doing as little work as possible

ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and aby ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

question: i have many clients who always expect me to do extra work as part of our fixed fee agreement. how can i get paid extra for work beyond the scope of our agreement?

response: this is a recurring theme, and one that has many answers. one approach: don’t take on the extra work.

here is another approach. read more →

value billing on the 19th hole

any billing method that relies on client ignorance is certain to fail.

by frank stitely, cpa
stitely & karstetter, pllc

value billing advocates exhort us to bill based on the benefit a client receives, but that’s just the demand side of the economic equation. competition is the supply side. here’s a little fable based on ed mendlowitz’s “value pricing: a lesson in applying judgment,” where a cpa asks for billing advice and then bills a client $7,000 for three hours’ work.

“great day, al.  have you ever shot an 80 before?”

“no, jay.  this is my first.  this round of drinks is on me.”

jay continued, “you’ve had quite a week.  first, you got your line of credit.  now the best golf round of your life.”

al had just finished a round of golf with his banker, jay; a neighbor, john; and john’s cpa, greg.

“jay, i am blessed with having great friends and advisors.  you did a marvelous job.  but, i should give some credit to my cpa, frank.  he put the entire package together for seven grand.  that seems like a great price.”

al saw the puzzled look in greg’s eyes. read more →

are your clients price-sensitive? maybe it’s you, not them

by sandi smith leyva, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

i hear more accountants grumbling every day about how price-sensitive their prospects and clients have gotten.  and they are right, to a degree.  the economy has caused even the rich to count their pennies, and the percentage of people who look at a price tag before they buy has increased over the last five years.

yet studies show that roughly 54% of buyers are not price-sensitive, and i would be willing to bet even more are selectively price-impervious depending on what they buy:  women’s shoes, men’s cars, personal services, jewelry, vacations, cosmetics, and hair, to name a few exceptions.

so why are so many accounting clients and prospects price-sensitive? read more →

the right time to talk about your fee

how to focus on value first. 

by sandi smith leyva, cpa
accountant’s accelerator

how do you talk to a prospect or client about your fee?

some of the answers i have heard are:

  • “it depends.”
  • tell them and get off the phone as fast as possible.
  • “i don’t know.”
  • “what is your budget?”

most accountants spill the beans about their rates way too early in a conversation with a future client.  so when should you talk rates?

the best answer is: read more →