Posts Tagged ‘communication’
Improving the Client Experience
Caught in the busyness. March and April are busy times in CPA firms. We have multiple tax deadlines, calendar year-end audited financial statements are often due to clients and third parties, client meetings spike, phone calls and emails increase, and on and on. It’s easy to get lost in this busyness and feel entitled to…
Read MoreReferral Relationship Basics – and a Fresh Idea!
As firms seek to cultivate growth, referral sources continue to rank at the top of the list for developing new client opportunities. Referral relationships take time to mature and develop, and are built on a foundation of trust that we tend to protect like a parent protects their children. Because we hold referral relationships so…
Read MoreCritical Thinking
Many skill sets are needed as professionals enter the workforce. As I travel around the country to conferences and meet with clients, one concern seems to bubble to the top. The lack of critical thinking skills. I would challenge the reading audience to consider this has nothing to do with age, but possibly more with…
Read MoreProtecting Your BYOD Exposure
Bring your own device (BYOD) is becoming the standard in accounting firms as we not only allow our personnel to connect to firm data from their home computers, but also access email and other firm applications on personal tablets and smartphones. When one of these devices gets lost or stolen, or if an employee is…
Read MoreTying a Transition Plan for Retiring Partners to Your Partner Agreement
The valuation used to determine the terms for paying retired partners will never make sense unless you assume the firm will at least perform as well as it did before the partner retired. Some firms can never get comfortable with the concept of fixing the obligation to retired partners at the date of retirement. The…
Read MoreIs Meeting the Deadline, Meeting Your Client’s Expectations?
“Our installers will be there between 12 noon and 5 pm” We’ve all been there. Whether it’s hooking up a new cable or satellite provider package, getting appliances delivered and installed, or new furniture delivered, often these services come with a huge window of delivery time. And while this window may be convenient for the…
Read MoreFind Out What It’s Like to Be Your Client
Ever wonder what it’s really like to be a client working with your firm? That’s important information and try as you might, you’re simply not going to find out by looking at your own experience or that of your staff. The solution is simple: engage professional help to conduct client interviews that will give you…
Read MoreBridging the Gap-The Conclusion
On behalf of the members of the CPA Consultants’ Alliance, I hope you have enjoyed and benefited from our 2015 blog series focused on the central theme of Bridging the Gap-Strengthening the Connection Between Current and Emerging Leaders. The membership of the CPA Consultants’ Alliance is comprised of many of the top thought leaders in…
Read MoreA Call For Change: An Open Letter To Each Generation
With three distinct generations in the workplace today, the impacts are phenomenal. Firm leaders are challenged to balance and blend each generation’s unique historical context, motivators and somewhat differing values systems to create a unified team and a sustainable firm. To ensure that the generations co-exist and collaborate, it is helpful to understand the…
Read MoreMarketing is Not Just for Partners Anymore
Marketing in the accounting industry has an interesting, and fairly short, history. It is not unusual to find partners who still remember when it was against AICPA rules to advertise, market, directly solicit or even participate in competitive bidding. Virtually non-existent for most of the 20th century, accounting marketing has evolved at a rather slow…
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