updated: accountants critical of competitor price-cutting

the average firm may be trimming billing rate increases. but 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 readers aren’t average.

cpa firm price increases slowed to a month-to-month increase of 0.4 percent in november, down from a 3.1 percent in september, and a fraction of the year-ago 1.9 percent hike. the picture in tax prep is even dimmer, with month-to-month slowdowns and year-to-year declines.

 

lohrey
ayster: not afraid to raise rates

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

heading into tax season, cpa firms may be facing new pricing pressures, even as wages and consumer prices increase at record rates, according to a 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 study of new government economic data.

what are today’s best pricing strategies?
join the survey. get the answers

to be sure, many 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 members responding to our survey are resisting the pressures, and plan on pushing ahead with price increases.

more surveys & research: sales & use tax costs are higher than anyone thought | are you under-pricing your client accounting services? | survey: nobody loves the wayfair decision | survey: worries for small business clients | busy season forecast: more chaos | salt: the small business disaster waiting to happen

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while inflation is pushing prices up at record rates in major sectors of the u.s. economy, cpa firms appear to be trimming their billing rate increases, slicing 0.2 percent off the average price from october to november, according to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research.

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when to pick up the phone this tax season

businessman talking on phone in the officepersonal touches help retain clients.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

clients are not numbers on a list that needs to be reduced. they are all individuals and consider themselves very important people and want professionals who treat them accordingly.

more: these five procedures will simplify your tax season | 11 steps to better client tax instructions | get your team ready for tax season | 12 ways to squeeze fun into tax season | 6 ways to get paid faster in tax season
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it is attitudinal and accountants must adopt that mindset and transmit that through to their culture. so you need to know when it’s essential to pick up the phone.

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why your social media is a flop

young people holding social media logosand how to fix it.

by sandi leyva and jason holmes

social media marketing is the number three way that accounting and tax pros are gaining new business, according to the new clients survey conducted by accountant’s accelerator and 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间.

that’s plenty of evidence to show that it’s working for thousands of accountants.

related webinar:
thursday, dec. 16, 1 pm et.
register | learn more

so, why is your social media failing? read more →

automate tax season with apps you already use

make automation take the load off this busy season.

by donny shimamoto
center for accounting transformation

between tax law changes and the pandemic, the last two busy seasons have been a bear for tax preparers to deal with.

related: discover your accountant superpowers | what auditors know about amazon product ratingsnon-cpa “cpa” firms? really? |

while there is still some volatility and uncertainty around what the next busy season will look like, tax preparers should consider the following technology-related initiatives now so they can proactively equip their firms for the coming busy season. this should enable staff to have more work-life balance during the busy season and increase the firm’s ability to recruit and retain talent.

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private equity at the gates

the pandemic has accelerated our progress toward the future that was already in the offing.

by terry putney

the pandemic is changing where firms work. and it’s a huge issue.

more: 12 shifts to ensure firm success | how to reinvent the firm for the covid age | why it’s time for an acquisition | three ways the accounting profession has changed | ramping up for the year ahead
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

office space is being downsized dramatically. long-term office leases that must be assumed by an acquiring firm are becoming a deal killer in many m&a deals. we are seeing a significant increase in the number of firms that are going almost completely virtual. read more →

the biggest seo secret of all

your prospects use it. so should you.

by sandi leyva and jason holmes

one of the most important signals that google uses to rank websites higher in local search results is something that is not even on most accounting firms’ marketing radar. it’s the free business listing that google offers: google my business.

more: beyond bookkeeping: five value-add service areas | beyond quickbooks: wowing your clients | five ways to get better clients | 11 kinds of wealth | 11 ways to boost billings and impress clients | how clients get underserved and accountants get underpaid
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cpas who take advantage of this listing will have their marketing dollars go much further, even if they outsource this task.

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five steps to building advisory work

both the who and the how.
hand watering small plant in pot shaped like upward arrow

by bill penczak

the nirvana (in the esoteric sense, not the kurt cobain context) for cpa firms is to provide “higher value” work for their clients, which traditionally means guiding them with process improvement, predictive analytics on business drivers, or taking proactive measures to reduce risk or tax burden.

more: the six essential kpis for managing partners | the great resignation: five reasons accountants are quitting | five global cpa leaders: four survival strategies | planning for success in 2021 | do you have the guts to beat the covid crisis?
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it is a career builder for your staff and a noble aspiration for the industry.

but while i have heard managing partners talk about the notion of higher value work, when pressed, they are often at a loss as to what that work would be, and more importantly, whether their mid-level and junior-level staffers (or even partners) have the true skill set to move into the major leagues.

the burden of meeting compliance deadlines weighs heavily on most staff, and they are weary from deadline pressures of clients’ immediate needs to consider much else.

perhaps this is the opportunity to help chart your best and brightest to the next level, not only for fear of losing them to industry or another firm, but because as a firm leader, it’s the right thing to do.
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top 20 trends for the year ahead

you need to know your options.

by joe tarasco
accountants advisory group, llc

during these unprecedented times, it is difficult to predict the future.

thus, the leaders of today’s cpa firms should focus on planning for various options based upon as many possible scenarios as possible.

this type of planning explores plausible potential business models and implementation processes for impending unknowns.

as you develop your strategic plans for 2022 and beyond, consider the following predictions and trends.

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your firm’s cas team: who and how many

you may need to boost their human 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: two tech approaches to cas | when to start building your cas tech stack | your firm needs a cas champion | your top six cas questions
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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.
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staff retention for remote workers

keep them happy and engaged.

by amy welch, apr, cae
intraprisetechknowlogies llc

prior to 2020, remote work was barely a blip on any business radar. however, following the covid-19 pandemic, what was once considered unique has become an exploding norm. for intraprisetechknowlogies llc, though, the practice of remote work presented itself—and evolved—by accident, and well before other companies jumped aboard.

related: dec. 8: engaging your hybrid team: how to ensure employee engagement and equity when working remote (2 cpe)  explore the leadership changes to implement now so you can encourage employee engagement and ensure equity in a hybrid environment. plus, look at how your organization should shift its performance measures and definitions of success, so all employees are treated fairly, regardless of where they work.

the advisory-focused cpa firm hired alisa nishimoto, pmp, as a part-time project manager in february 2010. although she was living in san jose, cal., at the time, nishimoto and her family planned to move back to hawaii, where she grew up and she planned to join the rest of the intraprisetechknowlogies team at its honolulu headquarters. however, after a year of searching, nishimoto’s husband was unable to find a comparable job in hawaii, so the young family decided to remain in san jose.

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turn your business model upside down and reap the rewards

illustration of man pushing "services" buttonyour secret weapon to exponential profits.

by matt solomon

learning to price, sell, and deliver through a simple, proven process streamlines the way you communicate your value and makes it easy for clients to say yes. it’s your secret weapon.

more: shift 2: step into the role of a business advisor | shift 1: stop depending on compliance work | take the nine-point practice checkup | three ways to leverage today’s uncertainties for renewed growth
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with practice, your ability to price, sell and deliver will be as routine as a 1040

but it’s worth a whole lot more: between $36,000 and $180,000 per year, per client.
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