cas success isn’t accidental. it’s engineered.
originally published november 2025
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it’s not just the numbers
with penny breslin and damien greathead
for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
client advisory services (cas) continue to outperform every other service line in accounting. but firms that treat cas as “enhanced bookkeeping” quickly hit a ceiling. the firms that scale profitably make harder—and smarter—choices: who they serve, how they staff, how they price, and how they explain their value in a world obsessed with automation.
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in this episode of it’s not just the numbers, co-hosts penny breslin and damien greathead get refreshingly practical about what actually drives cas success. their message is clear: strong cas practices are built intentionally, not incrementally.
one question cuts straight to the tension many firm owners feel: should teams see profitability numbers?
breslin and greathead don’t argue for radical openness—or secrecy. instead, they advocate for profit literacy.
teams don’t need to know margins by client. they do need to understand three things:
- which services are thin-margin and why
- how efficiency protects profitability
- where scope creep quietly destroys value
bookkeeping, for example, may not carry high margins—but it often feeds into higher-value advisory services. when teams understand that connection, they stop seeing tasks as “busy work” and start seeing the bigger picture.
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some firms take this a step further by tying efficiency to shared bonus pools. the result? teams see firsthand how working smarter improves both firm performance and personal rewards.
fixing the client drag problem
every cas leader knows the frustration: workflows stall because clients don’t respond, don’t upload documents, or don’t answer basic questions.
breslin warns that a handful of chronically late clients can destabilize an entire cas operation. the fix isn’t nagging—it’s empowerment and escalation.
teams should be encouraged to flag problem clients early. firms need clear playbooks: retraining clients, changing communication channels, resetting expectations—or exiting the relationship. client management isn’t just a partner problem. your team is closest to the friction and should be equipped to call it out.
communication is a system, not a courtesy
email isn’t universal. some clients respond instantly to texts. others live in portals or prefer quick calls.
firms that document client communication preferences inside their workflow systems eliminate unnecessary delays. breslin compares it to education: people learn—and communicate—differently. cas works best when firms adapt to the client, not the other way around.
the payoff? faster turnaround, fewer follow-ups, and stronger trust.
why niches still win
vertical specialization remains one of the most effective cas growth strategies—not because it limits opportunity, but because it clarifies it.
specialized firms:
- build deeper expertise in industry tools and workflows;
- market more efficiently; and
- deliver insights that generalists simply can’t.
yes, niches carry risk. but as greathead points out, firms with a proven cas playbook rebound faster because they know how to redeploy their expertise. construction firms pivot to restaurants. restaurant specialists help clients launch new revenue models—mastery transfers.
selling cas without sounding salesy
many firms struggle to move clients from annual or quarterly work into monthly advisory. specialization makes that transition easier.
when you know an industry cold, you stop selling “insights” and start solving real problems—cash-flow volatility, staffing decisions, pricing pressure. breslin is blunt: sometimes motivation comes down to fear and opportunity. show clients what they risk by waiting—or what they gain by acting—and advisory becomes an obvious next step.
ai changes the work—not the value
clients increasingly assume that if ai does more, fees should fall. breslin and greathead push back hard.
automation may speed up categorization, but it often raises review and quality-control demands. rules change. outputs need judgment. accountability still sits with humans.
the winning response to ai questions:
- acknowledge the tech—yes, we use it
- reassert the value—interpretation, expertise, and decision support
as breslin tells clients: “if you want ai to do your books, that’s fine. just don’t call me when it breaks.” most clients choose peace of mind over theoretical savings.
outsourcing only works if it’s one team
outsourcing isn’t a shortcut—it’s a management strategy.
firms that succeed treat offshore professionals as real team members, investing in training, communication, and shared culture. firms that treat outsourcing as disposable labor pay the price in turnover and quality issues.
equally critical: your onshore team must buy in. if outsourcing feels like a threat, the model collapses before it scales.
cas is a design choice
cas success isn’t about adding services. it’s about redesigning how your firm operates—from transparency and incentives to client selection, communication systems, specialization, and technology.
as greathead puts it: “we have to be as intentional about the clients we serve as we are about the services we deliver and the teams we build.”
10 key takeaways
- be transparent about profitability—by service, not just by client. teams don’t need exact dollars, but they must know which services are thin-margin and where efficiency (rules, tech, ai) and tight scope control protect profit.
- tie profit to incentives. make efficiency and on-time delivery visible levers for team bonuses and raises.
- kill scope creep early. share clear statements of work, review at 60–90 days, and empower staff to flag “we’re doing extra—are we charging?”
- diagnose delays precisely. separate “missing documents” from “unanswered questions,” and fix with access (bank feeds, portals) or communication tweaks (text, calls, apps).
- standardize workflows—and defend the calendar. chronic late clients break cas rhythms and drag profitable clients down; retrain or “fish or cut bait.”
- document client comms preferences. capture how each client likes to communicate and enforce it across the team to cut rework.
- specialize vertically to scale. niches sharpen tech stacks, marketing, training, and pricing; diversify over time to manage sector shocks, but master one playbook first.
- explain ai’s real impact. automation shifts effort (and raises qc needs) more than it slashes time; clients pay for expertise, judgment, and clean, trusted numbers.
- reframe ai price objections. offer a “no-advice, no-calls” cheaper tier if needed—then contrast it with the value of access, interpretation, and proactive guidance.
- outsourcing works when it’s one team. treat offshore partners like staff: transparent goals, consistent training, two-way communication, and local team buy-in before you start.