pricing

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 →

revenues on the rebound for most u.s. cpas

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billing rates and partner incomes gaining strongly.

most cpa firms are reporting some measure of revenue growth, according to one widely followed survey obtained by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间.

“and while the profession has yet to rebound to pre-recession levels,” the authors say, “it is steadily gaining momentum.”

furthermore, the smallest firms appear to be the biggest winners, with 33% growth in net client fees per professional and per partner.

the report includes data and trends on:

  • increase in net fees
  • fees per partner
  • net remaining per partner
  • average partner billing rates
  • average partner compensation
  • utilization rates
  • paid time-off
  • firm technology
  • online technology

read more →

billing rates jump sharply at cpa firms

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a sign of a full economic recovery for the profession?

pro members: click for details, charts, analysis

by rick telberg
exclusive to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

cpa firms are shaking off the effects of years of a fee-cutting death-spiral that halted growth, pinched profits and forced painful staff reductions.

instead, firms are now pushing through some of the most aggressive price increases in years, led by audit services, followed by tax prep, bookkeeping and compilations. read more →

five tech questions before adopting value pricing

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keys to success in value pricing.

by drew west and ken mccall
boomer consulting

in order to avoid competing on price for commoditized services in the face of a wider array of competitors, more and more firms are evaluating value pricing as a model for the future. industry leaders including large firms such as kennedy & coe, llc in kansas and smaller ones like lawhorn cpa group, inc. in tennessee have already made the move.

perhaps your firm is already considering adopting a value pricing strategy but you wonder if your processes and technology will support it. read more →

the accounting profession promise that could change everything

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“30 minutes or it’s free;” “absolutely, positively overnight;” “no surprise billing. ever!”

edi osborne

by edi osborne
mentor plus

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):

game changing innovations are not limited to big companies. in fact, even the smallest of accounting firms are in a position to be game changers.

read more →

13 reasons timesheets will never die

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ed mendlowitz

nor should they.

by edward mendlowitz, cpa
partner, withumsmith+brown

time sheets are an essential part of any professional services organization. some people contend that they should not be maintained since they should not be the basis of any pricing – that fees should be solely based on the value to the client. i disagree.

editor’s note: timesheets, billing, cost accounting, value and pricing strike at the core of the accounting firm business model. for more on the topic, see:
> 14 steps to find the right “value price,” by bruce w. marcus
> you may be value-billing but don’t know it, video with terry putney
> why the next boom could be the worst thing that ever happens to accountants, with ron baker

read more →

the profession’s four biggest dilemmas

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and four simple solutions.

by rick telberg

if this is february, then it’s the season for already forgetting our new year’s resolutions. i don’t know about you, but i’ve already broken a few of them.

but there are some new year’s resolutions that we cannot afford to ignore. for accountants, here are just four. that’s right: only four. that’s all we have space for here. but each is hitched to a pervasive dilemma within the profession.

read more →

dave sibits, cbiz: five new niches

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strategy 2012: leadership, pricing, competition

what are your critical challenges for 2012, and what can do you about them? a number of the profession’s leading lights have been sharing their thoughts with accounting today. here’s one:

dave sibits
cbiz financial services

accounting firms are facing: 

  1. an aging of leadership at the partner level.
  2. second, firms are facing a continued erosion of pricing in service areas, which is mostly a result of a challenging business and economic climate.
  3. the last concern is the competition for the best and brightest talent, especially among top firms seeking to add specialty expertise or employees to groom for the future. read more →

bbq’ing the billable hour

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would you buy a pulled-pork sandwich if it was priced by the hour? at aries technology, a sage software reseller, they wouldn’t recommend it. that’s why they’re going to market with an aggressive value-pricing strategy. via ariestech.com

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