growth strategies

how to create your firm’s cas team

by

plus how to boost their skillsets.

by hitendra patil
accountaneur: the entrepreneurial accountant

“we do not have the staffing for client accounting services.”

non-cas firms cite this as the topmost reason for not being able to offer cas. nothing could be further from the truth.

more: technology and your cas clients | will 2021 be your cash-flow year? | identifying the right clients for cas | cas is, first, a communication challenge | which of your existing clients are cas-fit? | client accounting services: the definitive guide
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

experience of firms that offer cas, including that of small firms with fewer than five staff members, proves beyond doubt that you do not need more staff to start offering cas. even solo practitioners provide cas. the only thing you need to begin your cas journey is to be ruthless, relentless and fearless to leverage newer and cloud technologies. automation, integration and even artificial intelligence make it easier, faster and cheaper to perform some repetitive, time-consuming work of accounting firms.
read more →

what my boss did all day

by

older man and younger man in meetingsome things never change … and shouldn’t.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

on an early job i had – in a time long, long ago with no computers, smartphones, copiers or electronic adding machines – i used to go to a client in the morning, write up their books, prepare a financial statement, drop it off at the office at end of the day and then go home.

more: why annual staff evaluations fall short | 10 ways to stay in control | advice to new accountants | clients don’t lose sleep for overpaying taxes | when time-based pricing works | how auditing is like a pirouette | ¿que es bookkeeping? | testifying before congress | underpaying others hurts you, too
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the secretary typed the report in the morning. i often wondered what my boss mr. ruben did, and whether there have been any changes in that in the half-century since i started.
read more →

five reasons new financial advisors fail

by

don’t be afraid of a learning curve.

by matt solomon

if you’re thinking about making the shift to financial advising, you might be wondering if you have the skills you need to succeed. the good news is that as an accountant, you already have all the tools you need to become a financial advisor.

more: you’re selling the wrong stuff | the path to a conscious business | tap into your gold mine | shift your practice: stop depending on compliance work
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

however, having the right tools does not automatically make you an advisor just like owning a hammer doesn’t make you a carpenter. you’ll need to develop a new skill set to use your accounting tools as a financial advisor. without these new skills, accountants often fail to achieve their goals and build a business that allows them to do meaningful work, make more money and spend less time doing it.
read more →

10 ways to stay in control

by

number 10respect your staff … and vice versa.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

a new year has just begun. start it by getting and staying in control.

more: 20 best practices for staff training and retention | why create an accounting firm business model? | the clients who keep you awake at night | creating a cross-selling culture | cross-selling beyond your comfort zone | value pricing in uncharted waters | i am an accountant because of clients like stanley | advising cheapskates
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

here are some ways to do this.
read more →

i started a consulting practice the first week of march

by

five reasons it succeeded (so far) despite the pandemic

by bill penczak

everyone is no doubt glad the dumpster fire of 2020 has finally ended and that we have a new year to celebrate.   the accounting industry has endured layoffs, pay cuts, further consolidation, and firms continue to seek ways to remain relevant as compliance services become more commoditized and margins continue to diminish.  after contemplating the move for the greater part of 2019, in january 2020 i formed my articles of incorporation;  in february set up my website;  and in the first week of march, left my job running practice development for a firm that had been named the 5th fastest growing firm in the country the previous year to start my own consulting firm.

more: re-thinking today’s firm with five global leaders | 5 things your firm should do differently this summer | do you have the guts to beat the covid crisis? | how to inoculate your firm against covid competition | ‘found money’ delights clients | the three r’s for beating the corona crisis
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

two weeks later, everything shut down and i thought i’d made the worst decision in my 40-year career.  it turned out to be the best.

fast forward to year’s end, and i have four retainer clients, did a few projects for other clients, and have a healthy pipeline of other prospects. my business associates and advisors continually remind me that my role of helping firms create a sustainable process for growth and margin management became even more important during difficult times.  in better economies, companies want to grow more.  in tough economies, they must.

as i reflect on the past year, there are five reasons my consulting practice thrived despite a terrible economy, shutdowns, and the other things that made 2020 a year to forget, but at the same time, to cherish.  and perhaps lessons learned from which your firm may be able to benefit. read more →

you’re selling the wrong stuff

by

businesswoman in a meeting with a male colleague smiling at him as they sit at a table discussing paperwork over coffeeit comes down to giving clients better business results.

