Practice news September 2007

Practice Management

The ten rules of effective team selling, By Allan Boress

As a sales and marketing consultant, I strongly recommend "team selling." It is a very powerful tool - when orchestrated correctly. Unfortunately, more often than not, team selling can backfire and cause sales to be lost, rather than won.The Advantages of Team SellingThere are several vital advantages of working as a team when attempting to bring in a new customer or client or to sell additional business to a customer:Psychological SupportDon't laugh - this is the most important benefit of going in as a team.
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Practice Management

Ten things to think about before offering a payroll service to clients

Online payroll processing technologies are rapidly changing the economics of payroll services and are providing profitable solutions designed for accountants whose small business clients want help managing the process. "Offering payroll services leads to a higher retention level. The client has the need and can go somewhere else," says Phil Christensen CPA, sole proprietor and owner of Christensen Consulting LLC in Olympia, Washington.
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Practice Management

Change Management: Get it right

Strong skills for managing change are an important part of any organization's development program. David Kelly, head of development at UK-based Unicus Coaching and Development, gives his five steps for success. These steps can be used within your own organization that is experiencing change or can be communicated to a client who's company is facing a change.When it comes to leading change, many managers assume that because a change has been announced most of their people will react negatively or at least apprehensively.
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Practice

To retain or detain: The case for staff development

A good accountant these days is hard to find. So what can you do to stop them from leaving your practice? Well, put those bonuses back in your bank balance as, according to features writer Rob Lewis, expertise and experience is what they really want.Like the sun, suitably qualified accountants have been hard to find this summer. In fact, according to a swathe of surveys and reports we are in the grip of an accounting recruitment crisis. So if accountants are so hard to come by, surely firms should be doing everything in their power to hold on to the ones they already have.
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Practice

Tips for that first call to a prospective client

Making that good first impression on a prospective client usually begins with a phone call, when in a few minutes you must identify yourself, show interest in the prospect's business and make an effort to establish rapport. Thank the potential client for taking the call and identify yourself, briefly, telling him or her whether you are making a call through a referral or as a follow up to an introduction at a business or social event.
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Practice Management

Inspired employees mean good customer service

Organizations that have excited and passionate people are more likely to create a service-focused culture that delivers great customer service.That's the conclusion of a new study by California-based consulting firm, The Ken Blanchard Companies, which also concludes that employees are in fact an organization's most critical customer service asset - one that requires focused development and nurturing. Research found that most organizations agree that customer loyalty is a powerful driver of organizational success and one that ties directly to the bottom line.
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Technology

Teaching old blogs new tricks

Despite understanding how valuable blogging can be, many firms are still failing to fully embrace it. Marketing management provider WebTrends found that contrary to 85 percent of marketers' perceptions that an effective web presence is important in achieving sales and objectives, just 5 percent blog on a regular basis.Instead, its research showed Internet tools such as e-direct and web analytics continue to dominate. Podcasts are another medium to watch for business, says the firm, as despite relatively low usage at the moment, it registered the highest level of user satisfaction.
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Voice of the Editor

What would you do if one of your clients won the lottery? We asked several accountants to weigh in with their advice for the lucky Powerball winner, and the tips we received are useful for anyone who receives a windfall, whether it's a lottery win, an inheritance, a big bonus on the job, or a killing in the stock market.
Read more
Gail Perry, CPA
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, AccountingWEB
editor@accountingweb.com
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This Week on AccountingWEB

CPAs Mira Finé, Scott Hitchcock, Rob Keasal, Kathy Scorcio, and Ken Travis offer ten pieces of financial advice for the newest Powerball winner.
Hang Bower of BDO USA and Dan Black of Ernst & Young share their perspectives on why their firms made the Best Places to Work for Recent Grads 2013 list.
Herbein + Company, Inc. firm members talked with AccountingWEB about their year-round employee wellness program.
Bill Walter of Gross, Mendelsohn & Associates and Harold Gaar of TravisWolff LLP weigh in on mobile technology use while employees are at work.
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