Sales and Marketing

After years of being halted by accountants with their arms outstretched and hands spread wide (Stop!) when I approached them about their marketing plans, I finally realized what makes them so unwilling to market themselves: They are uncomfortable.

Accounting firm Citrin Cooperman has changed its logo and other branding for the first time in 30 years.

The numbers tell the story and it all boils down to time management. If you bill for your time directly or on an hourly basis, diligent timekeeping is something you must do in order to get paid for all of the work you perform for clients. If you bill on a fixed-fee basis, accurate time records help determine how profitable specific clients and projects really are - and if they're unprofitable, time records help us realize the viability of a client for the long term.

When given the opportunity to get in front of a prospective client, the expected and unfortunate inclination of most accountants is to try to impress the client with how great their firm is, and make every effort to convince them to engage.

The rising emphasis on transparency, accountability and financial reporting, coupled with the globalization of commerce, means more work is on the horizon for accounting firms. That's the good news. But one look around a firm's meeting room will tell you that the profession is graying, and conversations with human resources executives will reveal that turnover rates among young accountants are on the rise.

Integration is an important term that firms often use when talking about their technology, but many are finding the challenge even more difficult as they move to a digital platform. For years there has been discussion over whether you should buy best of breed or a suite from one of the leading vendors.

IMGCAP(1)]Cold calling is much like my golf game: unpredictable with unmet expectations.

Kaysville, Utah

IMGCAP(1)]A casual meeting can be built into a successful business relationship, if you recognize that moving from acquaintance to prospect to client is a process requiring planning and patience.

Big Four firm PricewaterhouseCoopers unveiled a global branding initiative, truncating its name to the firm’s acronym of pwc (all lower case).