today's features

your sales success is your proof

smiling man talking on phone in office

your existing clients can help with closing new ones.

by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide

as you hone your sales discovery process, you will see that asking and telling is not enough. you need to “show” as well.

more: three keys to developing your cas sales process | happy clients will blow your horn for you | attract clients through facebook groups | want higher profitability? turn to cas | structure insights as what-why-what | set your processes apart in nine steps | five ways to overcome cas staffing challenges | think cas isn’t for your firm? | convince your firm of cas value
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

what you show during the discovery discussion are your client accounting services sales collaterals. they are the “proofs” that you actually do what you say. these collaterals answer the often-unexpressed question in the prospect’s mind “what will i get?” for your cas sales process, the following are some examples of the sales collaterals:
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move announces best firms for women, best firms for equity leadership

pinched between immediate capacity shortfalls and applying talent to innovation, firms are crafting new ways to recognize and reward women’s resilience.

by bonnie buol ruszczyk

you can’t go the distance on an empty tank.

it takes pacing, re-fueling and constant systems checks to achieve long-term goals, for both accounting and advisory firms and women in the profession. individual career sustainability is essential for firm growth – and vice versa.

in the recently released 2023 accounting move project report, a talent-starved profession receives a fresh influx of strategies and inspiration for investing in the women it must attract and retain to achieve short goals and survive long-term. with nearly 75% of accounting firm leaders eligible for retirement, and accounting degree college enrollment continuing to drop, the profession is at a crossroads. it is more important than ever for firms to find ways to attract and retain employees to not only meet increasing client needs, but to simply survive. so, what are firms that are outpacing the industry doing differently?

more: jina etienne: practice fearless inclusion | csr for cpas: the missing ingredientnew study: embracing diversity in accounting |why the diversity problem won’t be ‘fixed’ |sponsorship might keep talent from exiting | new study: embracing diversity in accounting
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the accounting move project report finds firms embracing the new super skill of career sustainability are rising to the occasion. for women, career sustainability addresses the capacity to maintain motivation and energy at every step, while rebalancing the personal and professional with each engagement. for firms, it engenders a leadership culture, defining new capabilities, qualifications, and measurements for unmapped growth. and for both, this super skill is the ability to “skate to where the puck is” on slanted ice through upended physics. through it all, mutual respect and collaboration remains paramount, the inescapable legacy of the workplace upheaval brought on by the pandemic.

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sixteen marketing activities to try

man and woman walking in hallway, others in background, five people total

how about doing something with a client?

by august j. aquila
price it right: how to value accounting services

just in case you have run out of marketing ideas, what follows is a laundry list of activities for your consideration. any marketing activity you undertake needs to start with an understanding of your market, and then develop the activity around those needs. marketing is about getting in front of your targets so that they can see how much you can help them.

more: make your practice better | five tips for cross-selling and upselling | five keys to successful marketing | twelve fundamentals of planning | one question to guide your growth plans
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create your activities around this concept: “i will provide my clients and prospects with valuable information in order to help them determine that i (or my firm) can best solve their problems and satisfy their needs.”
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accountants torn over 2024 economy, offer advice

bar chart

they’re of two contradictory minds. hmm…

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

america’s cpas are perceiving a paradox for next year’s economy.

they think their firms will do well.

more: accountants bullish on income | cpas culling clients for better work-life balance | are you offering the right services? | which niche’s the best niche? | women-owned businesses upbeat but need help | 42% of accountants turn away work over staff shortages | ethics on sustainability puzzle some accountants | accountants to the rescue as startups struggle
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

they think their clients might be ok.

but the rest of the country? not ok.
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three ways to improve next tax season


you’ve survived 2023. here are some key lessons.

by seth fineberg
at large

in accounting, you know that tax season doesn’t end in april, as it often extends well into october. so, now that another season has come and gone and you’ve endured all the things you swore you’d never do again this year, what will be different in 2024 and beyond?

more fineberg: jeremy sulzmann: can intuit mend fences with accountants at qb connect? | meet basis, the new ai bookkeeper on the block | is this when accountants start taking freshbooks seriously? | you’re doing email wrong  |  careful… you may be advising! | when live events fail | getting real: accounting tech decisions you need to make today | accounting tech doesn’t have to be daunting who’s in control? you? or your clients? |  time management rule #1 for accountants |  plan to go ‘live’ post tax season |  why vc is a bigger threat than ai  |   what does taking control of your firm mean? | accountants need each other more than ever | marchternity: just say ‘no’ | some thoughts on in-person events | so you think you know accountants? | what bogs down accountants

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every year, i speak to tax pros and accountants with tax work at their practice’s core. i listen, i read what they share on social media, and it always seems to be the same. they swear they’ll get rid of clients who regularly extend into october. still, they must hound those to the irs deadline. they rail against the irs and lack of guidance, or the hours spent on the phone trying to get answers or to resolve an issue for their clients. they exclaim, “this is the last year i’m going to…” and yet, little to nothing of significance changes. with more accountants getting increasingly frustrated with their careers and fewer coming into the profession, it is up to you to say what will change.

so, again, i ask you all, what do you need to change to make it more enjoyable, bearable and even productive for yourself?

here are a few suggestions based on my observations. take them for what you will.

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what partners do and don’t deserve

man wearing suit, pointing one thumb up, one down

yes, there are limits. 

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg practice management library

partners are entitled to a lot. at some firms, they are virtually royalty. but that’s no way to run a firm these days.

a partner is entitled to:

1. attend partner meetings and retreats.

more: tell potentials what partnership takes | fifteen big questions for your next strategy session | five steps to transition to partnership | disturb the present to improve the future
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2. have access to all confidential firm financial data.

