Here’s what you’re looking for: Jody Grunden

MARKETING & SALES

Thought Leadership Attracts Clients Like a Magnet

hand holding light bulb

Demonstrate your specialized expertise and become their first choice.

By Jody Grunden
Building the Virtual CFO Firm in the Cloud

Thought leadership is where you are really going to reap success. You want to be that person who everybody will come to.

MORE by Jody Grunden
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

I just got off a call with a prospective client who had never met me or even seen me speak, but discovered us through a web search and saw that we are thought leaders in the industry. That discovery brought her directly to us, and it was important to her that the CFO she hires fully understands her industry.
READ MORE →

MARKETING & SALES

Three Ways to Talk to Audit Clients

Prospects have to find you easily.

By Jody Grunden
Building the Virtual CFO Firm in the Cloud

With our 401(k) audit service, the bulk of our clients find us online and come to us through our website. We also get referrals from investment advisors and third-party administrators.

MORE by Jody Grunden
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

 

No matter how a prospect finds us, there are three ways that they typically reach out to us:
READ MORE →

MARKETING & SALES

Five Best Practices for Sales and Conversion

two women shaking hands across desk

Plus a six-step process for ushering prospects through to virtual CFO services.

By Jody Grunden
Building the Virtual CFO Firm in the Cloud

An important part of the overall process within the company is sales and conversion. For our virtual CFO service, there’s a six-step lead conversion process from when the prospect discovers our website to when the engagement begins.

MORE by Jody Grunden
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

The Sales and Conversion Process

Our sales and conversion process includes six steps.

Here’s what that looks like and the typical timeline: READ MORE →

MARKETING & SALES

Put Thought Leadership into Your Marketing

Businesswoman lassoing light bulb

You can’t just acquire new business. You have to retain it.

By Jody Grunden
Building the Virtual CFO Firm in the Cloud

I bet you can imagine that marketing a virtual accounting firm is different than it is for traditional brick-and-mortar accounting firms. When you’re only serving your local area, you need to focus on things like signage, local advertising, the Yellow Pages, your website, Google My Business, Yelp, Chamber of Commerce and word-of-mouth referrals. Those are all great ways to get noticed by people in your area who would benefit from the services you offer.

MORE by Jody Grunden
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

 

When your customer base isn’t confined to a specific location, however, it changes the game a bit. You still want word-of-mouth referrals and you still need a website, but it becomes even more important to focus on search engine optimization (SEO) and thought leadership – developing your online platform, publishing articles with industry publications, speaking, etc. – to help people discover your services.
READ MORE →

CLIENT SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

Three Steps to Better Client Communication

What can you anticipate and prepare for?

By Jody Grunden
Building the Virtual CFO Firm in the Cloud

Clients desire transparency. Being transparent with clients and having open, honest communication with them helps build really strong, healthy working relationships. It’s never been so important for us to have open communication channels with our clients at all times no matter what form of communication is being utilized.

MORE by Jody Grunden
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

 

In some organizations, people hide behind their computers if they feel too busy or if they don’t want to face the client because they aren’t able to meet a deadline. We, on the other hand, make it a priority to be available to our clients at all times.
READ MORE →

CLIENT SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

Client Trust Begins with Onboarding

Smiling businesswoman offering a handshake

How do you want this new relationship to begin?

By Jody Grunden
Building the Virtual CFO Firm in the Cloud

Onboarding is critical when it comes to bringing on new virtual CFO clients. It’s also important to have a smooth onboarding process for clients receiving any other types of services. I want to dive into onboarding in each of our service areas a little bit more.

MORE by Jody Grunden
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

I don’t mean to beat a dead horse here, but I simply cannot express enough how important the onboarding process is for establishing extremely solid client relationships. When it comes down to it, relationships are the backbone of our business.
READ MORE →

AUDIT & ASSURANCE

The Six Stages of 401(k) Audits

green marker checking boxes

Keep the process from dragging on.

By Jody Grunden
Building the Virtual CFO Firm in the Cloud

As with any service area, it’s important to have a solid process in place. Without one, it can be a little bit like the Wild West! The 401(k) audit process involves six stages, which are typically completed within four to eight weeks.

MORE by Jody Grunden
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

Once a prospective client confirms they want Summit to complete their audit, we send them the engagement letter and the questionnaires along with the governance planning memo that we’re required to give them.
READ MORE →

GROWTH STRATEGIES

Four Financial Metrics to See Your Firm’s True Picture

illustration of 4 key metrics

What you have now and what you have coming.

By Jody Grunden
Building the Virtual CFO Firm in the Cloud

Having a solid understanding of their finances can make a huge difference for business owners. Not only does it help business owners make decisions about when it’s time to hire a new employee or whether or not to invest in new equipment, but it also enables them to sleep better at night!

MORE by Jody Grunden
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

 

As a business grows, there are a few metrics business owners need to understand and review on a regular basis. When we work with growing businesses through our virtual CFO service, we help them focus on the following key metrics:
READ MORE →

PRICING, FEES & BILLING RATES

Four Options for Billing Clients

two women shaking hands across desk

Of course we have a recommendation.

By Jody Grunden
Building the Virtual CFO Firm in the Cloud

When I attend CPA conferences across the United States, I often hear from CPAs: “I don’t want to bill for my time.”

So, how do you bill your clients?

MORE by Jody Grunden
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

 

Client billing can include hourly billing, but it can also include flat-fee, retainer-based and/or value-based billing. Most people use one of these four methods. Some use all of them or even a hybrid.
READ MORE →

MANAGEMENT

Three Ways to Measure Your Team’s Effectiveness

illustration with three thermometers

They have to work in harmony.

By Jody Grunden
Building the Virtual CFO Firm in the Cloud

Once you’ve systemized the processes for your accounting team, it’s important to evaluate the effectiveness of your process on a regular basis. You want to be aware of what’s working well and what’s not. You also want to continually be improving upon your services over time

MORE by Jody Grunden
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

 

There are three things you can specifically monitor when it comes to the effectiveness of your team, as shown in the illustration above.
READ MORE →