John Shaver: Business Transformation Militant [VIDEO]
This is the kind of accountant that Sage software is banking on…
Monthly Archives: August 2012
What It Means To Be a Partner
11 tests to measure the health of your firm’s partner group.
by Robert J. Lees and August J. Aquila
NEW RESEARCH REPORT, INSTANT DOWNLOAD: Leadership at Its Best: What Successful Managing Partners Do (PDF, 17 pages)
Partners are the culture in a professional service firm – what they believe, what they reward, what they do and how they do it determines what and how things get done. But, one of the problems we consistently hear about is the lack of clarity in what being a partner means. And, in the absence of clarity the partners typically fill the gap by doing what they think it means, with all of the differences of thought and behavior that inevitably brings. It’s these differences in behavior that result in firms failing to maximize their potential.
So, how do firms overcome this lack of clarity and ensure the partner group set the right example and consistently deliver the performance the firm needs to be successful?
In our over twenty years working with professional service firms, we have seen many attempts to provide greater clarity from sophisticated competency frameworks through balanced scorecards to highly personalized objective-based compensation systems. The problem is that none of them (or even all of them together) ever works well enough without the critical link between partner behavior and what the firm is trying to achieve and what the partners have to do to deliver it. Only when that overt linkage exists and becomes part of every partner’s DNA do any other initiatives have a chance of working.
When a Partner is Unwilling to Help
Maybe the problem is you.
Here at CPA Trendlines, Ed Mendlowitz answers some of the toughest questions practitioners can throw at him. He’s the right one to ask. After more than 40 years in the business – building his own practice, running the firm, and eventually selling it to a major regional firm, WithumSmith+Brown, where he remains a senior partner and consultant to professional services clients – he has the answers. We’re happy to have him at CPA Trendlines. Send your questions for Ed here, or chime in with Comments below.
Meanwhile, browse more from Ed here: What To Do When You Lose Your Biggest Client | Congratulations! You Bought a Tax Practice. Now What? | How Accountants Can Keep the Business When a Client Wants to Sell Theirs | 10 Reasons Clients Don’t Pay, and What To Do about It | 13 Reasons Timesheets Will Never Die |
— Rick Telberg
President / CEO
QUESTION: My tax partner gives me a hard time when I ask her for assistance. Is there anything I can do to get her to be more responsive?
The Powerful Mega-Trends Behind the Upheaval at Sage Software
Sage’s one-brand cloud strategy is built on a tidal wave of change.
by Rick Telberg
It would be an understatement to say that the accounting software mavens arriving for the 2012 Sage software convention were in a skeptical mood. At last year’s meeting, they were told that some of the products they know and support (and sometimes love) — like MAS 90, Peachtree, and AccPac — are disappearing under a single Sage label.
It was a long time in coming. The company, with roots in the 1990’s in State of the Art and Best, was built through almost helter-skelter acquisitions without merging and consolidating brands, nor even marketing departments, R&D efforts and support departments.
COMPLETE SAGE SUMMIT COVERAGE AND ANALYSIS:
- The Powerful Mega-Trends Behind the Upheaval at Sage Software
- Sage North America CEO Pascal Houillon: How the Cloud Changes Everything [VIDEO]
- David Cieslak: A Paradigm Shift Now Measured in Months not Years [VIDEO]
- John Shaver: Business Transformation Militant [VIDEO]
Now all that is changing. And it’s about the cloud, subscription pricing and a wrenching transformation to a new business model. The question for Sage’s resellers: Can Sage deliver? The question for Sage’s accountant partners: Can they keep up?
How to Formulate the Right Marketing Goals for Your Firm
Every firm is different. But some techniques are the same.
by Bruce W. Marcus
Professional Services Marketing 3.0
Your accounting firm’s ultimate objectives are the context for marketing programs, which are, in turn, the blueprints for achieving your firm’s objectives. To think of marketing otherwise is to court marketing programs that are irrelevant and unproductive. READ MORE →
Seven Pearls of Wisdom for the New Managing Partner
A thankless job: Divide, conquer and delegate.
Most CPAs are thrust into the managing partner role with little or no training or coaching. Who teaches you to be an effective managing partner? How do you know if you’re performing well?
Your partners won’t tell you. If you’re new to the job, do you just do it the same way as your predecessor? Is that the best approach for the firm? Who will mentor you?
Gary Adamason, longtime managing partner of Dayton, Ohio-based, BradyWare, has been there, done that, and come back with a few wise words:
More at CPA Trendlines: What a Coach Can Do for You | How to Balance the Six Jobs of Managing Partner | The Partner Compensation Checklist | How CPA Firms Make Money in Turbulent Times
There are not too many places to turn for help. Whether you are new or a veteran, here is an approach to organizing the job with a focus on dividing and conquering and delegating when necessary. READ MORE →
Blogging Trending Higher Among Small Law Firms
Blogging soloists report new revenues as a result. READ MORE →
7 Tips to Keep the Clients You Have
New revenue may be closer than you think.
By Sandi Smith CPA
Accountant’s Accelerator
It’s far less expensive to keep your existing clients happy than it is to find new clients, especially since the trust factor between people is at an all-time low. So you might want to think about re-directing a portion of your marketing attention on your existing client base instead of networking for new clients.
I’ve met a lot of business owners who have trouble getting their employees to sell while they’re on site, and I’ve also heard from some customers who’ve remarked that their vendors don’t stay in touch with them. So here are some tips to mine the pot of gold that lies right before you: your current clients who already trust you and are eager to hear about new solutions that will ease their pain and problems.
More from Sandi Smith at CPA Trendlines: • How to Attract Clients Like a Magnet • Eleven Easy Ways to Deliver More Value to Clients•Five Things Accountants Take for Granted That Costs Them Revenue • What’s in Your New Client Funnel? • What’s In Your Welcome Kit for New Prospects? • Five Fun and Easy Ways to Wow Your Clients • Six Ways to Give Yourself a Raise
• Strategies to Stop Losing Business to Competitors • Five Tips to Manage Your ‘Overwhelm’ Level • Easy Ideas for a Quick Business Boost • Four New Mega-Trend Marketing Strategies • How to Stop Leaving Money on the Table
- Change your attitude about staying in touch with your client.You might feel like you don’t want to “bother” your client, but I bet your client would be delighted to get a phone call out of the blue, especially if you have an idea that will save them time or money. They already trust you, so find out how you can help them even more than you already are. READ MORE →