seven reasons you need to know about “consumption marketing”

and five ways to put it to use in your practice.

by sandi smith leyva, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

when i first heard the term “consumption marketing” i quickly fell in love with the concept.

consumption marketing is continuing to market to clients even after they’ve signed to do business with you.  it’s helping them to more fully “consume” your product or service.

consumption marketing is good for business because: read more →

when client-centric practice drives marketing…

and marketing drives client-centric practice, it’s ‘professional services marketing 3.0.’ by bruce w. marcus professional services marketing 3.0 today, we are entering a new phase of accounting marketing, in which marketing is not only integrated into the tax and accounting … continued

the top eight ways firms are improving profits today

and 12 elements essential for success.

by marc rosenberg
rosenberg map survey

there are many ways to improve profitability in most cpa firms.  but there are only four, time and time again, that have the highest impact:

  1. drive top-line revenues and stop worrying about expenses.  increased revenues drop directly to the bottom line, whereas costs in a cpa firm are mostly fixed and difficult to trim back. read more →

the best firms build their values into their dna

plus: four more success drivers.

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

so how do top accounting firms ensure their people operate cohesively and consistently in a highly networked organization?

the answer, in addition to ensuring they are engaged with the firm’s vision and want to play an active part in its delivery, is through an all-pervading set of values.

every successful firm we know has a set of values that are part of the firm’s dna. they drive people’s actions and help them to make the “right” decision should there ever be any doubt about which action to take.

but there are at least four more elements that distinguish the world’s leading professional services firms. read more →

the “secret” of fast and easy tax research

ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and a

the best sources to make you look like a genius.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

question: when i was asked three technical questions, i found the answers quickly in a one-volume tax guide i keep near my desk.  i answered them and did not disclose my “secret,” wanting the callers to think i was a “genius.”

it astounds me that many people do not try to find the answers for themselves.

the questions concerned: read more →

when resistance is futile

old-fashioned accounting marketing dies slowly in a painful journey to a new era. by bruce w. marcus professional services marketing 3.0 in the years following bates, accounting firms began a long and difficult process of learning how to market. accountants were … continued

are your clients price-sensitive? maybe it’s you, not them

by sandi smith leyva, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

i hear more accountants grumbling every day about how price-sensitive their prospects and clients have gotten.  and they are right, to a degree.  the economy has caused even the rich to count their pennies, and the percentage of people who look at a price tag before they buy has increased over the last five years.

yet studies show that roughly 54% of buyers are not price-sensitive, and i would be willing to bet even more are selectively price-impervious depending on what they buy:  women’s shoes, men’s cars, personal services, jewelry, vacations, cosmetics, and hair, to name a few exceptions.

so why are so many accounting clients and prospects price-sensitive? read more →

cpa salary forecast for 2014

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click for instant download and key findings

new study finds shortage of seniors and managers.

see key findings, salary tables, and download full report

u.s. starting salaries for accounting and finance professionals are expected to rise an average of 3.4 percent next year, with the heaviest demand for financial and business systems analysts, internal auditors and entry-level accountants.

“many hiring managers are encountering difficulty finding professionals with the specialized skills they need to achieve their growth goals,” according to the new study.

read more →

five resolutions for the run-up to busy season 2014

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

i’ve worked with a lot of accountants who do not realize how valuable their skills are in the marketplace.  most people can’t do what we do with numbers.  we need to shake any self-limiting beliefs we have in this area because it limits our ability to serve more clients.

if you were making resolutions for the accounting industry, what would you suggest? the first resolution i’d make is: read more →

partner retirements and buyouts: today’s 24 major deal points

what 80% of firms agree on.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg survey

if partner compensation is the single most critical and sensitive aspect of cpa firm practice management today, then a close second is partner retirements and buyouts – the money partners receive for the purchase of their ownership in the firm when they retire or leave the firm due to death, disability, withdrawal or expulsion.

the amount of money involved is quite significant.  roughly 80% of all firms consider the value of the firm to include: read more →

the top three mistakes in benchmarking your firm

statistics can inform.

but when misused they can distort, according to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 contributor marc rosenberg, chief author of the nation’s leading practice management survey. here, he cites three benchmarks that firms often use — and misuse:

  1. partner income as a measure of profitability,
  2. focusing on averages, and
  3. salary data.

rosenberg explains:

read more →