sandi smith leyva, author at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 - page 26 of 28

take a cue from venture capitalists: your firm needs a brain trust trinity

how to give your firm the three distinct personality traits that spell outrageous success.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

i was reading chip conley’s book, the rebel rules: daring to be yourself in business. despite its title, the book doles out fairly standard business advice, except for a handful of tiny tidbits of sheer brilliance. one is the list of items that investors are looking for when considering providing startup money to new businesses.

more for soloists and small firms: accountants, do you know your opportunity number? • five ideas to reduce client price-sensitivity • rise to the top with a fresh elevator speech • four ways to practice entrepreneurial perseverance • 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients • the top 12 business card blunders accountants make • seven tips to keep the clients you have • how to attract clients like a magnet • eleven easy ways to deliver more value to clients •

even if you’re never going to seek venture capital money to help to fund your practice, chip’s advice makes a great question to consider for your firm, especially if yours is a small or sole-owned firm. read more →

outlook & analysis

accountants, do you know your opportunity number?

the pragmatic six-step way to evaluate potential new clients.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

every week, do you get wonderful, exciting calls from new clients who want to use your services? you might want to talk with every one of them to get the sale. the problem is, if you do, you’re likely to go bankrupt. let me explain.

more for soloists and small firms from at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间: five ideas to reduce client price-sensitivity • 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 •

each of us has 24 hours in one day. most of us have annual revenue goals. a few of us have monthly, weekly, daily, or even hourly revenue goals. hopefully you know what your revenue goal is. (if not, you should!) if you don’t pull in that level of revenue for the week or month, then you’ve missed your plan.

let’s say you want to generate $1 million in sales for the year. on average, you need to pull in $20,000a week. that’s $4,000 a day. read more →

marketing & sales

rise to the top with a fresh elevator speech

3 tips for a powerful pitch.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

an elevator speech is that short and sweet 30-second answer to the question “what do you do?” in networking circles, it’s critical that your elevator speech is clear and interesting. if it’s not, people will be confused, and no one who is confused will know how to refer you to others.

more for soloists and small firms from at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间: 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 • 3 steps to start running on millionaire time • 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients • why you’re missing out on 98% of your new business potential • how to win new clients with a freebie strategy • the top 12 business card blunders accountants make • seven tips to keep the clients you have • how to attract clients like a magnet • eleven easy ways to deliver more value to clients• five things accountants take for granted that costs them revenue • what’s in your new client funnel? • what’s in your welcome kit for new prospects? • five fun and easy ways to wow your clients • six ways to give yourself a raise • strategies to stop losing business to competitors

the typical networker recites their elevator speech by listing everything they do. for example, i recently heard an insurance agent say, “we insure your auto, car, home, life, …” well, i heard part of it. she listed a dozen more things – the kitchen sink may have been in there – and i bet some of those services haven’t been sold in years. read more →

outlook & analysis

how to win new clients with a freebie strategy

build trust by giving prospects a small sample of value.
[for another view, see when not to offer a free initial consultation]

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

today’s biggest marketing challenge for soloists and small firms is getting people’s attention, then getting their trust. one way to completely overcome the trust issue is to let prospects receive a small sample of value from you at no charge.

because the trust factor is at an all-time historical low, as a practitioner you need to do one or more of several things before clients will do business with you in most cases:

spend a lot of time developing individual relationships until people trust you,
provide a complementary sample of value up front,
spend a lot of time in the proposal stage wooing the prospect. read more →

outlook & analysis

the success secrets women already know

who gets more out of their employees, men or women?

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

if you guessed women, you’re right. women possess natural relationship skills that help them build loyalty, foster productivity, and spark motivation.

according to a study by the guardian life small business research institute, women’s skills provide: read more →

outlook & analysis

why you’re missing out on 98% of your new business potential

three ways to master the art of follow-up.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

it seems there are hundreds of questions swirling around how to follow up with prospects. the raw truth is that very few people follow up at all. on average, only 2 percent of people buy on the first contact with a vendor.

so if you’re not following up, you’re walking away from 98 percent of your sales.

more for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 pro members: the missing ingredient in your marketing that will make all the difference • 3 steps to start running on millionaire time • on the road to a stress-free life: identify your character strengths • the power of deadlines in closing a deal • his and her brains at work in tax and accounting • 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients • the top 12 business card blunders accountants make •

here are my tips to maximize sales and take the pain out of following up: read more →

outlook & analysis

his and her brains at work in tax and accounting

three things that are different.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

are men’s and women’s brains different, when it comes to the workplace? the answer is a resounding yes, and more importantly, science is finding that men and women work differently. when a woman works like a man does, her health suffers

more for soloists and small firms from sandi smith at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间: 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients • the top 12 business card blunders accountants make • seven tips to keep the clients you have • how to attract clients like a magnet • eleven easy ways to deliver more value to clients • five things accountants take for granted that costs them revenue • what’s in your new client funnel? • what’s in your welcome kit for new prospects? • five fun and easy ways to wow your clients • six ways to give yourself a raise • strategies to stop losing business to competitors

here are three things that are different in men’s and women’s brains. read more →

outlook & analysis

the power of deadlines in closing a deal

headache or dream come true?

