True Advisor® – The Definitive Success Guide for Client Advisory Services

The Authoritative CAS Playbook for Modern Firms

The accounting profession is at a turning point: automation, AI, and client expectations are reshaping the definition of value.

True Advisor®  helps firms evolve—moving from transactional services to relationship-driven, insight-led advisory models that deepen client loyalty and drive higher margins.

Built on Patil’s True Advisor™ Framework, this handbook connects strategy, technology, pricing, communication, and delivery into one unified growth model for CAS excellence.

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Rave Reviews from Top Experts in the Profession

“Hitendra Patil’s True Advisor framework provides firms with a clear roadmap to move beyond simply delivering data to offering decisions, direction, and actual results that clients value. If you are ready to stop merely talking about CAS and truly transform your firm, this book is your guide.

—Allan D. Koltin, CPA, CGMA, CEO / Koltin Consulting Group

“Advisory-CAS isn’t just the future of the profession; it’s the present opportunity that many firms are still missing. Patil elevates the discussion to a whole new level, explaining why Client Advisory Services matter and demonstrating how to build, scale, and make them an essential component of client service delivery.”

—Wayne Berson, CEO, BDO USA / Chairman, BDO International 

“For anyone serious about growing their advisory practice and staying ahead in the profession, this book is a must-read. Patil has created more than just a guide. He has given us a blueprint for the future of accounting.”

—Jim Bourke, CPA, CITP, CFF, CGMA, Partner and Managing Director, Advisory Services – Withum

“Patil has done it again! His latest book on Client Advisory Services is a real game-changer that goes beyond the basics to give you a complete, transformative system… What really sets this book apart is the practical blend of mindset and method. You will find a ton of tools, templates, case studies, and client success stories.”

—Amit Chandel, CPA, CTS, CTP, CTC, CVA, CTRS, CExP, CGMA, LLM(t) Founder, S.W.A.T. Advisors and Focus CPA Group, Inc. 

“Hitendra Patil addresses how to be proactive in providing CAS services, but he also simplifies what they are and how to do them. With any new service, there is a litany of offerings—and often confusion. Any reader of this book will have their confusion ended—and reading this book and implementing just one or two ideas will provide high payback for the time spent with it.”

—Ed Mendlowitz, CPA, Emeritus partner, Withum, and one of Forbes’s’ Top 200 CPAs in America.“

“Hitendra Patil is the most knowledgeable person in the U.S.A. on how to deliver Client Accounting and Advisory Services. In this book, he explores the advisory side of CAS. If readers follow his advice, they should be able to at least double the average fee per client—and the clients will be happy to pay for it.”

—Rob Nixon, author of “Profit and Time: Accountant’s Guide to Having It All.”

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Who Needs True Advisor®

• Managing partners and firm owners

• CAS / CAAS practice leaders

• Advisory champions inside tax or compliance-led firms

• Firms actively offering, pricing, or redesigning Client Advisory Services

You will get the most value from this book if your firm:

• Already offers CAS—or is actively trying to

• Struggles to price advisory services with confidence

• Delivers advisory work that clients appreciate but don’t always recognize or pay for

• Wants advisory revenue that is recurring, scalable, and defensible

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True Advisor® Solves the Problem

Across the profession, the same pattern keeps repeating:

• Firms are doing advisory work—but not charging appropriately for it

• CAS clients generate more revenue, yet pricing remains inconsistent and uncomfortable

• Advisory conversations happen, but value is poorly articulated

• Teams are stretched thin, and advisory feels harder to scale than promised

The data is clear:

• CAS clients generate 2.6× more annual revenue than non-CAS clients

• Fewer than 10% of firms are satisfied with how they price advisory services

• Staffing shortages and burnout are now the #1 constraint on growth

• Private equity–backed firms are accelerating advisory-first models, raising the competitive bar

The issue is not with the belief in advisory.
The issue is operational clarity.

True Advisor® closes that gap between advisory intent and advisory results.

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The True Advisor® Model

• Trust: Build unshakeable credibility and proactive communication.

• Results: Tie every service to measurable business outcomes.

• Understanding: Anticipate client needs before they surface.

• Empathy: Lead with listening and personalized guidance.

The Advisory Evolution Path

• Learn the five stages firms pass through on their journey from bookkeeping to high-value advisory.

• Discover the inflection point where automation and insight intersect—and where profits multiply.

• Transition staff mindsets from “data dogs” to “strategic interpreters.”

Pricing and Positioning CAS

• How to price for value, not time—and move beyond hourly billing traps.

