And 12 elements essential for success.
By Marc Rosenberg
Rosenberg MAP Survey
There are many ways to improve profitability in most CPA firms. But there are only four, time and time again, that have the highest impact:
Plus: Four more success drivers.
By Robert J. Lees
and August J. Aquila
Creating the Effective Partnership
So how do top accounting firms ensure their people operate cohesively and consistently in a highly networked organization?
The answer, in addition to ensuring they are engaged with the firm’s vision and want to play an active part in its delivery, is through an all-pervading set of values.
Every successful firm we know has a set of values that are part of the firm’s DNA. They drive people’s actions and help them to make the “right” decision should there ever be any doubt about which action to take.
But there are at least four more elements that distinguish the world’s leading professional services firms. READ MORE →
The best sources to make you look like a genius.
By Ed Mendlowitz
“Tax Season Opportunity Guide“
Question: When I was asked three technical questions, I found the answers quickly in a one-volume tax guide I keep near my desk. I answered them and did not disclose my “secret,” wanting the callers to think I was a “genius.”
It astounds me that many people do not try to find the answers for themselves.
The questions concerned: READ MORE →
Old-fashioned accounting marketing dies slowly in a painful journey to a new era.
by Bruce W. Marcus
Professional Services Marketing 3.0
In the years following Bates, accounting firms began a long and difficult process of learning how to market.
Accountants were still so steeped in the no-commercialization ethic that they tried to resist any form of marketing. They couldn’t, because other firms had started doing it, and were winning clients. READ MORE →
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 →
And one more that too often gets overlooked.
By Marc Rosenberg
CPA Firm Management & Governance
A CPA firm’s management and system of governance is comprised of several critical elements today. Firms across the nation are making some tough choices on at least six issues: READ MORE →
New study finds shortage of seniors and managers.
See key findings, salary tables, and download full report
U.S. starting salaries for accounting and finance professionals are expected to rise an average of 3.4 percent next year, with the heaviest demand for financial and business systems analysts, internal auditors and entry-level accountants.
“Many hiring managers are encountering difficulty finding professionals with the specialized skills they need to achieve their growth goals,” according to the new study.
By Sandi Smith Leyva, CPA
Accountant’s Accelerator
Except for the usual tax due dates, this time of year can be slow for some accounting firms and especially some tax firms. But it doesn’t have to be if you know what to do. Here are three ideas you can use to boost your revenue, not just this month, but all year long. READ MORE →