today's features

new phase-change concrete melts snow and ice without salt or shovels

new self-heating concrete mixes could eliminate the need for snowplows, salt trucks and shovels.

by rick richardson
technology this week

researchers have devised a self-heating substance that can melt snow and ice for up to 10 hours without the need for shovels or salt by incorporating a phase-change compound into concrete. the new substance may lessen the requirement for salting and plowing while helping maintain road surface integrity.

more: ai generates revolutionary new battery design | chatgpt is getting humanlike memory | one state is now america’s clean energy paradise | did ancient romans find a solution for climate change? | telehealth advances with ai-powered clinics | fcc approves superfast wi-fi tethering | major websites blocking content from ai crawlers | printer ink: not just expensive, but a blatant scam? | generative ai coming to microsoft 365 | electronic skin that can sense touch will transform robotics
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the u.s. department of transportation (dot) reports that over 70 percent of roadways are in areas with snowfall. accumulation of snow and ice decreases vehicle mobility and road friction, slowing down traffic and raising the possibility of collisions.
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hold staff accountable if you want them to listen to you

woman speaking and giving direction to subordinate

concrete steps for effective staff management.

by ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice

question: my staff doesn’t listen to me. to be able to manage and control my business, i need them to prepare a monthly schedule of what they plan on doing that month. i further need to know each morning if they did what they were supposed to do the previous day, and whether there was anything not done, or anything extra that wasn’t planned on.

more: when selling a firm to staffers is tricky | want to merge? six steps to take | how to start providing family office services | every accounting firm needs quality control | no one listens to you? change how you talk | 47 types of business valuation to provide | thirteen things to consider before you sell your practice
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my problem is that they don’t give me the schedule and then don’t call or email me to tell me what they did. i really need to know this stuff and can’t figure out how to get them to do it. what can you suggest?
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clients buy solutions, not features

woman points to laptop to explain something to a female client

four elements to consider in every selling situation.

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

selling professional services is not as difficult as some accountants and consultants believe. i like to define sales as solving a client’s problem. if you think in these terms, you’ll realize that this is what we do every day.

sales is the lifeblood of every business out there. if we did not sell our services and products, we would not have a firm or business. so, don’t think of sales as something unprofessional. it’s an integral part of growing your practice.

more: six ways to expand your client services checklist | client acquisition never stops | ‘sales’ is not a four-letter word | maybe what you need is a marketing audit | three types of marketing message, and which is best | why you need progress billing | 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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my goal is to make you feel more comfortable with the sales process. here goes! remember, you are selling solutions to problems – or, as i like to say, selling the sizzle and not the bacon. it’s not the service or product that you are selling, it’s the benefits to the clients. clients and prospects aren’t buying the features of the system as much as what those features can do for them.
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how to write media releases that capture an editor’s attention

forget the five w’s and other clichés.

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.

a recent business communication book says that in writing press releases, the lead paragraph should include the five w’s – who, why, what, when and where.

a textbook on journalism written in the 1920s says the same thing – the five w’s.

more: nine ways to choose your pr person | when bad news happens to good firms | creating the perfect ad | how hard do you work to keep your clients? | when clients think they know marketing | how to put target marketing into context | everyone in your firm is marketing | accountants vs. lawyers: who wins the marketing battle? | professional services marketing requires flexibility | how to set marketing objectives
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nothing has changed in more than 70 years? don’t believe it. just read any good newspaper in the u.s., canada or great britain. and what newspapers do is what press releases must do. why?
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bissett bullet: how are we doing?

today’s bissett bullet: “how often do you ask your current clients for feedback?”

by martin bissett

building great client relationships is a fundamental part of gaining worthwhile referrals for your firm, and understanding which of your clients are the most satisfied will give you an indication of your most passionate advocates.

how do you find out? ask them! ask how satisfied they are, how likely they would be to recommend you to a business and whether they would be willing to provide a short testimonial for marketing purposes.

today’s to-do:

how you gather that feedback is entirely up to you. whether you pick up the phone or send a short feedback survey, keep it simple.

