here’s what you’re looking for: sandi smith leyva

client service opportunities

8 essential ingredients for your new client welcome kit

by sandi smith leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

how you welcome your new client can set the tone for a relationship that could last for years or in the worst of cases, just days. start out on the right foot by looking super-organized (because that’s part of why we get hired anyway) and making it super-easy for a client to get on board with you. the best vehicle for this is a welcome kit. here are eight things that should be in your kit at a minimum: read more →

leadership

4 ways small firms can surpass larger firms

by sandi smith leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

when i look through accounting today’s top 100 leaders list and the comments they have made about what they perceive to be the challenges in our profession, many of the answers are the same: change, talent and relevance are a few you’ll see. and they are all right to some extent, but there is a deeper systemic problem that i think could fix quite a few of these in one swipe. i’m not saying it will be easy, but it is a fairly straightforward problem once diagnosed.

the most interesting part is that the smallest firms are getting better at solving this than the larger firms. read more →

marketing & sales

the 5 worst marketing methods for accountants

update: see the rebuttal, “the 3 most unused marketing methods for accountants“

by sandi smith leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

there are a couple of dozen different marketing methods that you can use to build your practice, but they are definitely not created equally. in fact, some are so ineffective and costly that we really try to steer people away from them. here are five of the worst for building your practice. read more →

management

5 tech tools for managing remote staffers

by sandi smith leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

when you are working out of your home and have reached the point where you want to hire someone, you have many options, but one of them may not be having employees come to your home to work. and although i have had employees working out of my home when i was single, it was not an option in 2010 when i was ready to hire an assistant. so i hired a virtual one.

today you might be surprised to know that my employees work from home two days a week each, and i only see them in person once a month. how do we do it? we keep our heads in the clouds. here are five tools that keep us seconds away while we’re miles apart. read more →

outlook & analysis

the five biggest social media mistakes of accounting firms

by sandi smith leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

social media is all the rage, and there’s lots of pressure on small business owners – from friends, coaches and especially social media vendors – to get you to use social media in your marketing.

in most cases, we like to talk accounting practice owners out of social media marketing (and we’re one of those vendors who will set up and maintain your social media accounts for you, so we turn down an awful lot of business).

here’s why, and here are the five biggest social media mistakes accountants make:

read more →

marketing & sales

how to leverage your most valuable asset

accountants are just beginning to understand the untapped opportunities in their clients and referral sources.

by sandi smith leyva
author, “10 keys to doubling your revenues”

one of the most valuable assets i have is my list of clients.  i wouldn’t be in business if it weren’t for my clients, and i am grateful for each of you every day.

keeping a formal list of clients and subscribers in a list management system is often overlooked and frequently underutilized, especially in our industry.  there are a couple of reasons for this.  one is that some accountants are just beginning to understand the five big revenue-building reasons to understand the power of email marketing.

read more →

outlook & analysis

what the death of data entry means for accountants

by sandi smith leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

imagine that a new client comes to you with “the dreaded shoebox” of bank reconciliations, receipts and bills. the client is a year or so behind, and you are hired to get them caught up. do you take that client, knowing you’ll be swamped doing data entry for weeks at a low hourly rate?

the good news is it doesn’t have to take weeks anymore. and even better, you don’t have to charge a low rate for data entry. your “shoebox” client is now a profitable client who would be worth adding to any accounting firm’s book of business. what’s the secret? read more →

outlook & analysis

xero’s on a mission: beautifying the accounting industry

by sandi smith leyva

if you have small business clients that don’t pay attention to their accounting as much as you would like them to, you are likely not alone.  the problem is that most of us accountants give up on those types of clients who seem apathetic to our passion for numbers.  we shrug our shoulders and consider the client a hopeless case if they won’t take a look at their financial reports at our urgings. read more →

outlook & analysis

the emotional side of the tax and accounting business

five essential skills every successful practice owner needs.

by sandi smith leyva
accountant’s accelerator

there are courses and conferences to help you build the technical skills you need to succeed in accounting. but if you think about it, there is no cpe to help you with the emotional side of your business, and there are plenty of times on a daily basis that the emotional side of business comes into play: read more →