surveys & research

new survey findings: tech investments, better economy, more complex returns buoy busy season outlook

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four in five expect the same or better  than last year’s busy season.

by rick telberg

as busy season 2012 gets into full gear, tax and accounting professionals are holding steadfast to their confidence that this year’s results could show a marked improvement over last year’s, according to current readings of the profession by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间.

with january 2012 just beginning, 55% of accountants expect 2012 to be overall  “somewhat” or “much” better than 2011, which is relatively unchanged from readings in november and december. to be sure, 26% expect no change from last year, and 19% are bracing for “worse.”

in other findings from the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer and related reports:

complete findings are published in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practitioner’s tax season performance review and outlook report. (learn more here)

 

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new survey results: busy season prices heading up 4.1%

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source: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

after a conservative 3.2% price increase last year.

complete findings are published in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practitioner’s tax season performance review and outlook report. (learn more here)

tax and accounting practitioners are again cautiously raising prices this year, prompted by years of little or no rate hikes and continuing step-ups in labor and technology costs, according to new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 survey data.

becky klotz, the head of small local firm of tax consultants in oregon, says that, with an economy where “i don’t see much improvement in the near future,” her firm will be raising pricing, but “just a bit.”

on the other hand, wray rives at rives cpa in coppell, texas, is holding the line. “we believe we are priced at the right level for our market,” he says.

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survey results: accountants expecting a better busy season in 2012

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small but measurable advances.

preliminary results from a survey by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 suggests that tax and accounting professionals are expecting a better busy season this year than last year.

last year at about this time, practitioners rated the then-upcoming 2.35 on a five-point scale with 5 being “much better” than the year before and 1 “much worse.”

in other findings from the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer and related reports:

complete findings are published in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practitioner’s tax season performance review and outlook report. (learn more here)

new and preliminary data rate the outlook a 2.42, a scant but perceptible improvement.

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solo practitioners step up marketing

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source: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

high performing single-owner firms now focus on digital strategies.

with more than half of solo practitioners planning to step up their marketing activities going into busy season, they will be intensifying their efforts in networking for referrals, spreading word of mouth and providing the best service they can to current clients, according to a new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 analysis.

the complete 179-page study, “marketing and business development strategies at accounting firms – 2012 survey report, with commentary and analysis,” is available for purchase from 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 parent bay street group llc. the study shows trends within the profession, but also distinguishes between high-performing firms and low-performing firms, based on time-tested proprietary 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 criteria. in this study, high performing firms are far more likely than low performing firms to enjoy marketing successes. the data for this report was gathered over the course of more than two years and includes the responses of about 588 practitioners. the margin of error is plus or minus about 3 percentage points at a 90% confidence level. click here to learn more.

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how cpa firms make money in turbulent times

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rosenberg survey uncovers the power of leverage.

by gary l. adamson
adamson advisory

the universal measure of profitability in accounting firms is average income per partner. another universal tool is the annual rosenberg national map survey. it’s a must-have for running your firm.

in the latest survey, rosenberg identifies his “elite” firms, which are the 54 that had income per partner of more than $500,000. not bad considering it is based on 2009 economic data—from the middle of the recession.

it’s interesting, if you dig into the data in the survey, you will find that these 54 aren’t just the biggest firms, although as rosenberg puts it, bigger is better in terms of profitability. in fact, 24 of them are in the $2-$10 million fee range and three are sole proprietors.

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rosenberg survey 2011: cpa firms on rebound

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at the typical cpa firm: “the bleeding has stopped.”

revenues at the typical cpa firm are up 1.7%, a slight improvement from the 1.4% increase in the year before, according to the 2011 rosenberg map survey.

still, when the impact of mergers is taken out, the growth rate was only 0.8%. the rosenberg map survey, founded 13 years ago by nationally known practice consultant marc rosenberg, reports on the results of 408 firms, most of which range from $2 million to $20 million in annual fees. nearly 100 metrics are collected and compared.

though the revenue increase is small, the authors say it’s noteworthy because — for the first time in two years — the growth rate increased from the prior year instead of decreasing. “the bleeding has stopped,” they say.

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the battle for the center gets heated

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mid-sized accounting firms step up competition for the heart of the market.

source: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

by rick telberg

no one is fighting harder for every new client and every new dollar than the accounting firms in the middle of the market, according to new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research.

nationwide, an astonishing 86% of mid-sized firms (those with five to 15 partners or about 51 to 100 employees) have been stepping up their marketing efforts, according to the new study.

to be sure, firms of all sizes are increasing their marketing activities  — from solosists (about 47%), to 2-to-10-person offices (55%), through 11-to-50-person offices (73%), and the more-than-100-persons offices (77%). but it’s in the 51-to-100-person category that the battle seems most heated these days.

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software cfos expect cloud computing to drive their industry’s growth

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leaving the recession behind with new hiring.

software company ceos and cfos say in a new survey that cloud computing and software-as-a-service will drive spending in their industry over the next 12 months.

the survey also finds most expect their company’s business will grow by at least 20 percent in 2011 and that hiring will increase significantly. the software ceo/cfo outlook 2011 study was conducted by sand hill group and underwritten by adaptive planning and intacct.

other key findings include: read more →