today's features

adam lean: get out of the accountant’s trap

be unstoppable without sacrificing your soul.

this is a video preview. the complete video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to pro members.

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the disruptors
with liz farr

like many of today’s younger accountants, adam lean didn’t want to be relegated to the back office recording history and focused on compliance but wanted to have an impact by helping businesses grow. “i didn’t want to just be that person that just recorded the fact that the titanic was sinking. i wanted to help the titanic not sink.” younger people “want to make waves,” lean says. “they want to make more money without having to sacrifice their soul.”

more podcasts and videos: geraldine carter: charging more is better for your clientsvimal bava: when working smarter, not harder, is the only option | dawn brolin says grow your firm by shrinking itjason blumer & julie shipp: move leaders out of client service | james graham: drop the billable hour and you’ll bill morekaren reyburn: fix your marketing and fix your business | giles pearson: fix the staffing crisis by swapping experience for education | jina etienne: practice fearless inclusionbill penczak: stop forcing smart people to do stupid worksandra wiley: staffing problem? check your culture | scott scarano: first, grow people. then firm growth can follow |

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lean, the ceo and co-founder of the cfo project, had an epiphany.

instead of being “at the whim of my clients or government deadlines, or bookkeeping deadline,” lean discovered that by helping business owners understand their numbers, he could do something bigger and better. most business owners don’t understand their numbers, but as lean says “that’s a skill that if harnessed in the right way, you can be unstoppable.”

read more →

is the irs mismeasuring phone service?

unhappy man waiting on phone in office

bad metrics are hiding problems.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

if there’s one nice thing about phoning the irs, it’s the opportunity to take a nap.

taxpayer naps were a little shorter this year, especially for those calling 35 of the 102 toll-free lines, known as enterprise lines, that taxpayers can call for assistance. those 35 lines are for accounts management (am) issues.

more: is tech causing both cpa shortage and low salaries? | audit firms nervous about new tech | what accountants can learn from t-ball | staffing tops list of woes at cpa firms | to replenish the talent pipeline, go back to the classroom | beware the work-life/workload doom spiral | why the dry pipeline? it’s about time | business model transformation: do it or die | misperceptions, corrections, accountancy and lemonade
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

thanks to a mandate from the secretary of the treasury, the irs hired 7,000 customer service representatives to handle the am lines.
read more →

how ‘business expert cpas’ get their own business wrong

only a small percentage of audit leaders understand businessmindedness’s inward and outward components.

by alan anderson, cpa
transforming audit for the future

i talk to leaders of firms all around the country who think that if they get their fee realization right, that’s a sign that they’ve got great business minds. they ask me what the market fee realization is, so i tell them that’s a miserable measure.

more: say adios to audit fee pressure | eight items to cover in the audit exit to deepen client relationships and prove value | know your three audit w’splanning lays the foundation of audit relevance | how do we drive relevance in audit? | before the audit: more than just planning | are you correctly identifying the relevance intersection? | lack of relevance drives audit commoditization | five crucial attributes for successful audit leadership | traditional audits don’t deserve premium billing | four basic understandings every auditor must master
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

there is no perfect fee realization. as extreme examples, i’ve worked with firms with 10 percent and 200 percent fee realizations. which is better? neither. the firm with a 10 percent fee realization bills at $5,000 per hour, while the other bills at $20 an hour.

read more →

you can’t win with lowballing

when to let the next accountant take the losses.

ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice

question: a client of 10 years was paying a fixed fee that was now a little less than half of our time charges. also, there had been a gradual scope creep with additional services being forced on us without any extra fees.

more: nine reasons not to specialize | when board service gets tricky | yes, you have to share work papers | hiring experience vs. training inexperience | eleven ways new staffers can help bring in business | should you merge? here’s how to chart your path | a friendly chat or a billable discussion? | busy season is over, so it’s time for some resolutions | hold staff accountable if you want them to listen to you | when selling a firm to staffers is tricky | want to merge? six steps to take | how to raise your rates
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

the cpa had not received an increase in six years because of the client’s constant complaining that the fee was too high. the client just told us they had a quote from another firm that was half of ours, and said if we didn’t match it, they would leave us. what should we do?
read more →

is tech causing both cpa shortage and low salaries?

dot chart
the number of accounting degree completions from bachelor’s programs from 1994-2021. source: 2023 aicpa trends report

 

there’s a paradox going on.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

a working paper by three academics presents a paradoxical contradiction in the accounting industry. somehow, technology, which is starting to replace some accounting functions, is causing a shortage of accounting professionals. and despite the high demand for the few graduates who major in accounting, starting salaries are lower than in related professions.

more: audit firms nervous about new tech | what accountants can learn from t-ball | staffing tops list of woes at cpa firms | to replenish the talent pipeline, go back to the classroom | beware the work-life/workload doom spiral | why the dry pipeline? it’s about time | business model transformation: do it or die | misperceptions, corrections, accountancy and lemonade | whole person retention: when it’s not just the money | global trends show many dissatisfied cpas | more big firms shut their doors to new college grads
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

and in a related paradox, technology’s most powerful tools may be augmenting the accountant’s workload.

how can all this be concurrent?
read more →

art werner: strategies in charitable giving | quick tax tip

unveil financial and estate planning techniques.

subscribe to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 podcasts anywhere: applegooglespotifyiheartdeezer, amazon music and audibleplayer fmaudacygaana (india), and boomplay (africa).

quick tax tip
with art werner
cpe today

charitable planning is more than just saying, “i think i’ll favor my favorite charity with an annual donation.”

charitable planning goes well beyond that. charitable planning deals with the estate of an individual and maybe how we will direct assets upon death, but it also deals with how we direct assets while alive to accomplish the personal and human needs of that client. there are many ways of doing it. it can be as simple as making a gift or as complex as establishing a charitable remainder trust and any avenue.

we’ll be looking at ways to make it as effective and efficient in the tax area as well as the human needs area.

geraldine carter: why charging more is better for your clients

do the work you love for clients who value your expertise.

this is a video preview. the complete video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to pro members. 

subscribe to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 podcasts anywhere: applegooglespotifyiheartdeezer, amazon music and audibleplayer fmaudacygaana (india), and boomplay (africa).

the disruptors
with liz farr

geraldine carter wants accountants to get off the treadmill of working too many hours for too little pay. her new book – down to 40 hours – will help accountants achieve the “utterly reasonable” goal of working only 40 hours a week.

more podcasts and videos: vimal bava: when working smarter, not harder, is the only option | dawn brolin says grow your firm by shrinking itjason blumer & julie shipp: move leaders out of client service | james graham: drop the billable hour and you’ll bill morekaren reyburn: fix your marketing and fix your business | giles pearson: fix the staffing crisis by swapping experience for education | jina etienne: practice fearless inclusionbill penczak: stop forcing smart people to do stupid worksandra wiley: staffing problem? check your culture | scott scarano: first, grow people. then firm growth can follow |

goprocpa.com exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

carter helps accountants solve the problem of overwork with a three-pronged approach: creating value for clients, pricing effectively, and delivering services efficiently. a key to this approach is focusing on a niche. by focusing on a particular type of client, you see the patterns that help you create value for clients, “and you’re likely going to be one of the few with that expertise.” providing more value “enables you to increase your prices for the same work,” she says.

read more →

three more strategies for growing your practice

female speaker standing in front of screen, speaking to audience

show people what they stand to lose without your expertise.

