special

covid brings more and better client communication

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ppp and cares: big opportunities to be trusted advisors.

by carrie steffen

the year 2019 seems like a lifetime ago and yet, as i reflect on the year it was, it strikes me that some of the trends we saw clients embrace positioned some firms to pivot more quickly in 2020 than others.

i saw an increased investment in people development – particularly the soft skills that become differentiators. areas like relationship development, communication, curiosity, and generosity took their rightful place among the areas in which firms invested in developing their people.
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staff orientation: a little investment goes a long way

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businesswoman shaking hands with someone out of viewwhat do you wish you had known your first week?

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

staff retention and onboarding in cpa firms are ongoing problems. a critical component of retention is staff orientation.

more: building teamwork under covid pressure | how can change management really produce change? | trust: one building block of success | make your presentations memorable | have a real-life conversation | is your message open to interpretation? | why proper communication is critical
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

because of the accounting profession’s regulatory nature, firms have provided cpe in accounting, auditing and tax updates. why? because adherence to rules and standards is mandatory. but what about other areas to ensure that the firm’s professionals are given the tools and knowledge to perform at their optimal level?
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6 leadership challenges through covid and beyond

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illustrationhow do you handle them?

by anthony zecca
leading from the edge

within every firm, every leader (edge or center) faces challenges every day. sitting here in 2020 as i write this book, the challenges presented by covid-19 are seismic in terms of impact as well as being totally unanticipated. covid-19 has forced firm leaders to examine their own firm down to its very core and to make decisions that challenged their leadership in ways never imagined.

more on edge leadership: assessing your firm | the 4 traits of great cpa leaders | why leaders must ensure clarity | incremental vs. exceptional success | do you lead or just manage? | managing vs. leading | is your leadership team at the edge? | 6 leadership challenges through covid and beyond | edge leaders share 7 strengths | leadership must drive culture | leading from the edge
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

covid-19 has also resulted in new leaders emerging from the chaos of the pandemic to rise to a level of edge leadership. edge leaders will see the opportunities created by covid-19 while center leaders will only see the challenges. edge leaders will examine every challenge and find the opportunity making the firm stronger as a result.
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the services that cas clients want

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happy businessman using smartphone at officeplus six more general human wants to consider.

by hitendra patil
accountaneur: the entrepreneurial accountant

what some clients feel is an absolute need, others may feel is not so.

people may need to book an uber or lyft ride, but some of them may want a premium ride.

more: the services that cas clients need | the 8-step method for launching client accounting services | six reasons cas is king | who’s afraid of client accounting services? | what cas is … and is not | how to develop the cas mindset | the right mindset for client accounting services | client accounting services: the definitive guide
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

some of your cas will be the premium ride some your clients will want. and – don’t be surprised – for some clients, your premium services will be the need (you want such clients).
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why we have to deal with guilt

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businessmen miserable over errorit’s one of the most damaging emotional obstacles you throw in front of yourself.

by bill reeb

when i talk about guilt and duty, the examples i share can sound similar. however, the distinction to me is that duty is what you feel before you make a decision or take an action, and guilt is what you feel afterward.

more: is your sense of duty misplaced? | are you paralyzed by fear? | how to change the way you think (and why) | have your beliefs stopped serving you? | don’t use only your strengths | are you your biggest obstacle? | why your to-do list isn’t getting done | appreciate the joy that comes from work
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

for example, i feel a sense of duty to protect my daughter, and i would feel guilty if she were hurt badly because i would imagine everything i should have done to better protect her (even if what i imagined would be unreasonable to expect).
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exceptional managing partners offer their advice

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senior businesswoman studying proposalalso: the job description in 14 points.

by marc rosenberg
the role of the managing partner

i always tell new clients that i’m “one firm smarter than the last firm i worked with.” that’s because i learn something from each firm i work with, one of the great joys of my 20-year consulting career. i’ve worked with many of the most talented, accomplished managing partners in the u.s. and canada and meticulously observed their style. no two managing partners are the same. each brings a unique style or attribute to the table.

more: why management is the #1 key to the firm’s success | herding cats: advice for managing partners
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

as a result of these observations, i’ve pieced together the optimal job description for a managing partner, posted below. though i first put this together 10-15 years ago, i fine-tune it every year as times change and differences in managing partner duties are observed.
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when clients create errors