• Proven models for packaging, recurring revenue, and outcome-based pricing.

• Communicate advisory value in client language, not accounting jargon.

Building the Advisory Engine

• Structure your firm for scalable CAS—roles, systems, and workflows that drive consistency.

• Integrate technology intelligently: leverage automation and analytics to enhance—not replace—human insight.

• Design service levels that align with client complexity and value perception.

Leadership and Mindset

• Develop advisory leaders who blend empathy with entrepreneurial drive.

• Implement cultural change with the “Advisory-First Mindset™,” which fuels retention and growth.

• Empower teams to ask better questions, hold strategic conversations, and strengthen client relationships.

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Real-World Evidence, Not Abstract Theory

Built on CPA firm research
The guidance in this handbook draws directly from CPA Trendlines research, including survey data from more than 300 accounting firms. That research examines how firms are actually delivering, pricing, staffing, and scaling Client Advisory Services—and where they continue to struggle. The handbook translates those findings into practical frameworks firms can apply immediately.

Validated by the profession’s leadership
The handbook includes endorsements and perspectives from some of the most recognized leaders in accounting and advisory services, including firm CEOs, practice leaders, and long-standing industry advisors. Their feedback reflects a shared conclusion: advisory is no longer optional, and firms need clearer operating models to succeed.

Written by a practitioner focused exclusively on CAS and advisory
Hitendra R. Patil has spent more than two decades working with CPA firms on Client Accounting Services and advisory transformation. He is the author of prior best-selling books on CAS and is widely recognized for helping firms move from compliance-heavy models to advisory-led practices that are sustainable and profitable.

Published by CPA Trendlines Research
CPA Trendlines brings independent research, editorial rigor, and long-standing credibility to its coverage of the accounting firm business. This handbook is not vendor-sponsored content or promotional material. It is published as part of CPA Trendlines’ ongoing work to document, analyze, and explain the forces reshaping the profession.

Together, the research, practitioner experience, and independent publishing perspective give this handbook its authority. The recommendations are not hypothetical. They reflect what CPA firms are doing today—and what successful firms are doing differently.

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True Advisor® Pays for Itself

For CPA firms, the real cost of advisory is not learning about it.
It is underpricing it, mispackaging it, or failing to operationalize it.

True Advisor® is designed to be evaluated the same way partners evaluate any other firm investment: time, cost, and return.

The investment

• Book cost.

• Selective reading and implementation time: modest, partner-directed

• No required software, subscriptions, or vendor commitments

The return
The handbook pays for itself if it helps a firm achieve just one of the following within 6–12 months:

• Upgrade one existing client into a higher-fee advisory relationship

• Correct the pricing on one underpriced CAS engagement

• Win one new advisory client by articulating value more clearly

For most firms, any one of those outcomes represents $5,000–$20,000 in incremental, recurring annual revenue. Even at conservative margins, that return dwarfs the initial investment.

More importantly, the handbook addresses structural issues, not one-off tactics:

• How advisory is positioned

• How it is explained to clients

• How it is priced and packaged

• How it is delivered consistently across the firm

Those changes compound over time. Advisory revenue is recurring. Pricing mistakes repeat every year. Clarity, once established, scales.

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Put it to work
True Advisor® is not meant to be read once and forgotten. Firms use it in practical, operational ways:

• Partner planning and strategy sessions
  To align leadership on what advisory means for the firm and where it fits in the service mix.

• CAS practice design and redesign
  To structure offerings, pricing tiers, and client pathways with more clarity and consistency.

• Pricing and proposal resets
  To reframe advisory conversations around outcomes rather than tasks or hours.

• Training and internal alignment
  As a shared reference point for CAS leaders, managers, and emerging advisors.

• Competitive positioning
  To understand how private equity–backed firms and advisory-first competitors are reshaping client expectations—and how independent firms can respond.

In many firms, the book becomes a working reference, not just a read.

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Strategic Insights

Advisory Is the Future

The next-generation CPA firm is built on insight, not input. Advisory will drive more than 50% of the firm’s profits over the decade, with data analytics and automation freeing professionals to focus on strategy.

The Trust Economy

Trust is the new currency of client relationships. TRUE ADVISOR details how to communicate with clarity, empathy, and precision—turning everyday interactions into opportunities for long-term retention.

Technology as an Enabler

CAS success requires tech fluency, not tech obsessionPatil’s’s framework shows how to choose tools that align with your advisory goals and avoid apps that drain efficiency.

