The best way to gather new and useful information for your practice.
By Gail Perry
cpapracticeadvisor.com
I have the honor of leading the technology walking tours at the show. By all means, I suggest you give it a try.
Wear some comfy shoes because you’re going to be on your feet for a couple of hours. And, more importantly, get ready to dive into the conference’s exhibit hall without having that feeling of walking the midway at a carnival and trying to avoid the carnival barkers.
On a walking tour, you visit the booths of a group of pre-selected vendors, and listen to a brief presentation in a relaxed setting. There is a difference from the drive-by experience that you would get on your own. First, the vendor isn’t under any pressure to grab your attention in five seconds and keep you from walking away. You are a captive audience, and the presenter knows that, so the presentation can be more heartfelt, real-life experiences can be shared.
Often you will have an opportunity to ask questions during a walking tour presentation, and you can do so feeling more like a student in a class than someone who’s worried about whether or not you’ll be able to keep your credit card in your pocket.
In the time that a walking tour presentation is being made, a brief rapport is built, forging the way for you to feel comfortable returning to the booth later. “I heard your presentation,” you can say, and the vendor will immediately know that the sales pitch can be skipped and you’re here for some real answers.
You get CPE credit for your time spent on the tour. And, you even get to take whatever free gizmo the vendor is offering without even having to feel guilty about doing so. You might even find that the best free stuff is in the presentation itself.
Gail Perry is a CPA and the editor-in-chief of CPA Practice Advisor magazine. She is also a well-known public speaker and is the author of more than 30 books (including Mint.com For Dummies and Surviving Financial Downsizing: A Practical Guide to Living Well on Less Money). In addition, she maintains a small tax practice. Gail is a graduate of Indiana University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism. After returning to school to study accounting at Illinois State University, Gail earned her CPA and worked for Deloitte’s Chicago office as a state and local tax specialist. She is a former tax columnist for the Indianapolis Star newspaper, has been an adjunct accounting professor, and was on staff for 10 years at the Indiana CPA Society as a computer applications instructor. Gail was the publisher and editor-in-chief of AccountingWEB before joining the CPA Practice Advisor team.
