client service opportunities

how to turn client surveys into new revenues

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download the sample client satisfaction survey.

by ed mendlowitz

question: is there any value to sending clients a survey?

response: yes.  our firm sends a survey with every deliverable to a client.  we want to know what they think and how they feel about our service.

i think your best friends are the clients that complain.  this gives you an opportunity to correct any deficiencies or exceptions.

one time a long time very good client put on the survey that we were great but our fees were high.  i immediately met with him, reviewed our charges, had the time runs and details of everything extra we had been doing beyond the scope of our engagement, and the value to the client.  in the following year he recommended two clients to us!  i don’t believe we would have gotten the referrals had he not complained.

here is a sample of a survey we’ve used: read more →

take six big steps to go beyond compliance services

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beat the billable hour by doing more than just taxes or quickbooks.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

as compliance services become more commoditized and automated, accountants are faced with how this affects their practice and their bottom line. they can:

  1. serve a higher level client that requires greater complexity, making themselves fairly immune to these changes
  2. serve a larger number of clients to offset a drop in revenue per client averages
  3. add new services to their practice to boost revenue per client

those are pretty much the options available to keep profits from shrinking. but today i want to focus on the third point above, adding new services, and provide you with some ideas on how you may be able to serve your tax compliance clients in new ways.

more for soloists and small firms:  when your business needs to be rebooted  |   two steps to easy cross-sells   |   the hot new tech product for automated data entry   |   five value-add service areas to take you beyond bookkeeping   |   six money-making strategies to take you beyond quickbooks   |   proactive ways to get more referrals   |   the three biggest money leaks in your practice   |   new client opportunities with mobile apps   |   six questions to launch your summer strategy sessions   |   what most accountants miss in the five simple steps to get more clients   |   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 don’t do taxes, you will find some ideas for new related services you can think about offering to your clients. (remember, it’s easier to sell to existing clients than to acquire new ones.) read more →

nine reasons you don’t want to launch a niche

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if you’re thinking about getting into financial planning or business valuation, think again.

ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and aby ed mendlowitz
author of the tax season opportunity guide and how to increase your billing rates

question: can you recommend a specialty i can get involved in to generate more revenue for my practice?

response: my discussion with the cpa indicated that his practice consisted of a large individual tax return practice and many monthly business clients.  he thought financial planning or business valuations would be a way to expand his services and make more money.  it did not seem he had an intellectual interest in these areas. read more →

two steps to easy cross-sells

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start with a spreadsheet.

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

here’s a great spreadsheet exercise you can do to identify what i call “low-hanging fruit,” which means added revenue that will not take too much time or money to go after.

open excel, and start a worksheet from the sales numbers in your accounting system.

more at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 for soloists and small firms:    the hot new tech product for automated data entry  |  five value-add service areas to take you beyond bookkeeping  |  six money-making strategies to take you beyond quickbooks   | 10 ways to add a “money maker” hour to your day   |  11 sources of wealth we can celebrate   |  nine value-adds to command a higher fee   |  how to design your business around your strengths

read more →

six money-making strategies to take you beyond quickbooks

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how to give clients real solutions, options and opportunities they’ll love.

by sandi smith leyva, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

many accountants are quickbooks proadvisors who offer quickbooks consulting to their clients; you may be one of them.

more at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 for soloists and small firms: proactive ways to get more referrals   |  the three biggest money leaks in your practice   |  new client opportunities with mobile apps   |  six questions to launch your summer strategy sessions   |  what most accountants miss in the five simple steps to get more clients   |  10 ways to add a “money maker” hour to your day   |  11 sources of wealth we can celebrate   |  nine value-adds to command a higher fee   |  how to design your business around your strengths

here are the opportunities i see to expand your client services in the area of quickbooks consulting, or for that matter, any accounting software consulting. read more →

consulting with a client who is also a friend

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question: i have a close friend who is also a client. he went through a rough time with his wife threatening a divorce and we spent a lot of time talking about it (out of office settings).  i sent him a bill and he returned it with a notation that “we spoke as friends and not as a professional consultation, and the bill should be cancelled.”  what should i do? read more →

tax trends in small business: what drives them to seek professional help

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new data obtained by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 shows that 84 percent of small-business owners are now paying an independent tax practitioner or accountant to handle their taxes.

in addition, an increasing number of small business taxpayers appear to be taking advantage of sec.179 expensing and bonus depreciation.

the new report available from 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 includes information on:

  • the number of small business owners who use an outside tax or accounting service
  • how many hours per week a small business spends on payroll tax administration
  • average cost for using a payroll agency
  • hours spent on federal tax
  • various tax burdens
  • how to download complete report (pdf, 13 pages)

read more →

get paid faster this tax season: six good reasons to send the bill with the return

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it’s good for business and considerate to clients.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

ed mendlowitz

tax season is a business and businesses need to be paid.  it is harder to justify prices when providing services rather than products.  products are usually priced before delivery while many times services are priced after delivery, i.e. performance.

more on busy season management: tax season trends, issues and opportunities 

many accountants price returns before they are worked on, usually basing the fee on last year, or a rate schedule.  sending a bill with the return establishes the relationship that you should be paid promptly for the work done. read more →

how long can you keep a client?

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clients say: not as long as you think.

if you’re a finance manager on the client side, what do you say?

by rick telberg

are most cpas fooling themselves?

if you ask a cpa, as 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 has been doing since 2006, how long they typically keep a client, you’ll get a fairly consistent answer through the years.

if you ask a client how long they’ve worked with their current cpa firm, you’ll also get a fairly consistent answer.

the problem is: the cpa and the client disagree. read more →

de-bunking the myth about niche marketing for tax and accounting firms

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plus, five more essential pieces to the profit puzzle.

by marc rosenberg, cpa
author of “what really makes cpa firms profitable?”

i want to de-bunk a myth about niche marketing. many cpas that i have talked to think that niche marketing means that most, or all of their business, needs to be in their niche.

marc rosenberg
marc rosenberg

related:  practice development is no longer an optional activity • 10 good ways the achieve partner accountability • pick your partners right to begin with  •  the first nine questions your partner team needs to embrace for optimal profitability  • profitability and the value of strategic thinking  • the five essential building blocks for creating a strong accounting firm • the seven signs of great leadership in a cpa firm • compensation issues for the new managing partner  •

they think they will have to stop being generalists or will have to give up all their clients outside the niche. this is absolutely not the case. read more →

clients’ calls at home

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are there no limits to availability? here at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间, ed mendlowitz answers some of the toughest questions practitioners can throw at him. he’s the right one to ask. after more than 40 years in the business – building his … continued

give clients three reasons to love you at the next meeting

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dazzle them with the pre-meeting meeting.

joey brannon
joey brannon

by joey brannon, cpa
axiom cpa

there is an old saying that “no man is an island unto himself.” this is certainly true in the world that i live in. i am nothing without my clients. so when we have time with them it is important that we use it to maximum advantage. and having an agenda in place well before the meeting starts exponentially increases the productivity and value of the experience. read more →