client service opportunities

the 3 reasons firms are migrating to digital timesheets

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stopwatch on budget numbers in blue toningbut staffers need convincing and partners are still the biggest slackers.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

studies done over the past two decades have clearly shown that there is a significant improvement in realization for firms that enter, release and post time and expenses on a daily basis. this process allows for daily or “hotel” type billing, which is sent out with the completion of each billable project.

as many as 32 percent of firms today are still using manual billing sheets, while the rest of the industry is preparing the majority of invoices on screen, according to a survey of 300 multi-owner firms.

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what goes in a client’s permanent file?

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ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and awe’ve found at least 50 items. what would you add?

by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor

question: what type of information should be kept in, or as, permanent files?

response: a permanent file should be maintained for each of your clients. this would include the following:

  1. engagement letters
  2. representation letters – i would keep these in the permanent file. an example is that a claim could be made after you no longer have the work paper file associated with the matter. this is especially so with estate planning consultations where a claim could arise many years after a gift tax return was filed. i would keep copies of crummey letters in the file for the gift tax returns, if it is your practice to obtain copies of such letters read more →

if you’re a ‘best-kept secret’ cut it out!

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big businessman crushing a small one in his fingerstry these 6 ideas to stop losing business to competitors.

by sandi smith leyva

it’s rare that i lose business to competitors, and it’s also not an accident.

more: stuck at home right now? here’s 100 good ideas to relieve the stress | how to lead in a crisis | how to think straight through the coronavirus crisis | 16 tech tools for working through the coronavirus | 7 tips to keep the clients you have | do you know your opportunity number? | 7 tips to boost your firm’s performance | 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

if you are losing business to your competitors, here are some strategies you can use to “become a category of one,” as they say in marketing.
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financial services up at largest firms, down at smaller ones

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couple meeting with investment advisor.conflict of interest is one reason smaller firms shy away from rias.

the largest cpa firms are by far the leaders in providing investment advisory services, but the rest of the profession does not appear to be following their lead too closely.

fifty-eight percent of the profession’s largest firms, with more than $20 million in annual fees, offer investment advisory services, up from 51 percent in 2012, and another 9.1 percent were at least somewhat likely to add the services to their menus, according to the “the national map survey of cpa firm statistics: the rosenberg survey.”

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how to tell a client how the fee was set

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ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and aby ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor

question: i performed some additional services for a client and gave her a bill that she questioned and wanted to know how much time i had spent. i billed more than the time charges, but this client never gets time bills – everything i do is on a fixed fee so i never account for my time with her. what should i say now?

more practice doctor q&a: 18 ways to blow a partnership opportunity | when experience doesn’t add up | 8 times when hourly billing trumps value pricing | 6 simple steps to impress a prospect | making meetings more productive | 5 time management tips for an overworked accountant | running an accounting business | 14 ways to switch to value pricing | pricing, billing, costing: don’t blame clients

response: if a client is on a strict time basis, they are entitled to a breakdown of the hours and person performing the services.

otherwise, when clients ask me how i arrived at a bill i tell them something similar to this:

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how accountants get new clients

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angry young woman, blowing steam coming out of earswith client retention the top issue for firms, we go looking for the “secret sauce” for landing new business.
join the survey; get the results

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

if you want some real answers for how to avoid losing clients, just start asking cpas how they’ve managed to pick up new clients.

that’s exactly what we’ve been doing lately. some of the answers are startling. all of them are instructional. most of the time, accountants can blame the cpa that their new clients were abandoned. read more →

10 do’s and don’ts for making small business clients happy

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ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and aby ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor

question: most of my clients are either tax returns or small business clients. the number of individual tax returns grows each year, but i seem to be standing still with business clients. for every new one i get, i lose one. otherwise, i have about a 6 or 7 percent turnover. is there anything i can do to keep them?

response: i think small business clients need extra hand-holding from us because they are really alone.

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readers sound off on liberty, h&r block plans to launch bookkeeping services

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liberty block logosnew strategic ally, or competitive threat?

practitioners are actively debating the effects and impact of h&r block and liberty jumping into the bookkeeping business, as detailed by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间’ hitendra patil here.

“this is an opportunity to highlight quality,” says wesley middleton, head partner at middleton raines in houston. “the only person who has something to worry about are those that are only focused on price.”

not all practitioners agree in the discussion which began at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 and has spilled onto the 20,000-member 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 linkedin group. read more →

6 ways to move beyond compliance services

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dollar concept, financial adviser or finance advisorybecoming a ‘trusted advisor.’

by sandi smith leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

here’s a question: what portion of your revenues are derived from compliance work – e.g., tax preparation and irs representation; bookkeeping; quickbooks setup, cleanup and training; payroll; and audit work – versus value-added work, e.g., revenue improvement, business consulting, profit margin analysis and workflow improvement projects?

if you answered 100 percent compliance work and no value-added services, you’re not alone.  there’s a lot of lip service about moving from compliance services to becoming a “trusted advisor.” there’s an equal amount of confusion in how to get started.

here are a few tips to help those of you who want to move in that direction. read more →