Rob Nixon, Author at CPA Trendlines

Never Charge by a Time Unit

3 flaws with this business model.

By Rob Nixon

I would love to meet the person who invented time-based billing. I think this person is a complete business moron and I would have much pleasure in highlighting the unethical behavior that this method causes. This is probably the same person who invented write-offs as well. What a complete idiot.

The premise is that if you get the charge rate right and the time to do the job right, then the price is right. Nothing could be further from the truth.

MORE ON STRATEGY: Feel Good About Yourself | You Can’t Lavish Time Unless You Have Time to Lavish | Changing Accountants: 2 True Tales | Your Clients on Your Terms | How Much Should Partners Make? | Be a History Maker | Why ‘Steady as She Goes’ Isn’t Enough | How to Calculate a Value Price | Boost Efficiency and Your Bottom Line | Marketing Must Generate Leads
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Time-based billing does not value the project. The only value of a project is what the market is prepared to pay for it. I am going to challenge your thinking of time-based billing and encourage you to adopt a new model of value pricing.
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GROWTH STRATEGIES

Feel Good About Yourself

Lessons learned when my wife signed me up for a marathon.

By Rob Nixon

To do what you want, when you want, with whom you want in a manner that you want then you’ll start feeling good about yourself. If you do not feel good about yourself then you will probably hate your clients.

MORE ON STRATEGY: You Can’t Lavish Time Unless You Have Time to Lavish | Put Your Own Oxygen Mask On First | Define Client Wants Vs. Needs | The Entrepreneurial Accountant: An Oxymoron? | Growth Is All About the Clients | Order Takers and History Writers | Why Old Pricing Models Are Unethical | 8 Ways to Improve Firm Profits | Be an ‘Object of Interest’
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You need to be happy with what you see in the mirror. You need to be fulfilled and you need to be excited about life. You need to be happy with the way that you execute your goals.
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GROWTH STRATEGIES

You Can’t Lavish Time Unless You Have Time to Lavish

On the chopping block: time wasters and toxic relationships.

By Rob Nixon

To do what you want when you want means you need to MAKE time available to do what you want to do.

MORE ON STRATEGY: Put Your Own Oxygen Mask On First | How to Build Enduring Relationships | They Should All Be ‘A Class’ Clients | Accountants Are the Last Trusted Advisors | How to Structure Your Firm for Success | Why Average Project Value Matters | Do Your Clients Want More?
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There are many excuses that people make for not doing something. The poorest, weakest excuse that has no meaning is, “I didn’t have the time.” How can anyone not have the time when we all have the identical same amount of time to use? We all have 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week and 52 weeks in a year. No one gets one second more or one second less.
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FEATURED

Put Your Own Oxygen Mask On First

Everyone has a Ferrari.

By Rob Nixon

No doubt you have been on an airplane and endured the mandatory safety briefing. Every safety briefing has the oxygen mask discussion. On every flight I have ever been on they say (or infer) the same thing: “Make sure you put your own oxygen mask on first before helping others.”

MORE ON STRATEGY: How to Build Enduring Relationships | Changing Accountants: 2 True Tales | Your Clients on Your Terms | How Much Should Partners Make? | Be a History Maker | Experience Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Does | Why ‘Steady as She Goes’ Isn’t Enough | The Final Critical Traits: How Do Your Tires Look?
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What they are saying is that if you are calm, relaxed and in control you can help others survive. The same applies to the accounting business. If you (as the advisor) are healthy, fit, relaxed, in control, successful and wealthy, then you can help others to be the same.
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GROWTH STRATEGIES

How to Build Enduring Relationships

A 10-point communication schedule and 12 performance standards.

By Rob Nixon

When you get a lead for a new client you are so excited. It’s almost like a potential new love has entered your life.

MORE ON STRATEGY: Changing Accountants: 2 True Tales | Define Client Wants Vs. Needs | Mindset Is Everything | The Entrepreneurial Accountant: An Oxymoron? | Growth Is All About the Clients | Change Is On the Horizon | Order Takers and History Writers
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To seal the deal you really woo the potential client in the dating period and you dance for a few weeks while you make all sorts of promises. Finally they commit to being engaged to you and the client agrees to your promises and charm. You are even more excited.
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SEARCH CPA TRENDLINES

Rob Nixon

MORE AT STORE.CPATRENDLINES.COM

Rob Nixon has coached more than 434 firms adding over $850 million in profit to them and delivered seminars to over 175,000 people in 16 countries He can be contacted at robnixon.com.

Nixon is the founder of Panalitix, a technology-based coaching consultancy and membership community for tax and accounting firms seeking to improve operations, accelerate growth, and improve profitability.

Rob has forged a niche to be the world’s foremost authority on how accounting firms can achieve peak performance. Rob believes that accountants are the natural trusted advisor to business. He believes that accountants make a massive difference to their client’s condition. He believes that technology needs content and methodology to really be useful. He believes that accountants are not that interested in the future they are interested in what they need to do now. He also believes that unless accountants change their business model then a big part of their current revenue will go the way of the dinosaur.

Since 1994 he has been running businesses that specialize in helping Accountants run better, more profitable businesses. Accountants intrigue Rob and over the years he has trained them, consulted to them, coached them, researched them and visited thousands of them. His speaking work has taken him around the world where he has spoken to in excess of 150,000 accountants. Currently, his landmark strategies and products are used by over 16,000 accountants in over 20 countries.

In 2005 he created the revolutionary coaching model called Coachingclub. The CoachingClub model enabled firms to be accountable, to consistently learn and to share ideas amongst their peers. Over 800 Accounting firms have graduated from his Coachingclub program. The vast majority of firms have doubled or tripled profits because of the program.

Rob is a keen golfer (single figures) and adventurer (he is ticket holder 293 on Virgin Galactic to go into space). He lives in sunny Brisbane, Australia, with his wife Natalie and three children.

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