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ADVISORY & CONSULTING

Seven Steps to Indispensability

two women sitting across a desk from one anotherAnd the six benefits that will accrue.

By Gary Bolinger
Profit in Disruption

Being seen by a client as indispensable has at its core two factors:

  • the client’s perception that you understand their most important things and
  • that you are key to helping them achieve them and stay on track.

MORE: How Do You Rate on the 34 KPIs for Client Relationships? | The Key that Unlocks Client Advisory Services | If You Can’t Explain It, No One Will Buy It | The Three Types of Advisory Services Clients Need Today
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Success is a perception that varies with individuals. For control freak entrepreneurs, feeling successful is a big deal and if we can help them feel more in control and thus more successful, then we are well on the way to them seeing us as indispensable.
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ADVISORY & CONSULTING

How Do You Rate on the 34 KPIs for Client Relationships?

Technology is an enhancement, not an alternative.

By Gary Bolinger
Profit in Disruption

In order to effectively engage with clients, the following are key ingredients of the relationship:

  1. Trust
  2. Quality communication
  3. Ongoing valuable benefits to both persons and aiming for the classic win: win
  4. Regular framing of the relationship.

MORE: The Key that Unlocks Client Advisory Services | If You Can’t Explain It, No One Will Buy It | The Three Types of Advisory Services Clients Need Today
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Mutually agreed transparency, high-quality and considered communication, striving for two-way benefits and correctly framing the relationship will create the desired beneficial outcomes in that relationship. Such terminology can appear lacking in empathy, but these factors translate into an improved business and personal relationship.
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ADVISORY & CONSULTING

The Key that Unlocks Client Advisory Services

Man looking at 5 keysWhich of the five types will you deploy?

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By Gary Bolinger
Profit in Disruption

An annual strategic review is key to a structured advisory services practice. The review provides an annual event where everyone’s attention is focused.

MORE: If You Can’t Explain It, No One Will Buy It | The Three Types of Advisory Services Clients Need Today | You Can’t Separate the Business from the Client | Tell Managers What Ownership Means | Clients: What Accountants Don’t Understand | Why Accountants Fail at Consulting
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The review can follow the annual financial report or precede when budgets are being put together. The annual strategic review articulates and confirms your strategic role. And make no mistake, the annual strategic review delivers a process to secure recurring fees and upon which to hang your advisory hat. The client receives a copy of the plan and then the fun starts when you support them in the implementation of their plans, one project at a time and one action at a time. Billable time.
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ADVISORY & CONSULTING

If You Can’t Explain It, No One Will Buy It

Woman working at desktop computerWhat’s your advisory process?

By Gary Bolinger
Profit in Disruption

Every firm that is serious about advisory services needs one client-facing advisory process that you can articulate to the market, but that is also consistent with how you deliver advisory services and of course operate internally. There is no need to “customize” the advisory process based on the client.

MORE BOLINGER on ADVISORY: You Can’t Separate the Business from the Client |Tell Managers What Ownership Means | Clients: What Accountants Don’t Understand | Why Accountants Fail at Consulting | Advisory vs. Low-Value Clients | What + Who Leads Firms to Better Service | How Accountants Are Profiting in Disruption | Ask the Right Question(s) | Seven Elements of Engagement for CPAs | True Advisory Work Isn’t Just Consulting

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The value in advisory services is not just in fees from strategic reviews but from all of these services, and often the fees from consulting can be very significant. For this reason, your advisory services need to be structured and not ad hoc. It is important that you have an articulated, repeatable advisory process, which must be client-facing, not just a list of technical services.
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ADVISORY & CONSULTING

The Three Types of Advisory Services Clients Need Today

How to use the whole-of-client approach.

By Gary Bolinger
Profit in Disruption

Planning for positive change and why people do what they do (or don’t) is fundamental to advisory services.

MORE BOLINGER on ADVISORY: You Can’t Separate the Business from the Client | Tell Managers What Ownership Means | Clients: What Accountants Don’t Understand | Why Accountants Fail at Consulting | Advisory vs. Low-Value Clients | What + Who Leads Firms to Better Service | How Accountants Are Profiting in Disruption | Ask the Right Question(s) | Seven Elements of Engagement for CPAs | True Advisory Work Isn’t Just Consulting

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Your clients have both personal and business goals. Over time you should assist the client in achieving both business and personal goals.
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ADVISORY & CONSULTING

You Can’t Separate the Business from the Client

Don’t fight it, work within it.

By Gary Bolinger

So, you have a client who owns a small business (use whatever definition you want for small business). There may be two or three owners of this business. The client(s) spend a lot of time working in or on the business. Most small business owners spend more time working in the business rather than on the business.

MORE: Tell Managers What Ownership Means | Clients: What Accountants Don’t Understand | Why Accountants Fail at Consulting | Advisory vs. Low-Value Clients | What + Who Leads Firms to Better Service | How Accountants Are Profiting in Disruption | Ask the Right Question(s) | Seven Elements of Engagement for CPAs | True Advisory Work Isn’t Just Consulting
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With a structured approach to advisory services, you can get the client(s) to spend a little more time working on the business to enhance the possibilities for growth, improved profitability and long -term success. So, your firm needs to develop that structured, repeatable approach for advisory services.
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FEATURED

Tell Managers What Ownership Means

Younger businesswoman and older businessman smiling and talking in office hallwayDon’t assume they see the benefits.

By Gary Bolinger

Not long ago, I was in a firm meeting with several partners and senior managers. The plan for the meeting was for me to provide an update on current and emerging issues facing the profession and firms. The issue of succession planning came up (as it frequently does). I had been scanning the room to attempt to determine who was really tuned in and who was just warming the chair they were sitting in.

MORE: Clients: What Accountants Don’t Understand | Why Accountants Fail at Consulting | Advisory vs. Low-Value Clients | What + Who Leads Firms to Better Service | How Accountants Are Profiting in Disruption | Ask the Right Question(s) | Seven Elements of Engagement for CPAs | True Advisory Work Isn’t Just Consulting
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A senior manager had caught my attention because he seemed intent on learning and understanding what was shaping his chosen profession. So, I took the opportunity to bluntly ask if he was interested in being an owner in the firm. I got a raised eyebrow from some of the partners. They obviously thought I was asking a question with a rather obvious answer. But …
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CLIENT SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

Clients: What Accountants Don’t Understand

Knowing them is just the start.

By Gary Bolinger

You know a lot about your business clients. As a  result of the compliance work you do – tax and financial reporting projects – you do know a lot about your clients. You know about profit and loss. You know about payroll. Certainly, you have some knowledge about vendors and customers, at least from a financial perspective. You have seen marketing budgets, cost of sales and know what occupancy costs are. All of that is good.

MORE: Why Accountants Fail at Consulting | Advisory vs. Low-Value Clients | What + Who Leads Firms to Better Service | How Accountants Are Profiting in Disruption | Ask the Right Question(s) | Seven Elements of Engagement for CPAs | True Advisory Work Isn’t Just Consulting
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But do you understand your clients? Do you understand your clients in ways that can give you the kind of insight that is needed to indeed be a most trusted advisor? In fact, to be the most valued advisor?
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