today's features
outlook & analysis

why your website isn’t getting you new business

how to start planning a business-building machine.

by sandi smith leyva
author of “10 keys to doubling your revenues“

most accountants want a website that will bring them leads.  many accountants have been very disappointed in past attempts to get this marketing channel working for them, and i’d like to give you some ideas why that might have happened.

the good news

the good news is that you can, indeed, get business from your accounting website.  as a matter of fact, you can get big business.  every week, clients tell us that they had someone fill out the contact form, call or email, or sign up for their newsletter.  some leads have been really big, too:  mid-market, franchises, multiple locations and many more. read more →

outlook & analysis

why are accountants pulling back on marketing?

screen shot 2013-11-15 at 4.26.06 am
source: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

join the survey, get the results.

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

it’s too early to draw a final conclusion, but the early returns from the annual 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 marketing and business development survey are startling and may represent a dramatic trend reversal.

after three years of intensifying marketing activity — with 33% of firms last year saying they were increasing their business development efforts “significantly” — today only 19% of accountants tell us they are planning to “significantly” expand their programs. read more →

outlook & analysis

thomson reuters to accountants: change or die

jon baron addresses users conference
jon baron addresses users conference

conference-opening keynote tells firms they need to reinvent themselves.

the veteran visionary leader of one of the big three largest tax and accounting software vendors is warning accountants that the profession is being redefined by changing client expectations and always-on connectivity. his blunt message: change or become extinct. read more →

marketing & sales

real networking starts after the first meeting

six easy ways to follow up.

by jean caragher
capstone marketing

building relationships takes time. real networking begins after the first meeting. remember, networking is not selling. it is about building relationships and helping others.

when you meet someone whom you think will strengthen your network, you need to follow up and discover how you can be of help. here are six ways to follow up:

read more →

management

12 reasons cpa firm staff meetings are a waste of time

four quick fixes and a magic bullet.

by august aquila

the fact of the situation is that too much time is wasted in meetings that don’t accomplish anything. we meet, we talk and we leave. no one takes minutes, there is no follow-up and we are all glad that another meeting is over. don’t get me wrong; i am not a meeting basher. a meeting can be an effective way to make sure you are on course to achieve firm and departmental objectives and use your “bully pulpit power” as the managing partner. read more →

leadership

how to get partners all on the same page

monthly meetings may be the solution.

by ed mendlowitzed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and a
“tax season opportunity guide“

question: there seems to be disagreement among our partners on important issues in running our practice and we never seem to have time to discuss it or work things out. we are a three-partner firm with 15 employees and no one is designated as managing partner.

answer: a suggestion is to have monthly partner meetings out of the office and an annual retreat. both of these have been covered previously but i will add some new ideas here. read more →

outlook & analysis

4 things you don’t need in a start-up’s website

by sandi smith leyva, cpa
author of “10 keys to doubling your revenues“

you might be happy to hear me say all the things a brand new business does not need when they first start out:

  1. a logo is not necessary
  2. a $5,000 website is not necessary
  3. a bunch of social media accounts is not necessary
  4. a blog is not necessary (although a blog could replace the need for a website)

so what is necessary?  let’s take a look at the big picture first, then we can see what’s needed at each level of business maturity. read more →

client service opportunities

the top 20 reasons clients love their cpa firms

by marc rosenberg
how cpa firms work

the cpa’s training is geared to identifying problems that clients are experiencing and giving recommendations for improving the company.   this leads to producing what is known as the “oh wow” feeling from a client.  efforts to super-please clients are what it takes to satisfy clients’ needs, retain them year after year and get them to make unsolicited referrals of other companies.

here are 20 things that cpas do that their clients rave about: read more →

management

what makes a top 100 firm?

six guesses. only one right answer.

by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg survey

of the 45,000 cpa firms in the u.s., an elite group of these firms, referred to as the top 100 (in terms of annual revenues), is publicized by several media groups. what do they have in common? what are they doing right? read more →

management

good ideas can come from anywhere

ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and areading a lot of magazines keeps thinking fresh.

by ed mendlowitz
“tax season opportunity guide“

question: why do you read so many magazines that have nothing to do with accounting? i noticed this from your blogs and references you make in your speeches.

answer: i read a lot because i like to, and because i view it as part of my job of bringing ideas to clients to help them in their businesses and because i am always looking for ideas to help my business grow. ideas are not specific to an industry. read more →