200 positions in june (preliminary, seasonally-adjusted), to 933,200, the fourth straight month of gains and the highest headcount since 944,600 in december 2008, according to new government data.
the surge is being fueled by big gains in tax prep shops and in payroll services. cpa firms slimmed down after tax season, as usual, but headcounts are still running higher than a year ago.
break out of the compliance commodity trap.
by randy johnston
accounting firm operations and technology survey
the best firms are offering new services packaged at flat rates.
for example, performing bookkeeping/write-up services for $2,000 to $3,000 per month and including the tax returns, or picking a specialty service or niche and wrapping a set of services around that.
all marketing in these firms has the same focus: read more →
accounting and bookkeeping sector adds 17,800 jobs in may.
in the biggest single-month gain since the recession, the accounting industry added almost 18,000 new jobs in may, bringing the total headcount to 926,300, a 29-month high. in fact, accounting was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing jobs report.
better clients mean easier servicing and higher fees.
by jean caragher
capstone marketing
not every prospect will be an appropriate client for your firm. consider more than whether they are breathing, when evaluating prospective clients, such as, your fee, potential realization, the prospect’s ability to pay, year-end, growth potential, risk, leads expected from the prospect and opportunities to cross-sell. by focusing on your best new client opportunities, your client retention tactics will also focus on your best client.
…are 6.955 million fewer payroll jobs now than before the recession started in 2007 with 13.75 million americans currently unemployed. another 8.6 million are working part time for economic reasons,…
shaking off the recession with a good busy season.
apparently driven by an improved busy season, cpa firms added 4,800 jobs in march, the latest month available, bringing the total workforce to 423,100. the figures are not seasonally adjusted.
total industry workforce rises to 904,400 people.
april’s gain follows big jump (seasonally-adjusted) in february, with 21,500 new accountant and bookkeeper jobs, according to the u.s. bureau of labor statistics.
there’s a buzz this tax season about a deepening divide between high performing firms and the rest of the profession — interestingly: especially among soloists.
some solo practitioners are having a terrific season, others not. there’s no in-between. we’ve been wondering about the causes. and practitioners have been answering.
— rick telberg
small business optimism slumps in march, according to surepayroll.
the index fell two percentage points from february to 69 percent in march, with hiring is down 2.2% year-to-date. “while large businesses, medium-sized businesses and even larger small businesses may be seeing improvements in hiring, the smallest of businesses aren’t,” the company said.
read more →
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