see more bissett bullets here

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accountants’ advice: be careful, quick, creative … and lean

businessman giving advice to female coworker

survey respondents look beyond tax season.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

just about every small business has an accountant, and smart business owners tap their accountant not just for tax prep but for general business advice.

and smart accountants offer smart advice. because what’s good for the client is good for the accountant.

more: seven steps to a stronger future | accountants bullish locally, bearish nationally | firms culling clients as staffing woes persist | are accountants charging too little? | revenue growth is top priority for small firms | is the cpa business model the clog in the pipeline? | accountants cozy up to clients with cas
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the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 2024 busy season barometer has harvested quite a bit of smart advice with an open-ended question about the best advice for small businesses.

responses bounced all over the business ballpark, but a lot of them warned of change and economic turbulence.
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five questions about facing challenges

we all have to do it.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

when challenges come our way, regardless of what shape or form they arrive in, our world seems to lose a bit of brightness, there’s a little knot in the gut and a sense of peace broken.

more: the real math behind the sales pipeline | five questions for grading prospects | be clear about your roi proposition | keep business development going during busy season | health, wealth, stealth: challenges on the path to partnership | don’t let recurring fees kill your practice | rate your personal purpose | five ways to make selling easier | six keys to getting a proposal accepted | tell the world your worth
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the question is, if we were watching our own responses to these trials, would we appoint ourselves as the next partner of the firm?

let’s examine five checkpoints to test your own, or your staffers’, abilities to overcome challenges.
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ai generates revolutionary new battery design

will lithium-ion batteries soon be relics of the past?

by rick richardson
technology this week

researchers have now utilized artificial intelligence’s capacity to expedite the discovery and testing of novel materials to create a battery that is less reliant on the pricey and growingly scarce mineral lithium.

more: chatgpt is getting humanlike memory | lenovo readies new thinkbook laptop with a transparent display | microsoft moves further into nuclear development with new director | tack one launches new location tracker for children and seniors | windows is now an app for pcs, apple products | bill gates says america has a math problem | what is an heic file? | congress: tax prep companies shared private data with google, meta for years | what an a.i.-powered workforce means for accountants
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lithium-ion batteries power numerous everyday items, as well as electric cars. additionally, batteries are needed to store renewable energy from solar panels and wind turbines. therefore, they would be an essential component of a green electric grid.
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four ways to handle federal tax liens

there’s more than one route to satisfying the irs collection division.

by eric l. green

irs tax liens can have a profound impact on an individual’s situation, affecting their ability to get loans, sell property or engage in business activities. as such, it is crucial for individuals to understand how irs tax liens work and the options available for getting rid of them.

more: the irs is coming! get your clients into compliance | tax chat: eric green reveals the tax rep guide to tax season
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in this article we discuss approaches and factors to consider when dealing with irs tax liens, offering insights and advice to help taxpayers navigate this process.

understanding irs tax liens

before discussing ways to remove tax liens, it is important to get a basic understanding of what they entail. a tax lien represents a right against a taxpayer’s assets, and is used by the irs to secure its interest in the taxpayer’s assets – both those owned at the time and those later acquired.
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when selling a firm to staffers is tricky

two writers have similar problems.

by ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice

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?

more: want to merge? six steps to take | how to raise your rates | higher fees to start: ten ways to make your tax season better | three ways to start an accounting practice | free consultation? not always | referral fee? forget it | how much is your tax practice worth? | merge in lower-priced work without losing out
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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.

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tax pros own 53% of e-filings

data table

most stats are on the plus side now.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

with just over two weeks before the nation’s major tax deadline, most statistics are landing on the positive side … finally.

more: tax stats still playing catchuptax pros take the edge in e-filings | tax pros gain ground, and diyers maintain lead | tax 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
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the irs has received 90.3 million individual income tax returns as of march 29, the latest data available, up 0.2 percent from the same period in 2023. it has processed 88.8 million returns, down 1 percent.
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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?
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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
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“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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