the value of live conferences in the internet age
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today's features
seven signs you’re working in a firm where the partners don’t trust each other
especially in these trying times, partners must show leadership by accepting the consequences of their actions – or their inaction.
accountability is the essence of your success, according to management consultant august aquila, author of “leadership at its strongest: what successful managing partners do.”
“i don’t think that the average partner takes accountability seriously,” aquila says. “if they did, they would take their individual goals more seriously and not let their fellow partners down.” read more →
questions and answers on selling a practice to staff members
by ed mendlowitz
author of “implementing fee increases“
i received two related questions, which i’ll answer together.
first question: i am nearing retirement and want to sell my practice to two longtime staff people, but they don’t get along, and i’m afraid to sell to them. what should i do?
second question: i have a large individual tax practice, but also have an audit practice that is handled by different staff in my firm. how do i sell this practice? none of the larger buyers want the tax clients and none of the smaller buyers want the audit clients. read more →
two cpa firm committees that need explaining: management and executive
what to do when democracy no longer works.
when firms are still small or just starting out, the partners often share a culture of democracy, shared burdens, personal freedom, and the opportunity for high earnings. but all that changes if the firm becomes successful.
in this article, marc rosenberg, author of “cpa firm management and governance:”
- identifies four key factors of a start-up firm’s culture.
- how those factors change with success and growth.
- the development of management and leadership committees.
- the functions and roles of a management committee.
- the functions and roles of an executive committee.
- how they differ.
- where a compensation committee fits in.
- 11 key duties for the executive committee.
- 5 major decisions reserved for the full partner group.
10 ways to add a “money maker” hour to your day
simple easy activities to boost your business.
by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator
every working day, we’re all slammed with hundreds of things to do. we might need to occasionally slow down and ask ourselves whether we are working on the most profitable things we could for our business. are we constantly fighting fires, dealing with urgent but not important client matters and neglecting the things that could grow our business?
here’s how to move off this treadmill to create a “money maker hour” in your business: read more →
eight client retention strategies for the new competitive environment
driving the client-driven practice.
by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0
the conventional wisdom is that it costs more to get a new client than to keep an old one. and for once, the conventional wisdom is correct.
yet, many professionals too readily take clients for granted. or don’t look for opportunities to increase revenues from perfectly satisfied clients.
then there’s the classic story of the client who went to another firm for a particular service. “why didn’t you come to me for that service?”
“because i didn’t know you did it.” it happens too often. read more →
what to think about before you start thinking about merging your practice
plus: key considerations in evaluating a practice continuation agreement
by ed mendlowitz
question: what i should do about merging? i need a specific answer.
answer: i can’t give you an easy answer. i can give you a process to follow that should provide an answer. actually, this works pretty well and i’ve gotten good feedback from many colleagues. i’ve also rethought it many times, and still think this is the way to go about it.
11 sources of wealth we can celebrate
by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator
we all have far more sources of wealth available to us in addition to the assets we normally count as financial wealth. a great skill to add to our tool box is that of resourcefulness. learning and practicing being resourceful has always come in handy for me while traveling, working, and making changes in my life.
as you go through the list, take an inventory and make a list of all of the resources you have available to you in one form or fashion. by the end of the article, you might be amazed at how wealthy you really are.
- your financial wealth is measured in currency. this includes cash, all bank accounts, retirement accounts, annuities, stocks, bonds, commodities, and other market investments.
- your property wealth includes real estate and personal property such as furniture, dishes, clothes, jewelry, and a car.
- your wealth of abilities, experience, education, and skills provides you with a livelihood and is what you can trade others for other categories of wealth. read more →
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间: ‘the people cpas need to follow’
“one of the profession’s most well-read and highly respected blogs.”
trying to make sense of social media? here bill sheridan, cae, chief communications officer and resident twitter cheerleader with the maryland association of cpas, recommends 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间.
“rick telberg at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 (@cpa_trendlines) has his hand on the pulse of the profession like no one else i know. he frequently surveys cpas from coast to coast on issues such as workforce demographics, map issues, and tax season progress, then publishes the results in one of the profession’s most well-read and highly respected blogs.”
via the people cpas need to follow on twitter.
follow bill at @billsheridan.
for instant site-wide access and special benefits, click here: goprocpa.com
long-term trend analysis of busy season activity
a new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 analysis of long-term tax season activity shows how tax professionals may be working harder and enjoying it less. we’ll let two charts speak for themselves.
– rick telberg
even as tax professionals have been increasing the number of e-filed tax returns…
why “niche marketing” should be superseded by “total context marketing”
a real-world approach for the smaller firm.
by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0
there is much ado, these days, about niche marketing and target marketing and using mailing lists and knowledge management.
how does it all come together to make sense for the smaller accounting firm, particularly when there’s a limited marketing budget, and a limited opportunity to reach out to the marketplace?
more for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 pro members: who’s better at marketing? • lawyers or cpas? • even a random disaster can be controlled with risk management • managing risk in client relations • your clients love you? what if you’re wrong? • the three degrees of risk • four essential habits for building client trust • the nine hallmarks of a marketing culture • the four cornerstones to building a marketing culture • getting the client is only half the battle • practice development: it’s not rocket science • nine fundamentals for a healthy marketing culture in an accounting firm •
in this report:
- the limited value of “niche” marketing.
- six key variables to evaluate.
- the role of target marketing.
- the role of sales.
- the fusion that creates total context marketing.
- 15 steps to success in integrating and balancing marketing strategies.
seven tactics to stand out from the crowd
standing out among the crowd of other cpa firms isn’t easy. but it may be necessary for long-lived success.
in this article, august j. aquila, author of “leadership at its strongest,” provides seven tactics used by high-performing firms to beat the competition.
ten-point job description for the firm administrator or coo
the position of firm administrator or coo is quickly gaining in importance, and just as quickly evolving.
according to marc rosenberg, author of “cpa firm management and governance: the managing partner’s guide to running a cpa firm like a business,” there are at least ten duties that are both critically important to the firm and that define the job of the coo.
they are: