the four types of competition and 6 ways to make your firm stand out

first steps in developing a pricing strategy.businessman drawing one arrow longer than others

by august j. aquila
price it right

after demand, perhaps the next most important factor affecting a cpa firm’s pricing policies is competition.

more: how demand affects pricing | understanding the product pricing life cycle | 4 ways a production orientation can harm a firm | price to get the maximum fee | 7 issues in partner retirement planning | 5 ways to keep your edge | the toughest job in the world: managing an accounting practice | how to become the firm of choice
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as clients and prospects become more educated about cpa firms in their market, more sophisticated about the services offered and more cost-conscious, pricing becomes more important and more firms are beginning to stress the price of their services, especially in competitive request-for-proposal situations. intensive price competition in most professional service industries is now a way of life, from hotels to airlines, from car rentals to telecommunications and from law firms to cpa firms.
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how demand affects pricing

word cloud related to demandone word: elasticity.

by august j. aquila
price it right

economists define demand as a schedule of the various amounts of an item (a good or service) that buyers will purchase at different price ranges during a given time period.

more: understanding the product pricing life cycle | marketing and the 5 p’s | why choose a marketplace orientation? | why value pricing? | solving underperforming or dysfunctional partners | the 3 types of partners you need
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according to the theory of price elasticity of demand, there is an inverse relationship between price and the quantity of an item bought. in other words, as the price of a service decreases, the quantity demanded increases and as the price of a service increases, the quantity demanded decreases.
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understanding the product pricing life cycle

chart of a product life cyclewhich of the 4 phases do your products fall into? here’s how to tell.

by august j. aquila
price it right

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.

more: marketing and the 5 p’s | how to shift from production to marketing orientation | how traditional fee methods hurt firms | 6 questions for planning your succession | underperformers come in many shapes and sizes
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the accounting industry and the services it provides are no different. the figure above displays the life cycle of a typical service or product.
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pricing strategies: the real world vs. the cpa world

businessman and tablet with the word "pricing" above.7 types and how they work.

by august j. aquila
price it right

pricing in the real world is much different than in the accounting profession.

more: marketing and the 5 p’s | how to shift from production to marketing orientation | how traditional fee methods hurt firms | 6 questions for planning your succession | underperformers come in many shapes and sizes | 6 focuses for managing partners | 10 steps to transitioning to a new mp | what managing partners should be doing
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usually, wholesalers and retailers set their prices by using markups as the product moves through a distribution channel. 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.
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how traditional fee methods hurt firms

a road sign depicting falling dollarsrule of three and cost-plus overlook some key considerations.

by august j. aquila

the time has come for the accounting professional to rethink the paradigm on which pricing has been based. let’s discuss the traditional methods of price setting and how they can have a negative impact on a firm.

more: price to get the maximum fee | why value pricing? | solving underperforming or dysfunctional partners | the 3 types of partners you need | how mps can make a real difference | 5 reasons that leaders fail | 11 things all partners must do | why partners need written goals | the 6-step plan for transitioning clients

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the what, so what and now what?

kyle walters: "to raise fees, you need to raise the value you provide."it’s no longer enough to be a historian.

by kyle walters

ever noticed that a car’s windshield is always larger than its rearview mirror?

more: clients don’t have a fee problem, they have a value problem
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when you are driving down the highway of life, looking ahead is far more important than looking behind you. the same is true when it comes to your client’s financial goals.
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price to get the maximum fee

piggy bank on scale with dollar signsdon’t work more hours or harder. work smarter and learn how to price your services accordingly.

by august j. aquila

even if your billing methods and philosophy are diligently followed and your collections are under control, if you are not pricing your services properly, you are still leaving significant dollars on the table. you should price your services to receive the maximum fees possible.

more: why value pricing? | 6 questions for planning your succession | underperformers come in many shapes and sizes | 6 focuses for managing partners | 10 steps to transitioning to a new mp | what managing partners should be doing | do your partners pay their own way? | 7 keys to becoming an equity partner | how and why to achieve partner unity
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most other professionals today price their services based on what the market will bear. why not accountants?

