outlook & analysis

what’s in your welcome kit for new prospects?

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eight must-have’s and 10 more new ideas.

sandi smith, accountant's accelerator

by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

if you’ve spent any time at all in business talking with prospects on the phone or in person, then you probably have a list of benefits or advantages that you like to mention about your company to every prospect.  you may have a very structured way of going about this, and you may not.

in any case, building a prospect kit will help you become even more consistent in the presentation of your company’s strong points to prospects.  and, it’s absolutely essential as you move into larger and larger business deals.

see more from sandi smith at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 (log in now or 2022世界杯足球排名 membership here):

a prospect kit is a sales tool that you can use to communicate information about your business to prospects.

here’s a list of the most basic items that can go in an initial prospect kit: read more →

how to balance the six jobs of managing partner

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you run the job, or it runs you over.

by gary adamson
adamson advisory

most of us are thrust into the managing partner role in our firms with little or no training or coaching. who teaches you to be an effective mp? how do you know if you’re performing well?

your partners won’t tell you.  if you’re new to the job, do you just do it the same way as your predecessor? is that the best approach for the firm? who will mentor you?

as i can attest from experience in running my firm for over 20 years, it is a thankless job. i just took a deep breath and jumped in. the best feedback that most of us get is from other managing partners and from benchmarking ourselves against other firms. there are not too many places to turn for help.

whether you are new at the job or a veteran, here is an approach to organizing the job into six buckets that will help you. it is how i approached the responsibilities and it lends itself to dividing and conquering with the ability to delegate some responsibilities.

here are my six buckets: read more →

how to spot top talent

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what’s partner material at your firm?
 click here to join the survey; get the results.

the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 top talent survey 2012
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 top talent survey 2012

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

early returns from the new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 survey into identifying and managing high-potential professionals suggests that, beyond ability, firms are more intent than ever on finding well-rounded individuals capable of taking initiative and developing new business.

above is a word picture of some of the verbatim responses we’re capturing. what are the traits you look for in new hires? here are a few of the more interesting answers: read more →

what’s working, what’s not in accounting marketing today

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accountants pinpoint winning strategies and bottom-line results. join the survey; get the topline results.

by rick telberg

new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research conducted for the seven keys to successful cpa firm management program isolates at least three defining characteristics of peak performing accounting firms.

the research results, to be unveiled in a two-hour workshop, show that so-called sevenkeys leaders are:

  • 19 times more likely than lagging firms to grow revenue faster than most competitors.
  • 14 times more likely to be more profitable than most competitors, and
  • 11 times more likely to be satisfied with their firm’s performance in marketing and business development.
bill wheeler
bill wheeler

the new research findings also reveal the winning strategies and tactics deployed by the leading firms. at the top of the list for sevenkeys leaders: networking, social media and blogging,  public speaking, and website upgrades. workshop attendees will get the full survey results, apply the new benchmarks to their own practices using self-assessment scoresheets, and use a specially designed workbook to lay out action plans.

overall, the data seem to show that firms are narrowing their marketing efforts while generally increasing overall activity. and many accountants have been happy to share some of their secrets with 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间.

here are a few: read more →

13 reasons timesheets will never die

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ed mendlowitz

nor should they.

by edward mendlowitz, cpa
partner, withumsmith+brown

time sheets are an essential part of any professional services organization. some people contend that they should not be maintained since they should not be the basis of any pricing – that fees should be solely based on the value to the client. i disagree.

editor’s note: timesheets, billing, cost accounting, value and pricing strike at the core of the accounting firm business model. for more on the topic, see:
> 14 steps to find the right “value price,” by bruce w. marcus
> you may be value-billing but don’t know it, video with terry putney
> why the next boom could be the worst thing that ever happens to accountants, with ron baker

read more →

no alignment? no execution.

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seven steps to getting things done right.

august aquila
august aquila

strategy, they say, is easy. execution is hard.

excellent execution beats excellent strategy most of the time. unfortunately, at many accounting frims, good strategies die a slow death as intertia, obstinacy or simple disinterest take hold.

the roadmap to success may seem easy to follow. but, as management consultant august aquila says, “it takes real commitment from the firm’s leaders to do it and follow through.”

aquila is ceo of aquila global advisors, specializing in succession planning, mergers and acquisitions, and compensation plan consulting. here’s his seven-step formula for translating good intentions into real results. read more →

the partner compensation checklist

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it’s a process.

by gary l. adamson
adamson advisory

there is a constant topic of conversation both inside firms and at almost every conference. it is the age-old question of partner compensation and “how do you do it”. as our firm grew, we evolved from everyone is equal, to the “slip of paper” approach, to a more goal driven, performance based system. every firm is a little bit different but the issues surrounding how you split the pie are pretty consistent.

read more →