pricing, fees & billing rates

the four phases of service life

by

chart of a product life cycleplus the effects of a late mature market.

by august j. aquila

there is an important concept in marketing that provides companies with tremendous insight as to what they can expect for their products or services in the marketplace. it’s called the product life cycle and, sooner or later, all products and services will go through the complete cycle. as they do, several external and internal factors change. the accounting industry and the services it provides are no different.

more: what we know about pricing strategies | make the most of your marketing mix | marketing orientation is what firms need | when hourly billing hurts profits
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

as this figure shows, the product life cycle is divided into four distinct phrases: introduction, growth, maturity and decline. the most important thing to remember about the product life cycle is that it is intimately tied into the sales of that product or service. it’s important that a firm’s marketing mix change during the life cycle of its various products.
read more →

what we know about pricing strategies

by

price targetwhere penetration comes in.

by august j. aquila

pricing in the real world is much different than in the accounting profession. usually, wholesalers and retailers set their prices by using markups as the product moves through a distribution channel.

more: make the most of your marketing mix | marketing orientation is what firms need | when hourly billing hurts profits
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

producers or manufacturers usually set a list price. think of the manufacturer’s suggested list price on the window of a new car. car dealers will use various methods to price the new vehicle. let’s look at the most common pricing strategies that you may consider.
read more →

make the most of your marketing mix

by

"target market" illustration with arrow and bull's eyeupdating the five p’s.

by august j. aquila

forty-five years ago, in 1977, the landmark u.s. supreme court decision in bates & o’steen v. state bar of arizona, 433 u.s. 350 (1977) changed the accounting profession forever. that decision prompted accountants to pursue a wide range of marketing activities. and, ever since that eventful day, accountants have been struggling with the meaning of marketing and the impact of marketing on their practices.

more: marketing orientation is what firms need | when hourly billing hurts profits
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

some would say that it has been the best thing that ever happened to the profession and others, of course, would voice just the opposite opinion. whichever side of the debate you are on, there is one certainty: marketing is here to stay.
read more →

fine-tuning the subscription fee model

by

how cpa jamie lopiccolo’s subscription pricing models manage client expectations and the firm’s cash flow.
^ click to play video | > play the podcast and follow 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 podcasts on apple podcasts here or grab the rss feed here.

with steven sacks
the new fundamentals: thriving in disruption

james (jamie) n. lopiccolo, cpa, cgma
lopiccolo

jamie lopiccolo, the managing member of a small midwest firm, has been employing a subscription-based model for more than four years to invoice clients for services rendered. in addition to positioning the cpa as the client’s partner for success, it also encourages those who employ the system to provide maximum value in each client interaction, rather than focusing on getting as much money or billable hours as possible. catch another conversation with lopiccolo here: sell service, not hours.

more: blake oliver: why tax work yearns to be free| private equity explodes in u.k. | brannon poe: the status quo must go  |  accounting nerds, unlock your super powers  | private equity vs. the cpa firm partnership the fintech flood: accounting will never be the same  |  think small to think big with matt wilkinson | your sales tax headaches are only just beginning | when financial statements go extinct with corey schmidt  |  can geraldine carter save accountants from themselves? |  re-inventing accounting with tyler anderson |  turning client service into new revenue

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

the approach is to both manage expectations by the client and ensure a normalized cash flow for the firm. additional benefits include a more strategic approach to dealing with new clients because they are getting the full picture of their business’s needs.

more takeaways:

read more →

marketing orientation is what firms need

by

production orientation is where too many rest.

by august j. aquila

let’s look at the different focuses or orientations that firms can take toward managing and running their practices and see which ones the traditional pricing methods encourage. any organization, whether an accounting firm or not, usually tends to have one of four focuses.

they are either selling-oriented, product-oriented, production-oriented or marketing-oriented.

more: when hourly billing hurts profits
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

each focus will have a direct impact on how a firm looks at servicing clients and pricing its services. the predominant focus is often dictated by the value system of the founders of the organization or its current management team. perhaps when the firm was first started, the predominant focus was appropriate. however, a danger exists when the external environment changes and the internal environment of the firm stays the same. in the ’70s and early ’80s firms did quite well by following a production orientation focus. in the late ’80s and the ’90s, this strategy did not work as well. and it certainly does not work today.
read more →