One of the biggest changes to be heralded by the introduction of AI so far as accountants are concerned, links to one...
Reputation Articles
Some accountants undermine their credibility. Do you?
One of the accountants I mentor has long been proud of how efficiently they look after their own business affairs....
Why you should stop trying to build brand awareness for your firm
My advice here re building and promoting your firm's brand is controversial. And of course there will be some exceptions. But I would urge you to read this post with an open mind before deciding whether or not YOUR firm really is one of those exceptions. Let's...
Boost your referrals with more of the right kind of testimonials
I'm not normal. Normal people, apparently, don't buy anything online these days without first checking for online reviews. I do. Maybe you do too. But, apparently, even when most people are in shops, they will have a quick google to see what other people say about...
Top ten blog posts of 2021
Instead of a final post of the year, I offer you a reminder of ten of my most popular blog posts (out of the 50 posted, one each Tuesday) in 2021. I’ve included the links in case you missed them originally or you want to take another look. Early in January I...
Why accountants need to plan their approach to the 3 Rs
In an educational context we refer to the three Rs as being those crucial elements that all children need to master. That is, Reading wRiting and aRithmetic. This is somewhat ironic given that only one of the three topics actually starts with an R. (The phrase is...
What can you do if you want to attract a better type of client?
When I ask accountants what they would like to be different in their practice, one theme is more common than any others. They frequently express the desire to have better quality clients, to increase their average fees and to be doing more interesting work. One...
Why you need to build your personal brand – and how to make this work for you
What do people say about you when you’re not in the room? What would you like them to say? Few accountants seem to think this through. If you are clear about what you want people to say though you are likely to find success a lot faster than anyone who is ‘just...
30 reasons people change their accountants and what this means for you
The following list is a salutary lesson in what NOT to do if you want to keep your clients. You could also use it as a checklist to have counterpoints to raise in each case when talking to prospective new clients. If they are moving from a previous accountant, they...
The most common mistake accountants make that loses them key referrals
I wonder if you make an all too common mistake. We all hope that clients will want us to provide a range of services to them. And we hope that clients will recommend and refer us to other prospective clients too… But, as I frequently point out, ‘hope’ is not a...
My most popular blog posts EVER
My last post of this year we called 2020 contains a celebration of the most popular posts on my blog since 2006 when I started sharing insights, tips and advice here. If I could have predicted which posts would be on the list I might have written more of them! Over...
What’s your ‘And’?
What's your 'And'? Yes, we know you're an accountant. But what else are you? What else do you do? What else interests or fascinates you? A new book, written by my friend, John Garrett, explores how sharing your personal passions improves work performance, builds...
15 traits of a modern accountant
Recently I was asked this question: "Can a traditional accountant also be a modern accountant?" The person asking me this was what we might think of as an 'old-school' traditional accountant. But they liked to also think of themselves as modern. I think they had...
They’re not ‘soft skills’ for accountants, they’re Key Business Skills
I know that my own career success owes more to the development of non-technical skills than it does to my knowledge and application of accounting and tax law. How do we gain our technical skills? No one is born a great auditor, tax adviser or accountant. We learn...
The 3 factors that will determine your social media success
It’s all too easy to get caught up in the game of chasing followers, likes, connections and social media klout. It may be fun to keep track of these metrics and to keep increasing them. But, in real life, they are not important by themselves. There is little point...
What makes you or your firm stand out?
I'm often struck by the difficulty many accountants have when trying to identify what's special about them or their firm. When asked, almost everyone uses the same adjectives, the same aspirational service levels and the same so-called distinguishing features....
4 accountants respond to a prospect’s initial enquiry
On one of the business networks I follow a member recently asked for a recommendation to a down-to-earth, friendly, non-judgemental, accountant. He explained his requirements in a little more detail - but not much, although he did state: "To be ABSOLUTELY clear, I...