Your elevator pitch, or elevator speech, is your response to the classic question, “So, what do you do?” Your answer to this question should never be, “I do taxes”, or “I’m a CPA”, or worst of all, “Uhhhhhhhhh…..” Ouch!
Your elevator pitch helps you to communicate the kind of clients you’re looking for. It should be specific, and have a purpose. It should not be generic. You want people … [ Continue reading ]
Most of the frustration stemming from tax clients that procrastinate can be eliminated via proactive client management.
Simply put, you set the rules of the engagement, not the client. If the client doesn’t want to do business with you on YOUR terms, then you encourage them to take their business elsewhere.
One of the most important client management systems to have in place is one that addresses tax … [ Continue reading ]
In order to grow your business in an ever more competitive world — a world with endless consumer choice — you must have something that differentiates you from your competition.
On top of that, given all the demands for people’s attention, you need to be able to communicate your competitive advantage within about three seconds.
This is where your USP comes in.
USP stands for Unique Selling Proposition, and … [ Continue reading ]
Generating leads can be difficult, time consuming, expensive, and exhausting.
Or, it can be simple, invigorating, and very affordable.
One of many possible strategies for obtaining the latter instead of the former is to:
In just 11 words, I’ve given you the marketing plan that has built numerous seven-figure businesses.
The largest public accounting firm in the … [ Continue reading ]
Regardless of whether you have an established business or are just starting out, one simple fact stands out above all other things in your role as a business owner:
If you can’t get clients or customers, you’re going to starve.
It’s a very, very simple equation: If you fix widgets for a living, then you need people walking through your door with a widget needing fixed in order to … [ Continue reading ]
Fact: Not all clients are created equal.
Some clients are great. Some clients are awful.
It’s 100% acceptable for you to tell the awful ones to pack sand.
You know exactly the ones I’m talking about. The ones that don’t pay you on time. The ones that constantly procrastinate getting documents to you. The ones that expect you to be at their beck and call 24/7.
So, get rid … [ Continue reading ]
The topic of fee increases is one of the most contentious subjects to discuss with accountants.
For some bizarre reason, many of the people that are responsible for monitoring and reporting on the financial health of businesses and families are vehemently opposed to looking out for their own financial self-interests. I’ve never understood it, and I never will.
Bottom line: You either believe in getting paid what you’re worth, … [ Continue reading ]
Everything that we do in running a business has some sort of downstream impact.
Fortunately, this “ripple effect” can be controlled. You can set certain things in motion that will make then make other things in your business easier or better.
One of these things is to make a very simple change in your how you conduct your lead generation marketing, by starting to collect email addresses from the … [ Continue reading ]
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.”
If you were completely satisfied with your 2021 gross receipts, your 2021 net profit, your 2021 clientele, your 2021 hours worked… Then that’s great! Seriously, kudos to you. You found the formula that works for you, and you’re happy with it. That is legitimately amazing, so keep doing it.
However…
If you’re not happy … [ Continue reading ]
Several years ago, I worked with a consulting client that had a unique way of finding other tax practices to buy. This one strategy was the primary way he had grown his own CPA firm for nearly 20 years, entirely via acquisition.
His acquisition strategy was brilliant. Masterful, even.
But what he did after the acquisition was…umm… not so brilliant.
I guess there’s no point in pulling any punches … [ Continue reading ]