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one cause? taking us out of our familiar workflow.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

who makes the errors in your firm? staff obviously, but that’s half of the answer. clients are a major source of tax return errors. clients cause errors in three ways:

  1. errors of omission
  2. errors of commission
  3. errors in attitude

more: how to reduce tax return errors | teaching the meaning of ‘done’ | why millennials are the answer | calculating and cutting turnaround time | debunking the demise of the cpa firm | how many tax preparers do you need? | how the annual tax meeting died | how to teach reviewing and time management | 4 steps to take before next tax season | 3 tips for handling rookie tax preparers
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

every tax season, we finalize and deliver returns only to hear from the client, “i think i might have forgotten to tell you that we had a baby last year.” does this happen to you? this is a client error of omission. unintentionally, clients withhold important information.
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invest in the right guidance

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hand watering small plant in pot shaped like upward arrow“we never look at the money we’re missing out on.”

by matt solomon

there is one final shift you need to get your business kicking into high gear. the cornerstone to building a successful, growing business is shift #5: investing in the right guidance. growing a sustainable business for the long term requires having the right team of advisors because, to put it simply, you don’t know what you don’t know!

more: tap into your gold mine | your secret weapon for exponential profits | step into the role of a business advisor | shift your practice: stop depending on compliance work
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

getting the right guidance can be the difference between success and failure, between time spent with family and loved ones and endless hours at the office, between satisfying, high-profit work and low-paying busy work.
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the services that cas clients need

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portrait of a cheerful businessman smiling at the camera15 that fall under the umbrella … how many do you already offer?

by hitendra patil
the definitive success guide to client accounting services

client accounting services generally constitutes three key service segments:

  • after-the-fact financial statement preparation, i.e., “write-up”
  • business transaction processing
  • outsourced cfo and controller services

more: the 8-step method for launching client accounting services | six reasons cas is king | who’s afraid of client accounting services? | what cas is … and is not | how to develop the cas mindset | the right mindset for client accounting services | client accounting services: the definitive guide
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

tax planning/tax strategy services may also become part of your cas offering if you have interest/expertise in that segment.
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19 ways to make reviewers happier

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bonus: they improve the firm for everyone else, too.

by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor

question: how much time should a reviewer spend on a return in relation to the preparer time? our reviewers spend .75 hour for each hour of preparer time.

more: before you sell your practice | price your practice by gross | advising estate executors: the newbie guide to getting started | how’s your overhead? | envision your future, then plan for it
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

answer: you are high and most firms i speak with are also high with an average time of about 24 minutes, or .4, hour.
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why digital communications matter

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voicemail word cloud… but don’t forget security.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless: technology guide & checklist

we’ve said that firms should strive to capture all data in a digital format at its “root” source. this goes for services such as the firm’s fax and voice mail systems as well.

more: the case for wireless broadband access | internet bandwidth: how much is enough? | the right tech tools for covid work-from-home | maximize your office 365 roi | why you need windows 10 with automatic updates | it’s 10 p.m. do you know where your backups are? | how the cloud impacts server replacement | laptops vs. desktops | the best scanners to buy today | capturing documents at the source | the more monitors, the better
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

traditional inbound faxes are usually printed from a fax machine and then hand-delivered to the recipient’s desk. in some cases, this fax image is actually rescanned and emailed to the recipient. while this is a step toward digital delivery, today’s digital fax systems deliver a digital image to the recipient via email, so they can access them within their email.
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the myth of multitasking

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more activity doesn’t mean better productivity.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

how many people believe they thrive on doing at least two things at a time and believe that they are achieving optimal results? when you are on the phone, do you ever hear the clack, clack, clack of the keyboard in the background of the other party? or if you are in the middle of a conversation do you sense that the other party has to put you on hold because there was someone who may have entered his or her office? or, finally, you use a hands-free device for your conference call, do you put it on mute and then conduct in-person conversations in your office, or go through your email?

more: building teamwork under covid pressure | how can change management really produce change? | trust: one building block of success | make your presentations memorable | exchanging knowledge has no downside | political correctness or just common courtesy?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

what happens? you lose the essence of the conference call; you may have been given an assignment you missed or you did not respond to questions that were directed toward you. what does this tell the host of the call or the other participants? not only are you rude, but you may be the person who will throw a wrench into the spokes of an initiative that everyone is invested in.
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