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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 →

new survey results: busy season prices heading up 4.1%

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source: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

after a conservative 3.2% price increase last year.

complete findings are published in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practitioner’s tax season performance review and outlook report. (learn more here)

tax and accounting practitioners are again cautiously raising prices this year, prompted by years of little or no rate hikes and continuing step-ups in labor and technology costs, according to new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 survey data.

becky klotz, the head of small local firm of tax consultants in oregon, says that, with an economy where “i don’t see much improvement in the near future,” her firm will be raising pricing, but “just a bit.”

on the other hand, wray rives at rives cpa in coppell, texas, is holding the line. “we believe we are priced at the right level for our market,” he says.

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bookkeeping rates show broad advances

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survey shows unexpected strength in pricing and collections.

the results are in. average rates and fees for standard bookkeeping tasks are higher this year.

remember, these results are just the tip of the iceberg. here is your first look at the final results. read more →

new survey shows pressure on rates and fees

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preliminary results show downward pressure on rates and fees as much as 12% in some areas. 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 is working with intuit to track the trends. “this is the first time we’ve seen downward pressure since 2005 when we started … continued

big four revenues bounce back

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up 1.4% in 2010 after 7% drop in 2009. deloitte takes top spot from pwc.

via “the 2010 big four firms performance analysis” by big4.com

after an extraordinary period of continuous revenue growth from the early 2000s to 2008, combined revenue for the big four firms fell 7% in 2009, then recovered in 2010 and seems headed for bigger advances this year, according to “the 2010 big four firms performance analysis” by big4.com.

source: big4.com

in 2009, revenue decreases in us dollar percentage terms ranged from negative 5% for deloitte to negative 7% each for ernst & young and pricewaterhousecoopers to negative 11% for kpmg. but in 2010, the situation improved remarkably, with $95 billion combined revenue for the four firms in fiscal 2010 increasing 1.4% from $94 billion in fiscal 2009 in us dollar terms.

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instant download: click for the 2010 big four firms performance analysis by big4.com (pdf, 18 pages)

revenue increases in us dollar percentage terms ranged from negative 0.9% for ernst & young, 1.5% for pwc, 1.8% for deloitte and 2.6% for the fastest-grower, kpmg. kpmg also had positive growth in all its three regions and narrowed its revenue gap with e&y. e&y was the only firm whose full year revenues shrank, though the firm indicated that the second half of the fiscal year was much stronger, especially in advisory and tas.

the big story of 2010 was that deloitte with its 1.8% growth was able to beat pricewaterhousecoopers with its 1.5% growth to gain first place and become the largest accounting firm on the planet. in 2009, pwc was narrowly ahead of deloitte, but deloitte’s 2010 revenues of $26.578 billion was ahead of pwc’s 2010 revenues of $26.569 billion by an ultra-slim, but very significant, $9 million. ernst & young took the third spot at $21.3 billion, and kpmg maintained its position as the smallest of the big four firms at $20.6 billion, but narrowed the gap against e&y.
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are you ready to raise your prices?

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after several years of intense pricing pressure, 83% of cpa firm decision-makers say they plan to increase book rates next year. and the best firms are planning the most aggressive price hikes. about 70% of all firms plan to raise … continued

have audit fees hit bottom?

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not quite yet, according to a new analysis by cfo magazine. but cfo says “the trend has begun to slow.” “only three of the top eight audit firms showed a drop in fees charged as a percentage of client revenue … continued