244 Great Ideas for a Smoother, Happier, and More Profitable Busy Season
AccountingToday cites CPA Trendlines CEO and contributors as "visionaries shaping the profession."
CPA Trendlines is pleased to announce the publication of Accountaneur: The Entrepreneurial Accountant, the new handbook for accountants on seizing the future, by Hitendra R. Patil.
Being different isn’t good enough.
No joke!
By CPA Trendlines
Picture this:
A movie starring a mathematics savant with more affinity for numbers than people (perhaps you know someone like this).
But wait, it gets better. He makes his living as a forensic accountant for dangerous criminal organizations. And he uses a small-town CPA office as a cover!
You're waiting for the punch line, right?
After seeing this, 9 in 10 accountants put at least one of these strategies to work in their practice.
FREE INSTANT DOWNLOAD:
117 No-Brainer Ways to Attract New Clients (PDF, 28 pages)
by Rick Telberg
I call these “no-brainers” because, although they require some thought and effort, there’s nothing revolutionary about any of them.
In fact, each of these tips is something I’ve personally seen work successfully in real-life. These are the activities that are making small practices into large ones, and low-earning accountants into high-earning money machines. Our research proves it.
You can’t afford to ignore the 90% of the accountants who heard this presentation and pledged to do something competitive.
Some of them may be coming after your clients. You can’t just stand there. You need to do something. Hopefully, this presentation will help.
PS: Check out the last slide for a
free download and a $50 discount coupon
Do the math and don't be afraid to pay more or ask for more.
By Marc Rosenberg, CPA
Partners in accounting firms are familiar with the rule of thumb that a CPA firm’s goodwill is worth one times fees; however, like many other “rules of thumb,” this notion is often incorrect.
When buyers begin to think about how much they will pay for a smaller firm, they often have the “1 x fees” concept in mind. Then, when sellers are bold enough to ask for a price in excess of one times fees, buyers often balk because they feel that the asking price is too rich.
Use this white paper to make your case.
All A's isn't necessarily the goal.
By Bill Reeb and Dominic Cingoranelli
CPA Trendlines / Succession Institute
Partners, and in some firms, managers, need to take their responsibility for client relationship management seriously.
MORE ON PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT: Developing a Three-Year Vision [VIDEO] | Younger Partners See Succession Differently | Partners as Role Models: The Good, Bad & Ugly | 4 Ways to Create More Capacity | CPA Firm Performance Assessments: 15 Core Competencies, 21 Questions | What Having Your Employees’ Backs Means | 5 Harmful Management Attitudes (and How to Fix Them)
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.
In order to more fully explain these roles and responsibilities, we need to define for you what we mean when we refer to A, B, C and D clients.
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Cloud strategies mean different things to different people.
Randy is hosting two sessions at Accountex USA on Cloud and Security. Use discount code TRENDS for $100 off at www.accountexusa.com
By Randy Johnston
Accounting Firm Operations and Technology Survey
I can make this very simple. Do you or your clients need to work someplace other than the office? For most of you, this answer is simple. Yes!
The next question is also pretty simple. Do you need to run traditional desktop solutions, or is a solution available that runs in a web browser?
MORE TECH: Soloists, Small Firms Must Take Software Seriously | How the Smallest Firms Can Make Better Technology Decisions | Soloists, Small Firms Cite Tech Challenges | Soloists, Small Firms Cite Top Challenges
If everything in your world runs in a browser, then any computer will work, and you can be done reading this blog post. However, if you have any desktop solutions that you need to run remotely, you will need a hosted option for that application. You can host applications privately or publicly. READ MORE →
By Rick Richardson
Technology This Week
Microsoft has a less than stellar track record when it comes to mobile. Whether or not the forthcoming Surface-branded phones signal an end for the Lumia line remains to be seen, but Microsoft has at least had some success with Surface, which the company will hope to replicate.
MORE TECH THIS WEEK: Top 4 New Gadgets | MIT’s New Device Measures Power Used by Each Device in Your Home | Flaws in Wireless Keyboards Let Hackers See Everything You Type | Floor Tiles that Translate Steps into Power | Samsung’s $1 Billion Bet on ‘Internet of Things’ | Google’s Modular Smartphone | 6 Big Changes Coming to Android Phones | New iPhone Case with Built-in Photo Printer | Foldable Samsung Concept Phone Doubles as a Tablet | More than Just a Phone Case: An Extra Touchscreen | App Wants to Be the Uber for Filing Taxes | Gadget Turns Your Smartphone into a 3D Printer | Tabletop-Sized Touchscreen | Beware! Public Wi-Fi Is Just Not Secure | ZTE Announces New Tablet-Projector Hybrid at Barcelona |
Kevin Gallo, director of Windows Developer Platform at Microsoft, alluded to the handset's existence when he spoke of plans to develop smartphones targeting the business sector. What follows is everything we know about the Surface Phone so far: the design specs, release date, and price. READ MORE →
And when NOT to pay.
