the 4 new growth engines in today’s marketplace
things are changing and the old growth model no longer fits.
by gale crosley
crosley + co.
innovation
are we really that radical?
bonus chart: waves of innovation from 1970 to the present.
by jody padar
the radical cpa
what the radical cpas have done is put our customers first. we have made our firms customer-centric instead of the traditional firm-centric model of years past.
more on radicalism: customer viewpoint: creating a journey map | basics of process mapping: how and who | target prospects for best fit | how spiritual value affects pricing | keep scope creep and seep from hurting bottom line | make radical connections | 5 radical ways to be social and strategic | how social media transforms firms to their core | six competitive advantages for the radical cpa
our firms have changed to meet the needs and requirements of today’s fast-paced mobile, social, value, experience-driven consumers.
being a radical cpa is hard.
customer viewpoint: creating a journey map
bonus: examples, including a complete tax return preparation.
by jody padar
the radical cpa
we use a value stream map, a process map and a sipoc in process mapping. what all of these have in common is that they highlight the process, time, inventory levels and the actors.
more on radicalism: understanding the types and uses of process maps | 4 questions for choosing the right digital workflow tool | target prospects for best fit | radical pricing fixes cash flow problems | the radical approach to bundling services | how i got started being social
however, one key variable they all fail to take into account is the customer’s emotions as they journey through the process. a customer journey map solves this problem.
read more →
understanding the types and uses of process maps
different maps serve different purposes.
by jody padar
the radical cpa
there are several different kinds of process maps. each map has a specific purpose and use, so here we will cover some of the more common and useful maps.
more on radicalism: process maps: methods, meetings and materials | basics of process mapping: how and who | who, me a consultant? | radical pricing fixes cash flow problems | get ready for radical transparency | six competitive advantages for the radical cpa
mapping symbols
despite the wide array of mapping symbol choices available in products such as visio, powerpoint or others, there are four basic symbols that are used in most maps.
read more →
6 practical ways to innovate
listen to your clients for your initial ideas.
by august aquila
creating the effective partnership
the focus on most cpa firms is on billable hours. while there is nothing inherently wrong with this focus, it has become the overriding focus of firms.
more on leadership for pro members: 8 ways leaders destroy firms | the 4 best ways to use your senior partners | today’s top six partner compensation trends | why your firm should be a republic | 8 financial ducks to line up now | it’s not always about money: 16 tweaks for your comp system | how to build a growth-centric pricing strategy
there is nothing wrong with making money today, but what about building for the future? with “today” being the dominant focus, what is the encouragement to cpas to innovate? in most firms there is no alignment with innovation and compensation.
read more →
process maps: methods, meetings and materials
bonus checklist: 3 key points for mapping a process.
by jody padar
the radical cpa
there are several ways to gather the information you need to create your process map.
more on radicalism: basics of process mapping: how and who | who, me a consultant? | target prospects for best fit | keep scope creep and seep from hurting bottom line | the radical approach to bundling services | get ready for radical transparency
depending on the scope and length of the process, you could observe the process in action. this works best for a process that cycles quickly. if a process can be started and completed several times in a day or an hour, this is a good candidate for observation. if you can observe multiple operators performing the process, you will begin to get an idea how consistently it is followed.
the basics of process mapping: how and who
consider your “pain points.”
by jody padar
the radical cpa
in creating a process map, there are several choices to be made that will determine who and what is needed. since, as we mentioned before, almost everything is a process, consider this the process mapping process.
more on radicalism: process mapping for improvement | who, me a consultant? | target prospects for best fit | the radical approach to bundling services | get ready for radical transparency | 10 radical steps into the cloud
the first decision is which process to map.
what do you want to select?
read more →
lessons from adam smith: process mapping for improvement
four ways adam smith can help you run your firm better.
by jody padar
the radical cpa
adam smith discovered a basic truth of process improvement: you can’t improve a process if you don’t know what the process is.
more on radicalism: | target prospects for best fit | keep scope creep and seep from hurting bottom line | the radical approach to bundling services | let’s get radical about content | each social channel has a language | 10 radical steps into the cloud | six competitive advantages for the radical cpa
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
around the time of the american revolution, adam smith made the first recorded attempt at process improvement by mapping out the 18 distinct operations involved in creating a single metal pin. by documenting and understanding each step, he was able to suggest improvements to make the best use of the labor and machines available at the time.
while this is easier to see in a manufacturing environment, it still applies in a service-based industry like ours.
