Successful Accountants’ Blog
When do you stop supporting clients that aren’t going to make it?
"When can I stop supporting clients that aren't going to make it?" This was the tough question I was asked last week by an accountant who has many clients whose businesses may not survive the COVID-19 crisis. Like many other accountants she has always been supportive in
“Is it ok to try to win new clients at this time?”
I was asked this question by an accountant who runs their own practice: "Is it ok to try to win new clients at this time?" They had seen other people being criticised online for pitching for work. We've probably all seen the messages containing overt sales pitches.
How can you best help clients commercially during the COVID-19 crisis?
A number of accountants are asking similar questions: "How much work do I need to do for free during the virus crisis?" "Is it ok to charge clients for giving them advice at this difficult time?" "I want to help those clients that need advice, but I
How altruistic will you be during the virus crisis?
I think this is a question with which many of us will need to grapple in the near future. The alternative is to be selfish or to put others above ourselves for longer than our own businesses can sustain. By demonstrating your support in times of distress your
Linkedin – at least do your housekeeping!
I was shocked to realise that it's over two years since I last wrote about Linkedin on this blog. Given its value to accountants I thought I'd offer a quick update. What follows is taken from the start of my talks about using Linkedin to stand out
How can you streamline your accounting services?
There has to be a special reason for me to include an interview on my blog. On this occasion I wanted to follow up on a conversation I had with Phil Dewar Durie after I spoke at a recent conference for an international association of accountants. Something
Your referrals are good (enough) but are you missing something?
Classic. Talking with a partner in a top 50 firm of accountants, I asked how they get most of their new clients. It was no surprise he answered 'referrals'. Many accountants and lawyers, claim that they secure most of their new work through word of mouth referrals.
What skills does a good CFO or Finance Director need?
For as long as I have been writing and speaking about the future I have been stressing that finance professionals need to develop their business skills. Being technically competent and up to date is not enough. That's like having a basic cake mix - without any flavouring,
Is there a future for compliance focused accountants?
'Many commentators seem almost contemptuous when talking about accountants who focus on the provision of compliance services'. That is the first line of a post I wrote on this blog OVER TEN YEARS AGO in June 2009. Back then I, quite justifiably as it transpires, predicted that
Want to add advisory services to your offering? Remember these 4 Ps.
Thinking of expanding your service offerings? It doesn't matter whether you want to start providing 'advisory' services, tax advice or any other services. The same rules apply. And if you fail to take these into account you will struggle to make a success of your new 'offering'.
Future Focus: How will things have changed by the end of the (taxing) twenties?
Depending upon how pedantic you are, we are at the start of a new decade (the taxing twenties?). In any event, when you consider your plans for the immediate future, it's worth considering how different things will be by 2030. Given the pace of change all around
What’s the future for Gen X accountants?
Attitudes to work life balance are changing. So are the needs of firms when it comes to offering long-term career prospects. How will this affect your firm and your prospects? Last year I wrote a piece in which I suggested that 'Generation X' accountants (born in the
Two in one: Helping clients with their resolutions and 10 for you to make yourself
With all the annual fuss about new year's resolutions, why does no one suggest checking backwards? It's all very well making promises about what you want to do differently, but how strong is your resolve? I've never been one for doing the same as everyone else, so
Forget USPs – what are your KDIs?
I have long advised audiences and clients that claiming to have a Unique Sales Proposition (USP) is typically a mistake - as the word 'unique' means 'unlike any other'. Rarely do I ever encounter accountants with genuinely 'unique' offerings for clients. And it will be counter-productive to
Top ten blog posts of 2019
Instead of a final post of the year, I offer you instead a reminder of ten of my most popular blog posts (out of the 50 posted, one each Tuesday) in 2019. I;ve included the links in case you missed them originally or want to take another