By Marc Rosenberg
Partner Comp: Art & Science
What is a management stipend and why is it necessary?
MORE ON PARTNER COMPENSATION: Partner Pay in Retirement Transition Period | Paying New Partners and Lateral Hires | 3 Rules for Promotion to Partner | Should the MP Be the Highest Paid Partner? | Integrating Partner Comp with Strategic Planning | Partner Pay: The Declining Importance of Book of Business | 3 Non-Performance-Based Comp Systems
Partners with significant, official internal duties require a substantial amount of time to do these jobs properly. Main examples would be the managing partner, PIC, practice group leader, executive and compensation committee members.
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8 ways to guide her.
By Ida O. Abbott
Sponsoring Women: What Men Need to Know
Once you have identified a woman to sponsor and determined that you click, you may be wondering how to get started.
MORE ON SPONSORING WOMEN FOR LEADERSHIP: Sponsorship Best Practices, Early and Ongoing | The Political Cost of Sponsorship | Don’t Let Gossip Interfere | 4 Ways to Help Women Seek Power | 4 Reasons Women Say No to Leadership | Women Fight ‘Kids First’ Perception | Women Judged on Performance, Men on Potential | Fix Gender Bias at Your Firm | 3 Changes for Men to Make | 3 Ways Women Benefit When Seen as Leaders | Sponsor or Mentor? | 4 Firm Benefits of Sponsoring Women as Leaders | Being the Best Means Including Women
Here are some concrete steps to take:
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BONUS: Sample asset distribution worksheet.
By Ed Mendlowitz
The CPA Trendlines Practice Doctor
Estate planning is a vital service for many clients who do not have a will or a current will, or who have a will but did not consider major estate planning techniques.
MORE ON MARKETING: What You Need to Start a Financial Planning Discussion | 11 Questions to Ask Every Tax Client | Add New Revenues with Tax Prep Followups | Marketing vs. Selling: Both Must Serve the Client First | Adopt a Marketing Mindset
We have found that many clients with wills had them hurriedly prepared just before a trip or vacation and had very little planning guidance.
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This isn’t just news. It’s a business lesson in three parts.
By Hitendra Patil
Accountaneur
Microsoft announced that it is buying LinkedIn for a colossal $26.2 billion—cash. What’s the message to the accounting profession? The value of the “professional network” isn’t in the number of its members, but the combination of the buying and the influencing power of Linkedin members. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
MORE for the ENTREPRENEURIAL ACCOUNTANT: The Three Gears that Drive Success in the Accounting Business | The Words That Will Change Your Future | A Declaration of Independence for Accountants | Brexit Worries? Worry More about Cexits, Texits and Pexits | LinkedIn Launches Accountant-for-Hire Service | 4 Pillars of Future Firm Foundation | ‘Uberizing’ Means More Than Technology | You Don’t Think Technology Helps Get New Clients?
Take a look at how MicroSoft and LinkedIn look at the deal (PDF). While Microsoft is paying $26.2 billion (including net cash) to buy LinkedIn, it believes the total addressable market of its LinkedIn purchase is $315 billion. READ MORE →
The formula: Straight talk, no gimmicks.
By Steven Klinghoffer
WPI Communications Inc.
Marketing rules and tactics for accountants are often different from those for product and service marketers. Because reputation is everything for accountants, their most effective marketing programs use a dignified tone—and a modest frequency. Moreover, the audience for tax and accounting services tends to be averse to gimmicky messages.
No matter how rapidly the marketing world changes—how quickly our tactics and tools evolve—some things remain the same: Quality content that educates and otherwise has an impact is certainly not outmoded.Nowhere is that truer than in the marketing of professional services—and it is a key driver of the ongoing relevance and effectiveness of newsletter marketing.Blogs, emails, and newsletters are everywhere, but they are not all created equal. The good ones inform clients or patients and build brands for the professionals who distribute them.
Here are seven ways and reasons newsletters–when executed properly–work exceptionally well for services professionals, even today. READ MORE →
It's time to rethink how you communicate.
By Jody Padar
The Radical CPA
Social should be in your DNA. Identify the communication gatekeepers in your firm.
Social + Strategy = Success | How to Measure Social Business… and Why | 6 Ways the Cloud Helps CPA Firms | You’re Already a Consultant | New Thinking Brings New Results | How the ‘New Firm’ Was Born
Do you want everybody in your firm tweeting? It’s a good idea – just like you have all your firm members representing your firm wherever they are.
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