10 ways to build a better firm

top 10by august j. aquila
creating the effective partnership

as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. your vision is a journey to some place in the future. it’s not where you are today. it may even take generations to get there. it becomes even more compelling when it’s somewhere your people want to go.

more on leadership: the 4 best ways to use your senior partners  | how to tell a culture change is due| today’s top six partner compensation trends | 11 steps to building a better partnership team | why your firm should be a republic | 8 financial ducks to line up now |partnership is about persuasion | 6 things leaders must doit’s not always about money: 16 tweaks for your comp system | how to build a growth-centric pricing strategy |  how to combine two firms after merger: carefully

while it’s the ultimate destination that people engage with, the journey there is also important. if the endpoint is exciting and has benefits that your people share, they will be more engaged in the journey. and, when partners are engaged with the firm’s future, they perform better.

so, how do you create a firm where all of the partners work to create an even better firm?

here are some ideas:

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4 questions for choosing the right digital workflow tool

work flow decision choiceare 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  |  

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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.

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who, me a consultant?

young man facing image of himselfit’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.

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talent wars go from white gloves to boxing gloves

2016-roundtable-outlook-for-rosenberg-map-commentary-vf-240x219more from the rosenberg map survey.

they say “past results are no indication of future performance.” maybe. maybe not. but if anyone should know, it’s our panel of experts, their comments drawn from the new edition of the rosenberg map survey. these are their bullet points and comments, verbatim, looking back at the last 12 months and looking ahead to 2016. – rick telberg, ceo

by allan koltin
koltin consulting group

lessons from 2015:

the past 12 months have shown positive growth for most firms. it’s coming more in consulting and value added services.

more on the  2016 outlook & forecast: cpa firm growth rates hit a wall  |  the five treacherous factors hobbling today’s cpa firm  |  sam allred: change agents needed  |  tamera loerzl on growth, succession plans critical for firms  |  get the full report: the rosenberg map survey

there has been a lot of discussion regarding the three “big c’s” (compensation, capital and [deferred] compensation at firms). there has also been more rethinking of traditional bonus programs for staff…paying everyone something has become an entitlement (and doesn’t really leave enough for the stars) vs. just giving a bonus to those who “really hit it out of the park.”

the war on talent has gone from white gloves off to boxing gloves on. firms are also getting much better at

  • defining goals,
  • expectations of performance and
  • having leadership hold partners accountable for performance.

forecast for 2016:

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target prospects for best fit

young businesswoman speaking with clientfocus 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

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

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

padar_valuepricingbonus 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

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

if it’s lacking in your firm, ask yourself these nine questions:

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the 6 elements to sustainable growth for cpa firms

hand holding a rising arrow, representing business growth.

the signs that you’re heading in the right direction.

by gale crosley
crosley+co.

i’ve talked a good deal about sustainable growth lately. and i’m often asked how i know if a firm can achieve it. the answer is to look for the common indicators. it’s relatively easy to know if your firm is growing. but how do you know that the growth you’re experiencing is sustainable? what are the signs that it will last beyond this year?

firms that are consistent performers demonstrate common elements of sustainable growth. those elements are integrated seamlessly in the best firms. here’s what i look for:

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11 steps to building a better partnership team

concept of teamwork building working system of cogwheels

creating a firm where all the partners work in unison.

by august aquila
creating the effective partnership

as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. your vision is a journey to some place in the future. it’s not where you are today. it may even take generations to get there. it becomes even more compelling when it’s somewhere your people want to go.

while it’s the ultimate destination that people engage with, the journey there is also important. if the end point is exciting and has benefits that your people share, they will be more engaged in the journey. and, when partners are engaged with the firm’s future, they perform better.

more on leadership: why your firm should be a republic  |  5 questions about your firm’s direction | 6 reasons to keep partners from retiring | 6 reasons why cpa firms fail in innovation | 6 steps to handle staffing problems in a merger | 7 signs your firm is headed for an implosion | it’s not always about money: 16 tweaks for your comp system | eight key goal areas for partners | like herding cats: partners must ‘walk together’ | managing partners must remember partners’ needs | new times call for new cpa firm metrics | partners have love-hate relationship with leadership | 6 things leaders must do | 8 financial ducks to line up now| partnership is about persuasion

so, how do you create a firm where all of the partners work to create an even better firm?

here are 11 ideas:

read more →

radical pricing fixes cash flow problems

you’re in the money, year round.

boomby 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.

