six reasonable goals for cpa firm marketing
but will your tactics do the job?
strategy
why 9% of firms flourish even in bad times
a four-pronged approach to weathering any economic storm.
by sandi smith, cpa
according to an article published in harvard business review, three scientists, ranjay gulati, nitin nohria, and franz wohlgezogen, conducted a study to discover the strategies that generated the most – and the least – profits in lean times.
more small-firm success tips at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间: ‘there is no such thing as a time problem’ • 15 off-the-hook ideas for accountants to dream big • 3 money leaks that may need plugging in your business • seven tips to keep the clients you have • how to attract clients like a magnet • eleven easy ways to deliver more value to clients • five things accountants take for granted that costs them revenue • what’s in your new client funnel? • what’s in your welcome kit for new prospects? • five fun and easy ways to wow your clients • six ways to give yourself a raise • strategies to stop losing business to competitors • five tips to manage your ‘overwhelm’ level • easy ideas for a quick business boost • four new mega-trend marketing strategies • how to stop leaving money on the table
first, here’s a list of sure-fire ways to kill your business: read more →
the tools of marketing are not a program – they are simply tools
and they’re only as good as the people using them…
don’t ask a cpa what profitability means
you’d think they could agree on a common definition for their firms. they can’t.
by marc rosenberg, cpa
author of what really makes cpa firms profitable
if you asked the president of a fortune 500 company or the owner of a restaurant to define profitability, they would be able to give a quick, definitive answer. not so with cpas. surely, you’ve heard the story, perhaps apocryphal, of the company that was interviewing for a new cpa firm. only one question was asked of each candidate: “how much is two plus two?” the firm that won the bid gave the answer, “how much would you like it to be?”
related: compensation issues for the new managing partner | 20 decisions for your firm’s new partner compensation committee | three ways to break partner gridlock in an accounting firm | what partners are entitled to, and what they’re not entitled to | how to make partner? | why accounting firm partners are “popping prozac like m&m’s” | more…
the same can be true of cpa firm profitability. how do we measure it? you would think that the uncontested champions of measuring financial data, cpas, would have this down to a science. but such is not the case. read more →
preparing to sell your practice in a few years? 13 things you need to know today
what to do before you put your practice on the market.
here at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间, ed mendlowitz answers some of the toughest questions practitioners can throw at him. he’s the right one to ask. after more than 40 years in the business – building his own practice, running the firm, and eventually selling it to a major regional firm, withumsmith+brown, where he remains a senior partner and consultant to professional services clients – he has the answers. we’re happy to have him at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间. send your questions for ed here, or chime in with comments below.
meanwhile, browse more from ed here: what’s a tax practice worth today? / congratulations! you bought a tax practice. now what? | how accountants can keep the business when a client wants to sell theirs | 10 reasons clients don’t pay, and what to do about it | 13 reasons timesheets will never die |
— rick telberg
president / ceo
question: i am getting older and want to continue working at least five more years. should i merge now to anticipate and facilitate a buyout?
how firms unleash the power of diamonds, cash cows and fat cats
dozens of accounting firms are turning a business cliche into new growth.
by gale crosley
crosley & co.
an internet search for the term “predictable growth” yields millions of links to websites, videos, books, and consultants. there seems to be no doubt about the idea that growth can be planned and charted.
but for accounting professionals who are trying to grow their firms, it may seem that there’s nothing at all predictable about sources of opportunity and how to manage them. if that’s your situation, it may be because you haven’t yet unlocked the power of the product lifecycle.
more gale crosley at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 for pro members:
- how smart firms use market research
- got leads? get real. learn how to qualify big opportunities
- it’s a new generation in lead generation
- at the best firms, growth is no accident
- four keys to success at seiler cpas
- how accounting firms are re-building their sales pipelines
- how to get started on ifrs in one easy step
in the 1970s, bruce henderson of the boston consulting group introduced the concept that products and services have a predictable, consistent cycle. some four decades later, the bcg matrix that he developed remains a popular growth tool. dozens of accounting firms are adapting a version of the model and are using it to help determine how to grow each service line and industry. read more →
planning a partner retreat for real results
and why the best firms make them regular events.
by marc rosenberg, cpa
author of guide to planning the firm retreat
retreats are critically important to a firm’s success.
a retreat provides an opportunity for key people to meet off premises to plan for the future, devise strategies, form goals and address problem areas. another objective of a retreat is less tangible, but equally as important: to enhance the quality of the relationships among co-workers and improve communications between them.
no alignment? no execution.
seven steps to getting things done right.
strategy, they say, is easy. execution is hard.
excellent execution beats excellent strategy most of the time. unfortunately, at many accounting frims, good strategies die a slow death as intertia, obstinacy or simple disinterest take hold.
the roadmap to success may seem easy to follow. but, as management consultant august aquila says, “it takes real commitment from the firm’s leaders to do it and follow through.”
aquila is ceo of aquila global advisors, specializing in succession planning, mergers and acquisitions, and compensation plan consulting. here’s his seven-step formula for translating good intentions into real results. read more →
score your firm on eight critical success factors
does your firm get “it”? quiz your partners and staffers. by edi osborne mentor plus everywhere i go, experts in the profession have a debate about what percentage of the profession really gets “it?” the veritable “it” is the future … continued
the six-step roadmap for cpa change agents
… and the nine keys to successful change.
by nick keseric
www.mpscpa.com
there are some pretty tough jobs out there. sword swallower. repairman at a nuclear plant. dentist for alligators. but being a change agent could top the list.
when you mention change agent, the term “cultural change” is usually close behind. change agents change the way things are being done on two fronts:
1. structurally/organizationally within a business and
2. change employee’s thinking, and how they do things.
larry autry, wp: looking to acquire a practice group
strategy 2012: succession solutions
what are your critical challenges for 2012, and what can do you about them? a number of the profession’s leading lights have been sharing their thoughts with accounting today. here’s one:
larry g. autrey
whitley penn
the aging of partner ranks. older partners want to continue when they’re in good health, while younger staff sees that as preventing their career progression.
new year’s resolutions for and by accountants
‘tis the time to be thinking and planning for the new year.
so, naturally, we’re all making new year’s resolutions. here are a few from 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 members.
add your resolutions in comments at the bottom, or join the survey and get the results.
- 90 day performance plans with all staff.
- increase fees for tax prep
- provide better information to top management so it better understands cost structures and can react accordingly. read more →
charles postal, sp&co.: investing in people and mergers
strategy 2012: battling for market share
what are your critical challenges for 2012, and what can do you about them? a number of the profession’s leading lights have been sharing their thoughts with accounting today. here’s one:
charles postal
santos postal & co.
we see a shrinking market share of small and medium-sized businesses with the need for premium accounting services caused by increased competition from larger firms with greater resources.