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61 Things Buyers Should Explore with Sellers

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Businesswoman in a meeting with a male colleague smiling at him as they sit at a table discussing paperwork over coffeeEverything from reporting to décor.

By Marc Rosenberg
CPA Firm Mergers: Your Complete Guide

Here we list 61 issues with mergers and acquisitions, and additional items will undoubtedly arise on a case-by-case basis.

MORE: Why Merging in Smaller Firms Is Fabulous | Selling Your Firm? What to Expect | Merger? The 100 Data Points You Need First | Why Do You Want to Merge? Be Honest.
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If a buyer pursued every one of these issues, it could take years to negotiate the deal and would ensure severe deal fatigue. So as you review this list, prioritize what issues are most important and customize these questions to the seller’s unique situation.
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When Clients Call You at Home

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Consider privacy issues.

By Ed Mendlowitz
Managing an Accounting Practice, The Complete 2-Volume Set: 202 Questions and Answers:

Q: I try to respond quickly to my clients’ calls and emails, but now they even call me at home. What can I do about this?

MORE: How to Handle Referrals with Attorneys | Audit Reports Without Doing the Work? | Ask These 10 Questions Before Adding Financial Services | 10 Reasons Clients Don’t Pay
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A: You told me you have an office and also give your clients your cell number to use. You also told me that you carry a smartphone and told your clients you prefer emails and can respond quicker to them. You also told me you get many compliments on your responsiveness.
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New Study: Embracing Diversity in Accounting

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Organizations incorporating DEI into their culture see numerous benefits, but many don’t know where or how to start.

From the Center for Accounting Transformation 

In an effort to better understand the needs and potential solutions for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, the Center for Accounting Transformation is conducting research into the DEI journeys of accounting professionals worldwide.

Join the 10-minute survey here.

Accounting professionals are urged to take the survey and be on the lookout for results this summer. 

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Four Tips for CPAs Replacing Clients

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Longevity takes planning.

By Sarah Johnson Dobek
Inovautus Consulting

Do you have a strategy for replacing your aging clients? CPA firms and their clients have the same options when it comes to aging leadership. Those who choose to continue their business will do so through internal succession or by merging or selling. Then there are those who face unplanned succession or just choose to close up shop.

MORE: Five Lead Generation Mistakes to Avoid | Five Post-Tax Season Growth Ideas | Five Better Ways to Say No | Are You Solving Your Clients’ Problems? | Five Ways to Grow New Service Lines | Business Development and Sales Aren’t Scary
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Every accounting firm will face one of these situations at some point, so here are four things your accounting firm should consider as they look at client replacement.
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Why Competition Matters Most

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The tone of your marketing must follow.

By Bruce Marcus
Professional Services Marketing 3.0

EDITOR’S NOTE: CPA Trendlines was privileged to have a long relationship with Bruce W. Marcus, who was ahead of his time in his thinking and practice in marketing for accounting. Today we begin publishing some of the late expert’s evergreen work, which retains wisdom for the present.

MORE: Bruce Marcus | BUY: Professional Services Marketing 3.0

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The late lawyer and novelist Louis Auchincloss wrote so meticulously and vibrantly about life in the legal and social world in the early and mid-20th century. The legal profession was rigid and class-defined, with a caste system governed by strict ethical rules, a hierarchical structure with great distance between the levels of a firm from managing partner to the lowest clerks (whom we now call associates), and by both money and status in society. To preserve the integrity and probity of the profession, there was an aloofness – an elitism – that set lawyers apart from the rest of the working world.

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