how the best firms grow in tough times. by david bergstein cpa, citp director of strategic relationships, cch cch intelligent solutions blog the best firms are rewarding staff — all staff — for bringing in new clients and new revenue, … continued
clients want to see niche-focused expertise and a heavy marketing spend.
by joel sinkin
accounting transition advisors
we see two tactics being used by the best firms.
due to the competitive environment and the flat economy, acquisitions of other practices is a primary growth strategy for many firms today.
but, to spur organic growth, most of the best firms are targeting their marketing and service offerings at specialized target audiences either through industry or service niche offerings. read more →
winning new business is a team sport. spectators need not apply.
by gale crosley, cpa
crosley+company
the best firms are involved in the relentless pursuit of creating a firm-wide growth culture. read more →
it ranges from $50,000 to $161,000.
cpa firm marketing directors are averaging about $92,800 a year in pay, says a new study by the association for accounting marketing.
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 →
sharing information to help clients (and prospects) succeed.
by sally glick
sobel & co. llc
at our firm we continue to believe that the more value we add by sharing important and relevant information, the more new business we will generate (along with raising retention as well.)
we do this with a three-prong approach:
1. the first is to host over 26 niche-specific programs (seminar, webcasts, half day symposiums) annually;
2. we write industry-specific white papers on topics our clients tell us are meaningful to them, which we also coordinate with website content; and
and are they ever coming back? a seismic shift is shaking the accounting profession: an acute and worsening shortage of clients. a sluggish economy has knocked a lot of traditional clients — individuals and business alike — to the wayside. … continued
live online workshop: build your accounting firm’s marketing plan. this brand new workshop is designed to help help accounting firm leaders focus on what your firm really needs and the moves that are most likely to leverage success. you’ll cut … continued
a five-person start-up in downtown new york is adding a new wrinkle to accounting competition by creating a yelp! for tax and bookkeeping services.
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the big idea: rate accountants like restaurants and take a piece of the business when clients and accountants connect.
if you focus only on one approach in business development, you will be limiting your percentages for success.
by nicholas d. keseric jr.
via engineered tax services
if you only do one thing to position your firm and yourself in your marketplace, you will be missing out on most of the market.
many things together, over time, will result in an increased chance for achieving your goals.
twitter or the yellow pages?
principles of accounting remain unchanged, but…
by dustin lubertazzi,
senior consultant, sageworks, inc.
luca pacioli, an italian mathematician and franciscan friar, is widely known as the “father of accounting” for publishing 36 chapters on the double-entry accounting method used by venetian merchants during the italian renaissance. his book, summa de arithmetica, geometria, proportioni et proportionalita (which translates, “everything about arithmetic, geometry and proportion”), was written as a textbook for students in northern italy at the end of the 15th century. pacioli’s documentation of double-entry accounting and ledgers taught entrepreneurs of the day how to conduct business using timely and accurate financial information, and it established the fundamentals of accounting still practiced today.
pacioli’s fundamentals were only feasible thanks to the written numeral system and the abacus developed before that. and since then, the industry has seen further and more ground-breaking developments including the introduction of the typewriter, then computers, and later the internet. with each of these milestones, technology not only impacted how accountants handle financial information but also how they interact with their clients.
with the changing technological landscape, what must accountants do to stay competitive in the future, and how will technology change the future role of the accountant?
and why it’s not like selling used cars.
the days when cpas could leave rainmaking to the rainmakers are long gone. today, technical skills aren’t enough. even the most talented cpas must bring in new business to succeed. but it’s about trust and relationships. the same skills you use to do business are the same skills you use to get business. prospects evaluate how you’ll work by how you sell.
here are some tips for building relationships and developing business: read more →