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keep scope creep and seep from hurting bottom line

bonus: a new breed of engagement letter.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

scope creep generally takes the form of new services being added once the project has started. typically, these are not properly reviewed and the team is expected to deliver them with the same resources and in the same time as the original scope.

the opposite of scope creep is scope seep. this is when the accountant or team volunteers to do extra work and take on extra requirements and issues. now of course the customer will never turn down “free help” and when this is done over and over, the customers quickly assume all of their issues they vaguely speak to you about are included in the price.

more on radicalism: the radical approach to bundling services | the radical approach to pricing | a radical close look at value pricing | get radical about pricing | six competitive advantages for the radical cpa | the market is moving toward the radicals | 5 radical transparencies; are you ready?

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

because we’re afraid or not used to confronting uncomfortable subjects (ahem, pricing), too often we let them change a part of our project management. we really need to get solid on what a change request is and make sure that when change requests are implemented, that the required pricing comes with it.

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who should participate in a retreat?

overhead view of five businesspeople discussing something at a table with an open laptop nearbyinclude the relevant folks – but no more than 15 unless you plan on breakout groups.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm retreats

what to discuss at a retreat is important, but so is who will be doing that discussing.

firms naturally tend to limit participation to key people – the partners, plus professional staff such as the coo, firm administrator, marketing director and hr director – so that sensitive and confidential issues are more easily discussed. also, keeping the group small lends itself to better group participation and more fruitful discussions.

more on retreats: retreat logistics: how long, what kind? | what should cpa firms discuss at retreats? | why do cpa firms conduct retreats?

on the other hand, there are benefits to involving others in the firm beyond the key people… if the objectives include five key items:
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the radical approach to bundling services

package your knowledge, and don’t forget client personality.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

how do you take that tax planning, that small business exper­tise or whatever insight it is that you own and package it so it’s similar to a product? that’s what the next generation of firms has figured out how to do.

i started doing this pre-cloud. i had to figure out a way to keep my customers engaged with me all year without doing book­keeping because i didn’t want to do bookkeeping. i productized my year-round tax services.

more getting radical: the radical approach to pricing | a radical close look at value pricing | get radical about pricinglet’s get radical about content | each social channel has a language | get ready for radical transparency | 5 radical ways to be social and strategic | how i got started being social | how social media transforms firms to their core | six competitive advantages for the radical cpa | radical tenet #1: embrace the cloud | radical customers are on their way | 5 radical transparencies; are you ready? | 4 questions radical firms must face | being radical is all about your customer | being radical starts with being the change | why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas

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

i also took every piece of work i could take outside of tax season and separated it from the tax return. we do the work outside of tax season and charge for it as a separately stated item. today, so many firms are still doing accounting cleanup work that can be done outside of tax season in tax season and they’re not charging for it separately. i’ve heard firm leaders say, “oh, that’s part of doing a tax return.” no, it’s not. getting accurate books before you do a tax return should be priced and completed outside of tax season. it shouldn’t clog up your firm in march.

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the radical approach to pricing

calculator in shopping cartbonus checklist: the 3 prices you need to set.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

you should know your relative costs and assumptions to value. when i say, “know your cost,” you’re not going to know every freaking minute that it takes to do something. but you should know approximately what the accounting file is like.

when you’re thinking about pricing your cleanup work with either a cloud-based product or let’s say you’re not even in the cloud, you should have already done a diag­nostic on that quickbooks file or whatever accounting software the prospect is using.

more on radicalism: a radical close look at value pricing | let’s get radical about content | each social channel has a language | get ready for radical transparency | 5 radical ways to be social and strategic | how social media transforms firms to their core | 10 radical steps into the cloud | six competitive advantages for the radical cpa | radical customers are on their way | the market is moving toward the radicals | 5 radical transparencies; are you ready? | being radical is all about your customer | being radical starts with being the change | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas

you also should analyze the five traits of their financial personality:

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