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why value pricing?

woman checking a departure board at an airportcompare accounting firms to airlines.

by august j. aquila

it is hard to believe that it has been over 25 years since i first wrote about pricing accounting services. much has changed in the accounting profession, the world, and in my personal life.

more august aquila: 6 questions for planning your succession | 7 issues in partner retirement planning | is it time for a partner compensation checkup? | 13 points of a good compensation plan | 5 ways to keep your edge | how to become the firm of choice
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technology is now a driving force in the profession, professional marketing is well established and accepted by firms, the united kingdom voted to leave the european union (brexit) and donald trump was elected president of the united states of america.

i have moved away from the marketing and business development for professional service firms to be a leader in the area of mergers and acquisitions, leadership development, compensation design, and change management.
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cpas put the brakes on price increases

non-cpa tax and accounting firms hit the gas pedal.

long-term view: pricing index at cpa firms (index = 100, 2003)

 

which pricing strategy works best today?
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by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

under pressure by an increasingly competitive and uncertain business environment, cpa firms are pressing the brakes on new price increases, according to new data obtained by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

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where the jobs are (and what you need to get them)

salaries, job openings and unemployment rates
salaries, job openings, and unemployment rates

bonus: salary ranges and top markets.

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

everyone knows there are jobs to be had in the accounting profession. but exactly where are they, and how much do they pay?

more on jobs: cpa firms post 5% growth rate | how to set your firm apart to recruits
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according to new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research, the number of accounting and finance jobs available now tops 200,000. where they geographically vary by position.
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cpa firms post 5% growth rate

tax and accounting industry hits 1 million workers, capping more than 25 years of sometimes volatile expansion. shown: workforce in thousands, monthly, 1990-2016.

tax & accounting hiring trends for 2017:
join the survey, get the results 

by beth bellor
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

it’s still a great time to be an accountant, according to new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research. but watch the long-term trends carefully. all the gains are not always what they seem at first.

more on staffing: the 16 biggest #fails in delegation |  survey results: effective stay interviews for cpa firms |  survey: work-life balance: according to whom? |  new survey results: two ways your strategic plan can reduce turnover  |  managing partners’ favorite staffing strategies  |  new research: cpa firms hiring more, paying less  |  jobs report: hiring up. wages down.  |  the 12 reasons your staff hates your firm

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year over year, cpa firm staffs are growing by 4.7 percent while payroll overall is increasing at a 4.6 percent rate. the number of tax preparation employees is falling, however, 12.5 percent for the latest month,  but up 3.2 percent for the year. women are making some large year-over-year gains as well – 4.8 percent at cpa firms and 12 percent at payroll services.

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when the inmates are running the asylum

crazy doesn’t get better by adding more crazy.

by dom cingoranelli

“we can’t really enforce this because we don’t want to risk having him (or her) quit.”

i can’t tell you how many times we hear something to this effect when we talk with cpas. we hear this at small firms and we hear it at large firms. we hear it from partners, from directors, and from managers. it doesn’t matter what size firm they’re in, nor does it matter what level or position they hold.

it’s always the same line. it reminds me of the old adage, “the inmates are running the asylum.” and, it raises the question of who actually is running the firm. who’s in charge?

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why next-gen firms embrace subscription billing plans

sabhlok

zoho president explains the “freemium upsell.”

pricing strategies that work
join the survey. get the answers.

 

by sandi leyva and michelle long

let’s take a look at some pricing strategies for the subscription economy.

more small firm growth strategies: welcome to the subscription economy | ed kless on factors affecting price sensitivity | how to keep current | best practices for growth: network, specialize, share | 10 easy tips to boost your business cash flow | 2 ways to serve clients better | how to fire a client | how to manage client expectations | trashing the spreadsheet: best practices in modern expense management | 3 ways to implement value pricing | building reputation to build your business | need more business? focus on referrals
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

there are a number of things that businesses can do related to subscription models, in particular around their pricing strategies. we have the freemium and upsell model, multiple additions, pay as you go, tiered or volume-based pricing and bundling. i’ve got some examples of each one of these. i’d be fairly surprised if we haven’t run across these already as consumers.

our guest for this discussion about subscription-based models is raj sabhlok, president of zoho corp., in his own words…

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