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

in the accounting profession, there are a ton of deadlines. month-end, quarter-end, and year-end. payroll taxes, sales taxes, and corporate taxes. and extension deadlines, filing deadlines, and payment deadlines, to name just a few.

more for soloists and small firms from sandi smith at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间: on the road to a stress-free life: identify your character strengths • the missing ingredient in your marketing that will make all the difference • 3 steps to start running on millionaire time • 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients • the top 12 business card blunders accountants make • seven tips to keep the clients you have • how to attract clients like a magnet • eleven easy ways to deliver more value to clients • five things accountants take for granted that costs them revenue • what’s in your new client funnel? • what’s in your welcome kit for new prospects? • five fun and easy ways to wow your clients • six ways to give yourself a raise • strategies to stop losing business to competitors

all of these deadlines may be a headache to business owners and accountants alike, but they are a marketer’s dream come true. how can you use deadlines to your advantage in marketing your services? and what if you are selling a service that is not in the accounting profession? keep reading and we’ll answer these questions and provide you with five ways to woo your prospect with deadlines. read more →

outlook & analysis

on the road to a stress-free life: identify your character strengths

and put them to work.

by sandi smith, cpa

how many times a day do we tell ourselves with the little voice in our head that we’re falling short of the ideal we have for ourselves? “i forgot to add the salt, so i ruined the recipe.” “i’m not good enough.” “i was mistaken.” “i’m not smart enough.” “i didn’t get picked for the finals.” “nobody likes me.” and so on.

instead, why don’t we focus on our strengths? a university of michigan psychology professor undertook an extensive research project to discover 24 positive character strengths that each person has to varying degrees.

they are: read more →

outlook & analysis

the missing ingredient in your marketing that will make all the difference

even after years of training, learning and succeeding, it doesn’t come easy.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

in school, during both my undergraduate courses and my mba classes, i took marketing 101, or something close to that. i learned the four p’s: product, price, place, and promotion. i aced the class.

more for soloists and small firms from sandi smith at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间: 3 steps to start running on millionaire time • 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients • the top 12 business card blunders accountants make • seven tips to keep the clients you have • how to attract clients like a magnet • eleven easy ways to deliver more value to clients • five things accountants take for granted that costs them revenue • what’s in your new client funnel? • what’s in your welcome kit for new prospects? • five fun and easy ways to wow your clients • six ways to give yourself a raise • strategies to stop losing business to competitors

when i started my first business at age 13, i ran an ad and was able to get clients. it was no big deal. when i wanted to earn some part-time money during college doing bookkeeping (before i passed my cpa exam), i answered an ad and found clients. it was no big deal. when i started a part-time photography studio in the 1980s, i sent out press releases and direct mail and got clients. it was no big deal. i was doing all of this on the side while i had full time jobs paying the rent and everything else. read more →

management

3 steps to start running on millionaire time

stop “non-profit” tasks and start making more money in your practice.

by sandi smith, cpa / exclusive to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
accountant’s accelerator

let’s do the math. to earn a million dollars in a year, you have to bring in $83,333 per month. assuming you bill hourly and work for the standard 1,000 billable hours per year, you need to charge $1,000 per hour. if you want to make five million in one year, you will need to charge $5,000 per hour.

here’s some breaking news: you won’t get there doing tasks that are worth $10 per hour. even if we drop a zero and aim for six figures in a year, you won’t get there doing $10 per hour tasks either. at six figures, you’re worth $100 per hour.

more for soloists and small firms from sandi smith at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间: 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients • the top 12 business card blunders accountants make • seven tips to keep the clients you have • how to attract clients like a magnet • eleven easy ways to deliver more value to clients • five things accountants take for granted that costs them revenue • what’s in your new client funnel? • what’s in your welcome kit for new prospects? • five fun and easy ways to wow your clients • six ways to give yourself a raise • strategies to stop losing business to competitors • five tips to manage your ‘overwhelm’ level • easy ideas for a quick business boost • four new mega-trend marketing strategies • how to stop leaving money on the table

the difference between poor people and rich people is simple: one values the scarcity of their time and uses every minute wisely, and the other doesn’t.

here are some tips to help you start thinking like a millionaire, which is the first step to becoming one: read more →

outlook & analysis

5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients

business development for sole practitioners and small firms.

by sandi smith, cpa / special to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

if you’re a sole practitioner or small-firm operator, you’re probably very good at what you do — or you wouldn’t be in business today. but when it comes to marketing and selling yourself, well, many of us didn’t voluntarily sign up for that part.

as a matter of fact, some of us are resisting — kicking and screaming — marketing ourselves. so no wonder, for some of us, business is slow or not growing at the rate we’d like.

more for soloists and small firms from sandi smith at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间: the top 12 business card blunders accountants make • seven tips to keep the clients you have • how to attract clients like a magnet • eleven easy ways to deliver more value to clients • five things accountants take for granted that costs them revenue • what’s in your new client funnel? • what’s in your welcome kit for new prospects? • five fun and easy ways to wow your clients • six ways to give yourself a raise • strategies to stop losing business to competitors

we all hope we will have enough referrals so that we will never have to sell ourselves. but in the last few years, referrals, even for those with huge followings, have slowed down. it’s past time that we work on more fully developing the marketing and selling function of our businesses.

as you do, here are five mistakes to avoid: read more →

outlook & analysis

the top 12 business card blunders accountants make

how many of these common errors or omissions can you find on your business card?

by sandi smith, cpa

the lowly business card: we don’t give it a second thought before we get the thing printed up, and we just do what everyone else does.

many people, new in business, get the business cards printed before they’re really ready to, which causes many of the mistakes i list below. experienced or new, you’re missing huge opportunities to let your business card take some of the work off your shoulders. we may take it for granted, but i feel that your business card is one of your most important pieces of marketing collateral, and the most under-utilized.

here are my suggestions for how to get your business card working as hard as you do. if you want to play along, pull out your business card, and see if your card is guilty of any of these first four no-no’s. read more →

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