4 questions for choosing the right digital workflow tool
are you ready to experience the process?
by jody padar
the radical cpa
without standardization, your customer isn’t going to be able to expect consistent results.
more on radicalism: who, me a consultant? |how spiritual value affects pricing | radical pricing fixes cash flow problems | keep scope creep and seep from hurting bottom line | the radical approach to pricing | let’s get radical about content | 5 radical ways to be social and strategic | how i got started being social | radical customers are on their way | 5 radical transparencies; are you ready?| being radical is all about your customer |
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
workflow is just a fancy name for an electronic process and how information moves through a firm. in the old days it was the way a paper file moved from desk to desk. today it is how a digital file of data moves through an office or firm. it’s everything from customer input to tax return delivery. email is not a good solution for keeping track of where everything is within an office.
who, me a consultant?
it’s time to look at yourself in a new light.
by jody padar
the radical cpa
i love andersen consulting, now accenture. i especially love the story that when andersen consulting first started, the consultants who worked for the firm were not accountants. they hired mostly liberal arts majors – creative thinkers who were exceptional at communicating and innovating, but not so great with the numbers. the executives at andersen taught the consultants accounting and, well, how to be an actual consultant.
more on radicalism: target prospects for best fit | how spiritual value affects pricing | radical pricing fixes cash flow problems | each social channel has a language | 5 radical ways to be social and strategic | six competitive advantages for the radical cpa | 5 radical transparencies; are you ready? | why start being radical now? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas
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i hope this motivates today’s firms. this younger generation of accountants has more than 150 hours of accounting, but they are less well rounded than previous generations. this is a problem.
we can no longer complain to the aicpa as to when they made that 150-hour rule, why they created more necessity for young accountants to learn more useless financial knowledge that’s constantly changing as opposed to having them develop better writing and analytical skills. that’s most important in today’s workforce.
target prospects for best fit
focus on what they need, not what you want to sell.
by jody padar
the radical cpa
when you look at your practice from a sales and a marketing perspective, make sure you have enough leads coming in your door because you have to be okay if someone doesn’t like your fixed price. as accountants, we accept way too much bad work just because it’s there under the guise of the firm needs to “pay its bills.”
more on radicalism: how spiritual value affects pricing | radical pricing fixes cash flow problems | keep scope creep and seep from hurting bottom line | a radical close look at value pricing | each social channel has a language | get ready for radical transparency | six competitive advantages for the radical cpa | being radical is all about your customer
as your firm matures you have to get rid of your yucky customers because your yucky customers will bring you down. they bring down your firm and your team will get frustrated. bad customers are culture killers. part of running a good firm is clearing out the bad customers.
look at those a, b, c and d list customers, and get rid of the d and maybe some c customers so that you have more capacity to serve the good ones. if they’re not the right fit for your firm, you have to be okay with that. just know, there’s another one going to come along soon. as ron baker says, “you can never price the wrong customer.”
delivering what you promise read more →
how spiritual value affects pricing
bonus checklist: 34 sources of client value.
by jody padar
what we miss the most when we don’t value price is the intangible value, that spiritual value.
more on radicalism: radical pricing fixes cash flow problems | keep scope creep and seep from hurting bottom line | the radical approach to bundling services | get ready for radical transparency | 5 radical ways to be social and strategic | 10 radical steps into the cloud | six competitive advantages for the radical cpa | 5 radical transparencies; are you ready? | being radical starts with being the change | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice
if it’s lacking in your firm, ask yourself these nine questions:
radical pricing fixes cash flow problems
you’re in the money, year round.
by jody padar
the radical cpa
the best part about value pricing and fixed pricing is cash flow.
from a customer perspective, customers like knowing what they’re going to pay up front. they like having a monthly payment over an annual fee. they will buy the payment over the car.
more on radicalism: keep scope creep and seep from hurting bottom line | the radical approach to bundling services | the radical approach to pricing | a radical close look at value pricing | let’s get radical about content | each social channel has a language | how social media transforms firms to their core | 10 radical steps into the cloud | six competitive advantages for the radical cpa | the market is moving toward the radicals | 5 radical transparencies; are you ready? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice
for instance, $6,000 is hard for them to think about but you if tell them $500 a month, that’s instantly more affordable. it’s psychology. customers know the costs and expectations up front.