Sales and Marketing

IMGCAP(1)]I meet with a lot of accountants, and I'm starting to hear a consistent concern. Who is going to lead our firm once we retire? And why is this younger generation not rising to the opportunity to grow with our firm?

IMGCAP(1)]Whether we like it or not, the accounting industry has not typically been on the cutting edge of technology.

Marketing professionals are fond of telling clients to look to the logo and beyond when it comes to branding. But for many CPA firms, the economic downturn had managing partners' eyes trained on only one line - and it wasn't underlining a focus-group-tested font.

Many CPA and accounting firms have taken the leap into the world of Web site marketing through search engine optimization. Though the mechanics of the optimization process have been well-documented across several print and online publications, there has been little discussion about the business-development process for Web site-generated leads, which do differ from the more standard lead.

The American Institute of CPAs said Wednesday that it is expanding the registration and exam options for its specialty credentials, providing CPAs with more flexibility and opportunity to pursue designations that help differentiate them in the market.

IMGCAP(1)]Capital One Credit Card has had a successful ad campaign for several years featuring some lovable but clumsy Vikings in humorous situations.

Cloud-based document storage and sharing service SmartVault announced it has officially joined The CloudSolutions Alliance, the CPA-focused group formed in 2010 by Fujitsu and cloud-based sales tax automation service provider SpeedTax, with the goal of educating and gaining further access to firms who would be most interested in their services.

More than half of senior executives polled indicated that their respective companies have a formal sustainability strategy in place, while another 31 percent said they are either working on a plan or expect to eventually adopt one.

IMGCAP(1)]There is a huge difference between being a vendor and a business partner.

IMGCAP(1)]Client loyalty is imperative in the long-term success of your practice.