3. receive a return on capital; repayment of capital when he/she leaves the firm.
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five things that clients don’t know about accountants

number 5 drawn in sand

we have to remember to offer this information.

by sandi leyva
the complete guide to marketing for tax & accounting firms

i’m pretty sure that i am not the only accountant who has made the following mistakes with clients. here are a couple of ideas to help us remember what we know that the client doesn’t and why it costs us when we forget.

more: are your revenue projections realistic? | make your prospect kit stand out | six ways to beat the competition | grow your revenue with three marketing strategies | what can chatgpt do for accounting professionals? | generative ai: should you avoid it or adopt it? | want better clients? here’s how | get your name in the news | four ways small firms can beat large ones
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1. clients do not know how to evaluate our technical skills.

if you need to hire an accountant, chances are you don’t know a lot about accounting. it just follows that you’re not going to be perfect at hiring an accountant. as accountants, we need to remember that it’s not our technical prowess that gets us the job because the client has no way of evaluating that piece.
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bissett bullet: your little black book

today’s bissett bullet: “your clients will have needs that you are unable to fulfill. signposting to ‘best in class’ not only serves your client beyond the scope of the firm’s work with them, but also elevates your expertise in the eyes of your clients.”

by martin bissett

the most advanced stage of advisory services is signposting other support that your clients may need. be it recruitment, marketing, investing or something else entirely, if their requirements go beyond the skillset of your firm then you should at least be in a position to advise them on who they should listen to.

making introductions to your network of contacts and the professionals you trust helps your clients to achieve the outcomes you have agreed together and further establishes you as a trusted advisor.

today’s to-do:

go one step further. use your knowledge of your client’s business to foresee other needs. what recommendations are you about to make for which introductions may be useful? have them ready.

see more bissett bullets here

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outsourcing, remote work will help firms grow capacity, revenue

three people speaking by videoconference

another option: new hires who are not accounting majors.

by art kuesel
the rosenberg map survey

editor’s note: every year, the rosenberg map survey asks the industry’s top consultants to share their observations from cpa firms across the country. how do you think the next 12 months will unfold? also, how would you assess the last 12 months?

with the market for accounting talent remaining incredibly tight, and the demand for accounting and consulting services remaining relatively strong, i see the opportunity for continued double-digit revenue increases and strong margin growth at most firms. this won’t be without issue as we know how reluctant firms can be about charging what they are worth and increasing fees for current clients!

more: ‘great shakeup’ in cpa firms on the way | ai for accounting automation will be significant | private equity leading to corporate-style cpa firms | pe, consolidations to keep impacting accounting profession | a 40-hour workweek is feasible | five ways staff shortages are changing firms forever | soft skills are front and center
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

and, the main issue at hand is how firms will continue to service existing clients while at the same time building capacity. outsourcing and remote talent will continue to be a popular means of maintaining and building capacity.
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nine ways to use the 1/20th tax client marketing rule

elevate your service beyond tax prep.

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

what would happen if you set goals at a higher level?

the following is restricted to tax return clients only, and can be exceeded by you if you think this goal is too low.

more on marketing: fifteen services a salesperson can sell | twelve ways to establish your brand | want more tax clients? here’s how | seven keys to a complete succession plan | the tax effects of buying or selling a business | elder care: not sexy, but vital | how to guide clients through divorce | help clients manage their investments
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

1/20th rule: to receive additional revenues, target meetings with 1/20th of your eligible tax preparation clients a year. this is an opportunity to help them and elevate your service beyond the preparation of their tax return. note that you will have to call much more than 1/20th of your clients to get meetings with 5 percent of them, but it will be well worth the effort.
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thirteen ways to show commitment

high angle view of business people stacking hands in a teamwork gesture

let the partners see that you mean business.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

rising from senior manager to partner often means being promoted ahead of our peers and contemporaries. it creates a gap in earnings, stature and influence compared to those who were our colleagues on a level playing field just yesterday.

more: five ways to make selling easier | three questions about conversion | six keys to turning prospects into clients | don’t overlook internal communication | four reasons people struggle with communication | why firm culture matters for partners | competence is step one of seven | three things that rich accountants do | four reasons it’s hard to sell | eight questions to hold yourself accountable | win your first client: yourself | perception is reality, client version
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

it can also mean that if we are coming into a firm from the outside, we are being promoted over people who have served at that firm for many years and understand the firm’s culture much better than we do now. we may have to lead these people as the head of a department and if so, they’d better be on our side.

this is where the principle of commitment is applied.
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every back office support client needs a playbook

woman and man looking at laptop screen

here’s the specific information that should be included.

by penny breslin
it’s not just the numbers

we use onenote to create a firm playbook for each client we work with. this program allows you to record voice and video and save it to a page or implant videos directly into the relevant onenote page.

more: you have to manage three kinds of procedures | federated search: what it is, why it matters | accounting tech tools to minimize your pain | do your apps play well with others? | it’s ok to have favorite clients | ten questions for teamwork | yes, you can be an outsourcer
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

we get lots of zoom recordings on procedures from firms. in our world, the onenote template has a specific page for all videos as a subpage for each client. this onenote book resides on the shared server so that all the team members can access it at any time to verify, review or update procedures.
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accountants bullish on income

bar chart

 

… but salary costs will outweigh some of it.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

early results from the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 outlook 2024: emerging issues, opportunities and trends survey show cpas generally optimistic about their upcoming year.

more: cpas culling clients for better work-life balance | are you offering the right services? | which niche’s the best niche? | women-owned businesses upbeat but need help | 42% of accountants turn away work over staff shortages | ethics on sustainability puzzle some accountants | accountants to the rescue as startups struggle | talent gap widening: be very scared
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

but there will be challenges, among them the ability of small businesses to pay for the predicted success.
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