the small firm and solo practice

three ways to step up in uncertain times

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coronavirus crisis opens new opportunities to serve.

by sarah johnson dobek

in the late hours of march 11, president trump instructed the treasury department to defer tax payments without interest or penalties for certain individuals and businesses negatively impacted by covid-19 pandemic, commonly known as coronavirus.

see 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 special coronavirus crisis coverage

as many individuals and businesses grapple with the possibility and effects of illness, travel bans, quarantine, and economic distress, accounting professionals have a unique opportunity to step up as proactive advisors.

here are three ways you can help your firm and help your clients through uncertain times.

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how to think straight through the coronavirus crisis

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setting priorities in uncertain times.

by sandi leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

with the coronavirus crisis coming on top of tax season, the next few weeks may be the most challenging we’ve ever faced.

more on small-firm growth strategies: tech tools for working through the coronavirus | 7 tips to keep the clients you have | 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients | is your client newsletter stuck in the 1990s? | do you know your cac number? | change overload: 5 simple coping strategie
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

under these conditions, it’s hard for many to figure out what to work on next because there is so much work to be done. it’s easy to lose focus and end up working on unprofitable, yet urgent tasks. that’s not to say we put profit before people. but without profit, we can’t take care of our people.
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7 tips to keep the clients you have

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where do you think the best referrals come from?

by sandi leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

it’s far less expensive to keep your existing clients happy than it is to find new clients, especially because the trust factor between people continues to decline year after year. you might want to think about redirecting a portion of your marketing attention on your existing client base instead of networking for new clients. (and by the way, sending clients an organizer is not marketing!)

more on small-firm growth strategies: do you know your opportunity number? | 7 tips to boost your firm’s performance in 2020 | 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients | survey quantifies link between online reviews, revenue | major search algorithm change could affect your rankings | is your client newsletter stuck in the 1990s? | outsource or in-house? how does your marketing get done? | making content marketing part of your growth strategy
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

here are some tips to mine the pot of gold that lies right before you: your current clients who already trust you and are eager to hear about new solutions that will ease their pain and problems.
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do you know your opportunity number?

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hands using a calculatordetermine whether that new project or client makes sense for you.

by sandi leyva, cpa

each of us has 24 hours in one day. most of us have annual revenue goals. a few of us have monthly, weekly, daily or even hourly revenue goals.

more on small-firm growth strategies: 7 tips to boost your firm’s performance in 2020 | 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients | beyond referrals: getting new clients | blow your own horn already! | keep more of your busy season earnings | how a spreadsheet can help stop leaks
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

hopefully you know what your revenue goal is. (if not, you should!) if you don’t pull in that level of revenue for the week or month, then you’ve missed your plan.
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7 tips to boost your firm’s performance in 2020

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three darts hitting a target bull's-eyekeep targeting your weakest links.

by sandi leyva

if you’re ready to have your best year ever, then your first step is to plan to do something different. you won’t get to the next level doing saly – same as last year.

more on small-firm growth strategies: 5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients | survey quantifies link between online reviews, revenue | outsource or in-house? how does your marketing get done? | beyond referrals: getting new clients | five trends for the modern accountant | 7 ways to generate leads | blow your own horn already! | take the focus off price | 5 solutions when clients balk at price | keep more of your busy season earnings | want more clients? take these 5 steps | 5 skills to grow your practice | how a spreadsheet can help stop leaks
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

here are seven things to consider doing differently in 2020 that will help take you to the next level:
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5 mistakes to avoid when seeking new clients

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are you holding yourself back?

by sandi leyva, cpa

as an accounting professional, you’re likely very talented at delivering the service you offer your clients. but when it comes to marketing and selling yourself, many of you didn’t voluntarily sign up for that part.

more on small-firm growth strategies: survey quantifies link between online reviews, revenue | major search algorithm change could affect your rankings | is your client newsletter stuck in the 1990s? | outsource or in-house? how does your marketing get done? | making content marketing part of your growth strategy | do you know your cac number? | beyond referrals: getting new clients
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

many of you are resisting (kicking and screaming) marketing yourself. if that’s you, that could be why your business is slow or not growing at the rate you’d like it to.
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survey quantifies link between online reviews, revenue

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young businesswoman using a tablet3 key statistics.

by sandi leyva
the accountant’s accelerator

you wouldn’t want to run your business without referrals, right?

