today's features

seven steps to a stronger future

six people in business clothing lined up at start of athletic track

fees and business lines of course, but what about an operations person?

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the aicpa’s national management of an accounting practice (map) survey took a good look at a lot of data – revenues and profits, staff turnover and professional salaries, services and fees.

more: accountants bullish locally, bearish nationally | top performers lead in leverage, culling, outsourcing | revenue up at 59% of accounting firms … and more good news | chatgpt for the reluctant accountant | survey shows challenges, priorities shifting | accountants torn over 2024 economy, offer advice | survey: are you offering the right services?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

and then, toward the end, it says, “but all the data in the universe won’t do you any good if you don’t do something with it.”

it then calls on cpa firms to evolve if they want to survive and thrive through seismic shifts in technology and marketing.
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nine ways to choose your pr person

the rules of the game have changed.

by bruce marcus
professional services marketing 3.0

editor’s note: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 was privileged to have a long relationship with bruce w. marcus, who was ahead of his time in his thinking and practice in marketing for accounting. we are publishing some of the late expert’s evergreen work, which retains wisdom for the present.

there was a time when all you needed was a roll of nickels and a phone booth, and you were in the pr game. of course, all clients expected then was that you get their names in the paper. for most of the publicity clients in those days, that was sufficient.

more: when bad news happens to good firms | why accountants should be nice to journalists | ten keys to crafting ads | four things to know about social media | internal communications are underrated | four things better than a company song | let’s lose the word ‘image’ | the risk in not understanding risk | what your marketing program can and can’t do
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

“those days” were the late 1920s and 1930s, before pr became public relations, and before we were beset with such glorious concepts as “image,” and “positioning,” and “niche marketing.” today, public relations is infinitely more sophisticated than that, as is the public relations client. the public relations program for any modern corporation is to its publicity ancestor as desktop publishing is to hieroglyphics. and of course, the public relations program for the professional firm is different, too.

but to have a sophisticated public relations program requires not just a sophisticated practitioner, but a sophisticated client. a firm, if it knows how, will always find a good public relations practitioner or consultant, but a consultant is only as capable as the firm he or she serves.
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six ways to expand your client services checklist

it’s key to client retention.

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

let’s explore ways to provide additional services to existing clients. here is a short checklist that will help you obtain additional services for your clients.

more: client acquisition never stops | make sure you know what you will get from your marketing | three pillars support a successful accounting firm | clients have six reasons for needing you | six ways to market your technology consulting practice | sixteen marketing activities to try | the four steps of your personal marketing process | how does your firm measure up? | six questions before asking for all the referrals you deserve
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

  1. other than accounting and tax services, what additional services do you provide to this client? create a spreadsheet listing the type of service, the fees, the year of service, the engagement leader and the client’s satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 5. if your list of additional services is lengthy, you are providing good service to the client. if it is short, continue to the following questions.

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tax stats still playing catchup

data tablerefund numbers are down but amounts are up.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the end is in sight. documents are signed, buttons are pushed and tax returns are filed. the pile is growing smaller.

if you want optimism, don’t look at the latest internal revenue statistics. with the 2023 filing season opening jan. 23 and the 2024 season kicking off jan. 29, every week of 2024 reporting has seven fewer days of data than the corresponding period the previous year.

more: tax pros take the edge in e-filingstax pros handle 46.4% of e-filing | tax refunds, tax pro market share trending up | refunds up as tax pros tackle 41.5% of e-filings | tax pros handle 37.7% of e-filings | tax pros file 33% of early returns
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

as of the latest report, for march 22, the irs had received 80.5 million individual income tax returns and processed 79.2 million returns, down 0.3 percent and 1.4 percent respectively from last year. the impact on your firm? dare we say, none?

perhaps you’ve been the beneficiary of another stat, though … the one showing tax professionals gaining ever more ground on the self-preparers.
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bissett bullet: keep your distance

today’s bissett bullet: “first impressions last. when you meet with a prospective client for the first time, how do you want them to remember you?”

by martin bissett

it is important that you demonstrate enthusiasm for that prospect and their business but it is also important to remember that there is a fine line between “upbeat” and “overbearing” and the latter can be construed as pushy,which will do you no favors.

in your eagerness to build rapport, be sure to avoid overfamiliarity. demonstrate that working with you would be a better experience than they currently have, but do so by showing that you care and are excited by the opportunity, without invading their personal space or finishing their sentences for them.

today’s to-do:

be aware of how well intentioned attempts to build rapport and put a prospect at ease could achieve quite the opposite.

see more bissett bullets here

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