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Helping those that need it most
In a recently published survey conducted in the US by research house Greenwald Research on behalf of Edelman Financial Engines, there were some interesting insights regarding consumer attitudes to financial advice. I suspect that the results in Australia would be very similar. The survey sampled “affluent” Americans defined as being 45 to 70 with household…
Read MoreStaff Impact on Succession Planning
Many accounting practitioners would agree that it is becoming increasingly difficult to attract and retain good staff that can assist not only in compliance procession but also in business advisory service delivery. There is increased reporting on the skills shortage in various industries and there are no immediate signs that this is going to change.…
Read MoreWe need a mental health plan
At our recent Young Guns event, we invited Petris Lapis (www.artisanofchange.com) to talk about Mental Health in accounting firms. For us older practitioners, this is quite a different world from the world we grew up in and established our careers. Mental health was not something that was really discussed. It was like there was a…
Read MoreBDMs hiding in your midst
The concept of a team of business development managers running around knocking on doors to sell your firm’s services would be an anathema to most firm owners. We all also know that most new business in most firms, comes from referrals and personal relationships. Increasingly, some are having some success with digital marketing but for…
Read MoreHarnessing the power of marketing data for your clients
As a financial advisor, you understand the importance of using data to guide the strategic direction of your clients’ businesses. Where traditionally this may have been limited to utilising certain data sets, some of Australia’s leading financial firms are now harnessing the power of marketing data to assist their clients even further. This shift has…
Read MoreCan’t find staff? An efficient team will help
No one needs to be reminded how hard it is to find good “producer” people these days. It’s gone from bad to worse as we move into the “Coping with COVID” world. In other articles, we have canvassed the various rocks that should be looked under to try to find people but it’s not easy.…
Read MoreThe end of the supplier centric integrated suite; Now the client centric best of breed suites.
One of the defining differences between the approach taken by North American accounting firms and their technology suppliers compared with Australian/New Zealand firms and their suppliers is the integrated suite. Those of my vintage can recall the birth of technology for the accounting profession in the late 1970s. Companies like Hartley Computer, O’Reilly Computer, Anpac…
Read MoreThe Most Important 10 Seconds in Your Firm!
When I conduct client consultative groups for firm a question I ask is whether the clients have visited the visited the firm’s website and for what purpose. Sadly the answers are quite depressing.
Read MoreWant to Go to the Cloud? Try This Quick Quiz
The profession is bombarded every day with messages that unless you get your practice and your clients to the cloud, the world is going to end for you very soon.
Read MoreServices a Holistic Adviser Should Consider
There is considerable debate in the accounting industry that cloud accounting applications and automatic data feeds are going to continue to commoditise compliance services. For years there has been ongoing discussion of the need for accountants to focus more on business advisory services – to become the holistic adviser for their clients. The thought is…
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