more on small-firm growth strategies: major search algorithm change could affect your rankings | is your client newsletter stuck in the 1990s? | making content marketing part of your growth strategy | tough lessons from tax season | 10 quick and easy tips for a better busy season | 6 metrics of marketing | want better clients? 5 ways to hook them | 3 ways to save time during busy season
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

in the online game, the equivalent of referrals is client reviews. you see them everywhere: google-my-business listings, on yelp, on facebook and on bing, to name a few. to say they are important to your business’s profitability is an understatement, and now it’s been quantified in a survey conducted by womply.
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major search algorithm change could affect your rankings

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it’s called bert, and it deepens context.

by sandi leyva
the complete guide to marketing for tax & accounting firms

google just rolled out a new search algorithm update that impacts not only the results of searches you perform but also how your website ranks in search results for more complex queries.

more on small-firm growth strategies: is your client newsletter stuck in the 1990s? | outsource or in-house? how does your marketing get done? | beyond referrals: getting new clients | five trends for the modern accountant | 7 ways to generate leads | take the focus off price | 5 solutions when clients balk at price
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

this major change comes with the name of bert, and in this case, bert is an acronym that stands for bidirectional encoder representations from transformers. bert helps google understand natural language in searches in a more meaningful way and will be able to provide searchers with better answers to their deeper queries.
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is your client newsletter stuck in the 1990s?

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woman wearing orange shirt texting on a smartphone walking in the street in a sunny dayif you look dated in one area, that perception can spread.

by sandi leyva, cpa

one of the leading client newsletter vendors discontinued its product this year, and we at accelerator newsletters having been getting a lot of calls from staff at accounting firms asking about our client newsletter offering.

more on small-firm growth strategies: outsource or in-house? how does your marketing get done? | making content marketing part of your growth strategy | tough lessons from tax season | 10 quick and easy tips for a better busy season | 6 metrics of marketing | want better clients? 5 ways to hook them
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the calls have been enlightening to me, but also disappointing to find out many firms are stuck in a decades-old way of sending client newsletters. here’s what i have learned from you and what i’d like to share to get everyone caught up to the way it is today in modern digital marketing.
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change overload: 5 simple coping strategies

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master the change around you with some healthy new habits. 

by sandi leyva
the complete guide to marketing for tax & accounting firms

this busy season brought with it massive changes in tax laws, form layouts, technology, and client confusion. if all this change seems to be a bit much, you’re not alone.

more from sandi leyva: 39 advisory services for accountants  |  mix and match marketing channels  |  marketing materials 201: some advanced tips  |  testimonials: why and how  |  10 marketing materials you need  |  make direct mail work for you  |  how to use ‘warmed-up’ telemarketing  |  content marketing types and tips  |  write your way to expert status    |  71 places to find new clients  |  awards can boost your reputation  |  are you newsworthy?  |  step-by-step: how to make newsletters work for you  |

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

handling change requires extra energy and resources that our brains would rather not use, causing a struggle within ourselves.

as you move from the april 15th deadline to working on your pile of extensions, here are some tips to reduce the feeling of overwhelm and better manage your energy and productivity.

everyone is different when it comes to the amount of change they can tolerate. use these five tips to help you master the change around you.

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39 advisory services for accountants

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two women shaking hands across a tablethe ultimate checklist to get you started.

by sandi leyva
the complete guide to marketing for tax & accounting firms

when we think about the word “advisory,” we accountants might think of financial ratios. advisory is so much more than that. it’s, in effect, everything we do for our clients that is not compliance work – work required because of government regulations and deadlines.

small firm growth strategies: mix and match marketing channels | marketing materials 201: some advanced tips | make newsletters work for you | technical aspects of video and youtube | how to schedule social media content | speaking: how, where and getting leads from it | partnering: referrals on steroids
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

here is a comprehensive list of advisory services to consider adding to the compliance services and other services you already offer. each one represents a potential new revenue stream for your business.
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why time and billing is over

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young businessman punching and breaking clock with fistmeasure outputs, not hours.

by jody padar
from success to significance: the radical cpa guide

i know you must be tired of me saying this.

more on radicalism: quick tip: 7 ways to add value and charge for it | profits: new firms, new measures | when staffers meet clients | selling product, not hours | maximizing social media: the importance of people | what are ai and bots? | true diversity means creating equity | creating more diversity in accounting firm leadership
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

but the real reason why i’m able to take on more and focus my energy on expansion is because utilization isn’t relevant to my firm.
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