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Top Ten: How True Advisor® Will Change Your Life and Your Firm

1. You stop guessing what “advisory” means.
You gain a clear, practical definition of advisory—what it is, what it is not, and where it properly fits in a CPA firm. That clarity eliminates internal debate and client confusion.

2. You finally charge appropriately for work you already do.
Many firms are already delivering advisory value without charging for it. The book helps you recognize that value, articulate it, and charge for it with confidence.

3. Advisory conversations become easier—and more productive.
Client discussions shift from explaining reports to guiding decisions. You spend less time justifying your work and more time influencing outcomes.

4. You reduce frustration caused by “invisible value.”
When clients say, “I didn’t know you did that,” the problem isn’t your expertise—it’s how the value is framed. The book shows how to make advisory visible and understood.

5. Your firm moves from accidental advisory to intentional advisory.
Advisory stops depending on a few partners or informal conversations. It becomes a deliberate, repeatable part of how the firm operates.

6. Pricing stops being the uncomfortable part of advisory.
Instead of negotiating fees defensively, you learn how to package and position advisory services around outcomes, making pricing feel logical—to you and to clients.

7. You gain a framework to scale without burning out your team.
The book addresses staffing shortages, workflow friction, and capacity limits, helping firms design advisory models that scale without relying on heroics.

8. You spend more time on high-value work and less on low-leverage effort.
As advisory becomes structured and monetized, partners spend less time reacting and more time leading—both with clients and inside the firm.

9. Your firm becomes more resilient in a changing market.
With private equity, consolidation, and technology reshaping the profession, advisory becomes a stabilizing force—driving recurring revenue and stronger client relationships.

10. You regain confidence in the direction of your firm.
Instead of feeling behind or uncertain, you gain a clear roadmap for how advisory fits into your firm’s future—and what to do next.

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Top Ten FAQs: True Advisor® Has the Answers

1. What exactly counts as Client Advisory Services (CAS)?
The handbook provides a clear, practical definition of CAS—how it differs from compliance, consulting, and one-off advice—and explains why many firms are already delivering CAS without recognizing or monetizing it.

2. How is advisory different from consulting in a CPA firm?
True Advisor® draws a sharp distinction between advisory (ongoing, relationship-based guidance) and consulting (project-based problem-solving), and explains when each belongs in a firm’s service mix.

3. Why do clients value our advisory work but hesitate to pay for it?
The handbook shows how advisory value often remains invisible to clients—and how firms can make that value clear, concrete, and chargeable without overselling.

4. How should CAS be priced without violating professional or ethical standards?
It addresses value-based pricing, tiered packages, and outcome-oriented framing in ways that align with CPA ethics and real-world firm constraints.

5. What services should actually be included in a CAS offering?
Rather than offering a generic service list, the handbook explains how firms should design CAS offerings based on client needs, firm capacity, and desired outcomes.

6. How do we move clients from compliance work into advisory services?
The handbook introduces the concept of the CAAS Chasm and provides a structured approach to help clients transition naturally into higher-value advisory relationships.

7. How do we scale advisory when staffing is already tight?
True Advisor® addresses the talent shortage directly, showing how advisory can be systematized through workflows, roles, technology, and clearer expectations—reducing burnout rather than increasing it.

8. What metrics actually show whether advisory is working?
The handbook explains how to measure advisory success using internal KPIs, client outcomes, and before-and-after impact—moving beyond vague satisfaction measures.

9. How does private equity change the advisory landscape for CPA firms?
It examines how PE-backed firms are using advisory as a growth engine—and what independent firms need to understand to remain competitive without compromising culture or independence.

10. Is CAS worth the effort compared to traditional tax and compliance work?
Using firm data and real-world examples, the book shows when CAS increases revenue, improves margins, strengthens client relationships, and makes firms more resilient over time.

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Included

• 360+ pages of practitioner-focused guidance

• Clear frameworks, models, and real-world examples

• Integrated CPA Trendlines research and survey findings

• Bonus tools and implementation resources (clearly optional)

Available as a premium professional reference designed for firm-level use.

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Bottom Line

True Advisor® is for CPA firms that are serious about advisory—but want less hype and more structure.

If your firm believes advisory is part of its future, this book provides a clear, research-backed, and practical way to make that future work.

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About the Author

Hitendra R. Patil is one of the accounting profession’s most respected voices on practice growth and client relationships. He is the author of the best-selling Accountaneur: The Entrepreneurial Accountant, director of practice development at CPA Trendlines, and a global speaker on the future of accounting. With decades of experience in accounting technology and firm strategy, Patil helps CPAs worldwide evolve from service providers to true advisors.