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

in my last post i provided you with four basic practice-building strategies that don’t cost you anything other than your time.

more: four strategies for building your practice | eight areas to cover for personal goals | service quality: the key to client retention | how life cycle changes your marketing | clients buy solutions, not features | make sure you know what you will get from your marketing | three pillars support a successful accounting firm | clients have six reasons for needing you | six ways to market your technology consulting practice
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

they were (1) keep in touch with former clients, (2) call existing clients, (3) ask for help and (4) get out and be seen. here are three more strategies for you to consider:
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irs makes big progress but …

four people talking on phones in call center

problems remain. (shocked, we are.)

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

national taxpayer advocate erin m. collins has plenty of good things to say about the irs in her annual objectives report to congress.

more: the irs is coming! get your clients into compliance | end tax season meetings with clients … seriously | brandon hall: firms try to make too much on tax prep | eight steps to getting started with ai: a guide for tax professionals | ftc nails turbotax for ‘free filing’ scam | if only the irs’s tax pro were useful | can’t irs online accounts be more useful? | id theft a problem for irs even when it doesn’t exist | the nightmare of non-credentialed tax preparers | taxpayer assistance centers: a good idea that should be better | irs still falling short on service
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

“the irs largely succeeded in 2024,” collins writes regarding this year’s tax season. “after several years of abysmal taxpayer service during the covid-19 pandemic, the irs has now delivered two filing seasons that demonstrate the agency has restored service to pre-pandemic levels and has improved in most, but not all, areas of service. this is excellent news for most taxpayers.”
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bissett bullet: schedule + strategy = pipeline

today’s bissett bullet: “the very best marketing and business development strategies are derailed by a lack of consistency, coupled with a loss of momentum.”

by martin bissett

in order to successfully build a new client pipeline, you must commit enough time to implement your strategy. that means scheduling in regular and uninterrupted time on an ongoing basis. consider both the best time for you and your team to work together and when your target audience is most likely to be available. if there is a crossover, that is where you would be best advised to block out your time.

today’s to-do:

look at your diary for the next month and schedule in time each week to spend creating and following up on new opportunities.

see more bissett bullets here

read more →

aprio sells majority stake to charlesbank pe

kopelman

aprio is breaking off its cpa firm after reportedly selling a majority stake to charlesbank capital partners, a private equity firm.

already on a growth-by-acquisition streak, aprio has logged dozens of deals in the last few years. with fresh cash on hand, this pace is sure to accelerate.

more richard kopelman talks with rob brown on accounting influencers

aprio plans to adopt an “alternative practice structure,” with aprio llp as the legacy licensed cpa firm and aprio advisory group llc as the new pe-backed acquisition engine. read more →

use surveys to generate new revenue

 

blue pencil marking survey

download the sample client satisfaction survey.

by ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice

question: is there any value to sending clients a survey?

more: nine reasons not to specialize | when board service gets tricky | eleven ways new staffers can help bring in business | busy season is over, so it’s time for some resolutions | want to merge? six steps to take | how to start providing family office services | every accounting firm needs quality control | no one listens to you? change how you talk | 47 types of business valuation to provide | thirteen things to consider before you sell your practice | uncooperative partner might not be the problem
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

response: yes. our firm sends a survey with every deliverable to a client. we want to know what they think and how they feel about our service.
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productize services for consistent client value

high-end alignment creates more satisfying client experiences.

by jody padar
radical pricing – by the radical cpa

now that you have hopefully standardized your services, it’s time to look at productization. productization is the packaging of intangible services to make them feel tangible. you put everything you will do for a persona into an offering that resonates with them because it’s customized for them. it’s then clearly priced so the buyer knows what they get for their investment.

more: digitize clients for standardization | six steps to creating a standardized practice | value pricing requires defining your clients | stop selling time | three critical factors drive the value pricing trend | stop looking for talent that does not exist
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

this is just as useful for your clients as it is for your staff. clients appreciate it because they know exactly what they’ll get and what to expect. staff appreciate it because, unlike in traditional firms where there are at least four different ways to get to the same deliverable, this model has one pathway for each deliverable and service product, making it both efficient and traceable.

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