how to suggest additional services to clients and why you’re doing them a disservice if you don’t.
by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor
question: i always feel awkward telling clients they need additional services that i should perform for them. can you tell something that could “rev” me up for this?
more practice doctor q&a: yes, you should send rejection letters | when to hire an admin assistant | 7 ways to lose a client’s trust | how much should you pay to buy, sell or merge an accounting practice? | why the average fee doesn’t matter | no more printouts at cpe programs? | 6 ways to take a client beyond tax prep
answer: actually, by suggesting additional services you are doing the client a favor and a good deed. also, you are in business and the easiest way to generate additional revenues is to cross-sell services to present clients.
don’t be distracted by the hot trend of the moment.
in “10 things that accountants didn’t need to worry about 10 years ago,” 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 contributor hitendra patil generated reader reactions with some provocative thoughts about a tsunami of trends. today, he looks at the other side of the coin, starting with a quote from amazon ceo jeff bezos:
“you should build a business strategy around the things you know are stable in time and then invest heavily in ensuring you are providing those things and improving your delivery of them all the time. if you want to build a successful, sustainable business, don’t ask yourself what could change in the next 10 years that could affect your company. instead, ask yourself what won’t change, and then put all your energy and effort into those things.”
by hitendra patil
pransform inc.
what has remained unchanged in the tax and accounting profession over the last few decades? and what will not change over the next couple of decades?
more on the entrepreneurial cpa by hitendra patil here.
being a futurist is not easy. being a realistic futurist is even more difficult. but being a person who knows the foundational value of his or her profession is relatively easy, if you know why and what customers buy from you. a ceo of black & decker once said the almost proverbial “customers don’t buy a drill machine, they buy a hole in the wall.” as an accountant and tax professional, you must figure out what your customers buy from you and why they buy from you rather than from your competitors.
now is the time to think about what they will continue to buy in the future. read more →
12 issues that might not have been addressed.
by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor
question: i was asked to do a quote on a business valuation for a startup that will be raising money on their second stage financing. how do i quote this?
answer: this is a wide-reaching question and it is not possible to know initially what the client really needs. they could need a valuation, a business plan or a method of bringing in the investor.
here are some of the many issues and variables:
read more →
automation can send the wrong message.
by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor
question: i have an automatic email response and some clients and contacts criticized me for it. i am overloaded during tax season and this takes some pressure off of me. here is the automatic email response i am sending out:
thank you for your e-mail. please accept my apology for this automated response. during tax season, most of my work days are scheduled with appointments and calls. i most always reply to emails and phone calls as soon as i can, usually the same day. replies are slower during the months of february, march and april. thank you for your patience.
answer: that’s terrible!
more practice doctor q&a: 12 must-knows for niche markets | when fees don’t keep up with cost increases | lowballing and why it (usually) doesn’t work | why the average fee doesn’t matter | how to apply value pricing to bundled services | 6 ways to take a client beyond tax prep | 10 do’s and don’ts for making small business clients happy | client’s difficult daughter balks at bill | 10 ways to get new 1040 clients | tax return reviewer ticking and tying | 23 reasons clients really need you for taxes | 5 time management tips for an overworked accountant | complaining client? no wonder! | pricing, billing, costing: don’t blame clients
you are running a business and tax season is just one part of it although concentrated into a highly intensive, pressure-filled period.
if you don’t ask, you can’t know. if not now, when?
by jean marie caragher
the 90-day marketing plan for cpa firms
tax season is the perfect time to identify cross-selling opportunities, strengthen client relationships and ensure client satisfaction.
consider asking your clients the following 14 questions this tax season. you may discover a new gold nugget of opportunity: read more →
make sure they both agree and you should be ok.
question: i have a long-term tax client who is going through a divorce and have been asked to meet with both spouses (soon to be ex-spouses) to perform tax and financial planning services. is representing both of them a conflict?
answer: it has the potential to be a conflict if not handled properly. here is an engagement letter that martin h. abo, cpa/abv/cva/cff uses in such circumstances. it is included here with his permission.
take this quiz to see whether you’re phoning it in.
do you seek out opportunities to learn new things that will help your clients overcome their most difficult challenges?
selling value-creation advisory services is truly a slam dunk with most modern business owners, according mentorplus. the bad news is that, although most cpas would say they are their clients’ most trusted advisor, few could answer the following questions in the affirmative.
turn the habits of everyday friendship into business skills.
by jean marie caragher
the 90-day marketing plan for cpa firms
since strong client relationships contribute to client satisfaction, longevity and lead generation, partners often encourage their managers and staff to build relationships with their clients. but these managers and staff look at the relationships their firm’s partners have built over time and think it’s impossible to replicate their results.
building relationships with clients can be done using the same behaviors that we use when building friendships and courting our spouse or significant other. consider these 12 tips to build client relationships, especially during tax season, prime time for in-person client contact. read more →
here are 8 concrete suggestions.
by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor
question: my largest client does over $100 million in annual sales and accounts for 40 percent of my total revenue. its bank has expressed their concern to me and the client about the existence of a contingency plan for accounting and tax backup in the event of my untimely death or long-term medical issues. this is a very important issue for me and i would appreciate any advice you can provide.
with the right approach, you may be able to save the relationship.
unhappy clients won’t tell you they have a problem; they’ll simply move their business elsewhere.
so, if a client gives you a chance to repair a bad situation, take it.
here are a few tips from maribeth kuzmeski, author of “the connectors: how the world’s most successful businesspeople build relationships and win clients for life,” to keep your business relationships from going bad — and rescue those that have started to sour:
we’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:
use these busy days to get to know your clients better. with a few quick questions, every client meeting can turn into a new relationship-building opportunity. ask how the firm is doing as a whole to assess satisfaction. ask some … continued
try 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
exclusively 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.
read more →