Monthly Archives: December 2012

Ask the Geek: A Couple Great Gadgets for Saving Money on All Your Other Gadgets

By

Two inexpensive gadgets that could save you big money.

More from Ed Mendlowitz, author of “Implementing Fee Increases,” plus: Three and a Half Ways to Get Your Own CPA Practice | Novice Manager Needs to Know: How To Do It All? | Why No One Listens to You | Fun Reads for Busy Season  |  When NOT to Offer a Free Initial Consultation | Measuring Growth in Yourself, Staff and Partners  |  What Do You Think You’re Doing?  | Can You Teach Judgment?  |  Clients’ Calls At Home  | What You Need to Know before Expanding into Business Valuation |

Question: I’m having a long-standing ‘disagreement’ with my husband about whether we should turn off our home computer when we leave for the day. I like to be as Green as we can, but he’s read somewhere that it causes more ‘wear and tear’ and energy use to be constantly turning things on and off. I think he just doesn’t like to wait for it to start up! What’s your take?

Answer: I’d rather not take sides in a domestic (ahem) power struggle, but as your husband may have found when Googling around on the topic, PC power saving can be a complicated business. Still, I have some tips that may result in a household compromise. I went to a geek colleague, Scott Dare, for his suggestions. READ MORE →

Accountants, Do You Know Your Opportunity Number?

By

The pragmatic six-step way to evaluate potential new clients.

By Sandi Smith, CPA
Accountant’s Accelerator

Every week, do you get wonderful, exciting calls from new clients who want to use your services? You might want to talk with every one of them to get the sale. The problem is, if you do, you’re likely to go bankrupt. Let me explain.

Sandi Smith

More for soloists and small firms from at CPA Trendlines:  Five Ideas to Reduce Client Price-Sensitivity • Rise to the Top with a Fresh Elevator Speech  •  Four Ways to Practice Entrepreneurial Perseverance • 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Seeking New Clients •  The Success Secrets Women Already Know  • His and Her Brains at Work in Tax and Accounting  • The Power of Deadlines in Closing a Deal • On the Road to a Stress-Free Life: Identify Your Character Strengths • The Missing Ingredient in Your Marketing That Will Make All the Difference  •

Each of us has 24 hours in one day. Most of us have annual revenue goals. A few of us have monthly, weekly, daily, or even hourly revenue goals. Hopefully you know what your revenue goal is. (If not, you should!) If you don’t pull in that level of revenue for the week or month, then you’ve missed your plan.

Let’s say you want to generate $1 million in sales for the year. On average, you need to pull in $20,000a week. That’s $4,000 a day. READ MORE →