by matt solomon

when you’re struggling to grow your business, success can seem mysterious. you feel like you’re doing everything right: you’re good at what you do, you give clients what they ask for and you work really, really hard. so what’s missing?

more: the path to a conscious business | are you running your practice by default? | your secret weapon for exponential profits
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the answer is hiding right in plain sight. if you aren’t seeing the growth and success you want to have, chances are that you aren’t selling what clients really want.
read more →

how to train clients

by

skip this, and both service and satisfaction decline.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

you’ll hate me after this post. i’m about to reveal that many of the behaviors that you rationalize as good client service are really just desperate measures to avoid losing bad clients. we’ll talk about getting out of that mess later.

more: avoiding projects hung up in process | when clients create errors | how we killed the tax season client meeting | why small firms can win the talent wars | there are no easy answers | how to thrive as a 21st-century firm | farm-aid for accountants? | whittle down wip
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

clients are trainable – at least as trainable as jack russell terriers. that is to say, they’re somewhat trainable. however, like jack russell terriers, you train clients or they’ll train you. somebody’s getting trained. here’s an example of how that works.
read more →

11 steps for handling client complaints

by

they might come to you unhappy, but they don’t have to leave that way.

by jassen bowman

unhappy clients are a part of doing business. while we strive to deliver the absolute best customer service, provide excellent value in our services and run a first-class operation, it’s simply impossible to please everybody.

more: what you tell yourself matters | use checklists to get new tax clients what your tax resolution staff must do | are you quitting on leads too soon? | grow faster, be more efficient
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the key to properly and professionally addressing client complaints is to not be overtly defensive. adopting a defensive attitude usually just inflames the situation.
read more →

peer-to-peer: your best advice for 2021

by

clockwise-from-top-left-raizen-wehr-paulson-swigert-anderson-stitely.png
pivoting to 2021 (clockwise from top left): raizen, wehr, paulson, swigert, anderson, stitely

‘clients still need us.’

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

keep calm and carry on.

that may be the best overall advice for the situation we’re in.

more in surveys & research: survey: a glint of optimism for 2021| accountants say: brace for a dismal 2021 | ppp client fraud: how much risk is too much? | ppp traps: 1 in 5 accountants report shady dealings | cloudy forecasts call for rainmaking

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

and by “we,” we mean “everybody in the world.” because everybody’s got it tough. whether covid has touched close to home or not, its presence is impacting everyone.

but… how should accountants carry on? we asked. and you – the readers of 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 – delivered. adapt, pivot, focus on the client, watch your expenses – just a few of the themes gleaned from the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 business barometer.

read more →

does your staff know all the services you provide?

by

they can help clients and increase revenue.

by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor

question: we have around 30 full-time staff, and most of them graduated less than three years ago.

more: four tips for new partners | before you sell your practice | work the client needs … but won’t pay for | tossing timesheets is just the start
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

how can we let them know more about the services our cpa firm provides so they can help sell our services?
read more →

invest in the right guidance

by

hand watering small plant in pot shaped like upward arrow“we never look at the money we’re missing out on.”

by matt solomon

there is one final shift you need to get your business kicking into high gear. the cornerstone to building a successful, growing business is shift #5: investing in the right guidance. growing a sustainable business for the long term requires having the right team of advisors because, to put it simply, you don’t know what you don’t know!

more: tap into your gold mine | your secret weapon for exponential profits | step into the role of a business advisor | shift your practice: stop depending on compliance work
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

getting the right guidance can be the difference between success and failure, between time spent with family and loved ones and endless hours at the office, between satisfying, high-profit work and low-paying busy work.
read more →

why should clients keep you?

by

most business clients must use an accountant, but it doesn’t have to be you.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

i met someone one day and asked how she was doing with her accountant. she said everything was fine, but reduced the three interim quarterly visits to once every four months. the year-end work did not change.

more: advice to new accountants | what does the client want to see? | 6 ways to increase your fees … if you dare | the clients that got away | upselling made painless | boosting a fixed fee substantially | creative ways to retain staff | what cpas can learn from lawyers and doctors
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

this got me thinking. most business clients must use an accountant, but it doesn’t have to be you.
read more →