information needed when merger discussed

ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and a

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

question: what do you ask for when considering a merger?

response: this is a “you show me yours and i’ll show you mine.” you should have this
information fairly well organized.

also, look at it critically and try to imagine what a prospective partner would say, and how you would react if this were someone else’s information that were being presented to you.

here’s a 23-item list: read more →

accounting firms will never be the same

by bruce w. marcus professional services marketing 3.0 it’s not difficult to understand in this economic environment why the word change looms so large in the accounting profession’s dialogue.

growth and change in the cpa workforce

卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 finds tight cost controls, slow wage increases and an influx of women workers.

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

lifted by a steadily recovering economy and aggressive retooling, the nation’s cpa firms are adding staff at a 2.3% annualized rate, the strongest advance in a year, according to a new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 study. but hours are unpredictable, wage growth is stalled and firms are trading higher-paid professionals for cheaper labor.

cpa firm employment trends, via 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

the study goes on to report new data, trends and analysis regarding:

– the total cpa firm workforce
– leverage ratios
– productivity efforts
– cost controls
– wages and hours
– women in the workforce

read more →

the wrong way to account for partners’ ownership shares

and the two methods used by the smartest firms.

by marc rosenberg
author of how to bring in new partners

regardless of whether it is a corporation or a partnership, there is a substantial amount of accrual basis capital in a cpa firm. all the partners “own” some portion of that capital.

there are at least three methods for determining how much capital each individual partner “owns.” one of them should be avoided like the plague. read more →

overcoming your clients’ worst fears

how to help them take initiative and allow you to be proactive.

by hitendra patil
pransform inc.

neuroscience studies have shown that fear is a far bigger driver than we would ever care to admit. according to kevin hogan, author of the science of influence: how to get anyone to say “yes” in 8 minutes or less!, “most people react to the fear of loss and the threat of pain in a much more profound way than they do for gain. they overemphasize the importance of pain by about 2.5:1 in decision making.”

your customers and prospects fear that their actions or inactions will cause bad things to happen, or bad things can suddenly happen to them. it’s therefore important to ask yourself what sort of problems your potential clients are facing during current times. if you can identify their true fears and show them how you can remove the possibility of loss, you are one step ahead of your competitors. read more →

exclusive survey: practitioners cite 4 big strategies for success in tax season 2014

chartexporttax professionals fight political uncertainty, ragged clients, toughened rivals.

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

after what for many was a disastrous season in 2013, many tax prep professionals are laying new plans and taking on ambitious initiatives to avoid a repeat of last year and maybe even vault ahead of the competition.

with input from more than 400 practitioners, 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 expects 2014 to be rocky from the start, with washington politics playing a big role, and also highly competitive, as practitioners battle both fee pressures from clients and each other for a smaller pool of good clients.

卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 has prepared a special report, “busy season 2014 pre-season forecast and outlook,” available as an ebook here.

in the last 30 days, practitioners’ outlook has been generally positive as they start to get their plans in place and with a momentary lull in washington infighting. as of today, about 60% of the more than 400 practitioners surveyed expect a better season than last year, including 12% who are hoping for a “much better” season.

if there are themes among the new strategies from lessons learned last year, they fall into a few general categories: read more →

4 first steps to the right partner comp system

how to become and remain competitive in the marketplace.

by robert j. lees and august j. aquila
creating the effective partnership

the challenge in designing the right system for the firm’s context is ensuring it motivates the partners to deliver the initiatives the firm needs to be successful.

if compensation is supposed to motivate and reward productive behavior and outcomes, and discourage non-productive behavior and outcomes, then you must ask yourself, “how well are we doing?”

we don’t claim that our recommended system is perfect since we know that the perfect compensation system does not exist. we do feel, though, that it encompasses the critical elements needed for leaders to better engage and reward partners.

we believe that if a firm wants to maximize its performance and keep its partners motivated and engaged, then it needs to design a compensation plan, which includes the following elements: read more →

joining professional associations

ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and a

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

question: i do not belong to the njscpa and see no value in it. what are the benefits if i am a sole practitioner and just starting out?

response: i belong to the aicpa, njscpa and nysscpa, feel strongly about supporting
these societies and believe it is a responsibility of professionals to do so.

i am also active in these three organizations, in different ways and not always at the same time, although i have never been on the board of any of them.

read more →

it’s not just accounting anymore

by bruce w. marcus professional services marketing 3.0 at a verasage conference not too long ago ron baker addressed the question of why so few top 100 firms have switched to value billing. but the answer is not difficult to … continued

does your website have the winning formula?

follow the 5 c’s to a better website.

by sandi smith leyva

it might feel like the internet, your website, and marketing in general is just one big game of chance.  large companies gamble millions on superbowl commercials, while small companies gamble on trade shows, networking groups, and answering the next hot rfp.  the question is, is there a better way to market and get clients that doesn’t feel like gambling?

when it comes to websites, there is a surefire formula you can follow to make sure your web site brings you business, no matter what your business.  i call it my 5c formula.  let’s take a closer look: read more →