if you don’t ask, you can’t know. if not now, when?
by jean marie caragher
the 90-day marketing plan for cpa firms
tax season is the perfect time to identify cross-selling opportunities, strengthen client relationships and ensure client satisfaction.
consider asking your clients the following 14 questions this tax season. you may discover a new gold nugget of opportunity: read more →
in comments: “more is needed. this is an opportunity for firm leadership.”
join the survey: get more results.
results of a new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 career outlook survey show optimism among staffers about management support for personal advancement and commitment to training. but firms appear to be struggling to keep up with staff demands.
receipts, refunds still running higher than last year.
tax professionals e-filed about 18.47 million returns through feb. 13, 2015, down 2.6 percent from the 18.95 million returns e-filed by the same time in 2014. read more →
take this quiz to see whether you’re phoning it in.
do you seek out opportunities to learn new things that will help your clients overcome their most difficult challenges?
selling value-creation advisory services is truly a slam dunk with most modern business owners, according mentorplus. the bad news is that, although most cpas would say they are their clients’ most trusted advisor, few could answer the following questions in the affirmative.
the do’s and don’ts clients should hear from you first.
by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
americans were already afraid of identity thefts involving big companies like target, sony and anthem blue cross.
now the fear and distrust is starting to infect tax and accounting firms.
taxpayers using professional tax preparers are increasingly worrying about the security of their personal financial information, up 6 percentage points from last year, according to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 sources.
six percentage points may not sound like much, but when it’s a 40% growth rate. at that pace, if unchecked, next year 29% of clients would need reassurances.
the big data breaches are already legion — target, sony, anthem blue cross. but when taxpayers start to suspect the security at cpa firms and professional tax preparation companies, the profession has a problem. and it’s a fundamental and growing problem.
to most of us, this is busy season. but to a marketer like jean marie caragher, it’s opportunity season.
caragher, author of the 90-day marketing plan for cpa firms, offers three simple strategies for leveraging practice-building opportunities while also promoting tax returns.
1. identify cross-selling opportunities.
hold client service meetings for key clients with your partners and staff. identify the additional services that will be valuable for these clients and plan how you will pitch these services. describe the benefits the clients will receive and practice your presentation. be alert during the conversations you have with your clients and listen for “i wish,” “i need,” “i am concerned about,” “if i had time,” or “i am worried about.” what follows these phrases are opportunities for you to offer solutions and additional services. your goal for tax season should be to arrange appointments with your clients for after tax season when you will close the sale and provide the services.
2. collect email addresses for all clients.
email marketing and electronic communications is a staple in the marketing mix of cpa firms. it is important to provide clients and prospects with timely, valuable information. your methodology can range from vendors who provide the platform and content (bizactions, pdi global); purchasing content (pdi global, newkirk) and launching it from a separate platform (constant contact, mailchimp, icontact); and writing your content and implementing inbound marketing campaigns using a dynamic system like hubspot. don’t let your clients and contacts get timely, valuable information from your competitors. make electronic communications a part of your cpa firm’s marketing program.
3. collect client testimonials.
client testimonials are a powerful sales tool. when you receive compliments from your clients, ask them to write them down. oftentimes, your client will ask you to draft the letter for them! collect your testimonial letters and make them part of your firm’s electronic lobby presentation. place them in a binder and display them in your reception area. use quotes from the letters in your new business proposals and website.
it’s a 1.8 percent hike from boom times. we’ll take it.
the u.s. tax, accounting and bookkeeping industries have fully rebounded, surpassing the previous january 2008 peak, according to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 sources.
here 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 reports on:
while cheering the recovery, the new employment trends represent intensifying competition for talent, as well as clients.
accountants relieve their worst headaches.
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 sources are reporting on how much time and money small businesses spend each year on accounting and tax preparation and each month on payroll administration.
the data should support practitioners’ value proposition to small business owners: some 40 percent say bookkeeping and taxes are the worst part of being in business.
owners were also surveyed on their opinions of the most burdensome small business management tasks. next time you talk to your clients — or prospective clients — these pain points might be worth including in the conversation…
new data from 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 sources reveals key competitive
comparisons. read more →
with the right approach, you may be able to save the relationship.
unhappy clients won’t tell you they have a problem; they’ll simply move their business elsewhere.
so, if a client gives you a chance to repair a bad situation, take it.
here are a few tips from maribeth kuzmeski, author of “the connectors: how the world’s most successful businesspeople build relationships and win clients for life,” to keep your business relationships from going bad — and rescue those that have started to sour:
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 strategy shift report: accounting firms around the world reap benefits of easing oil prices, government stimulus and innovation.
by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
tax and accounting practitioners are heading into a new year and a new busy season markedly more confident and optimistic than they’ve been in years, according to the 10th annual 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 strategy shift report.
professionals from milwaukee to tucson and karachi to kampala are telling 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 of brightening business forecasts for their firms in 2015.
top trends in emerging business strategies
join the survey. get the results.
fully 71 percent of professionals say they are more than somewhat confident in the business and economic outlook for their firms, with a record 30 percent telling 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 they are “highly confident” for the prospects of their business.
to be sure, they are less certain about the prospects for their client base or the nation as a whole than they are for themselves, their families and their firms. read more →
accounting and legal professions mourn loss of pioneering innovator in professional services marketing.
by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
the accounting profession lost a pioneer and innovator when bruce w. marcus died last month. and many of us lost a beloved friend.
bruce w. marcus started life as a child actor and went on to become a newspaper reporter for the legendary brooklyn eagle, an nbc radio dramatist, a speechwriter for national politicians, an advisor to fortune 500 companies and, finally, a renowned pioneer in marketing and advertising for law and accounting firms. he died dec. 1, 2014, at the age of 89 after a long illness and had lived in branford, ct.
marcus had a far-flung career that spanned the worlds of politics, economics, finance, advertising, and even theater and entertainment. read more →