My Writings. My Thoughts.

Play to Your Strengths: Why Some Accountants Can Sell, While Most Can’t, and How to Assess Your Own Potential

// March 11th, 2010 // No Comments » // The Practice Paradox

In our webinar last Thursday we covered a model which overlays the DiSC® profiling system regarding communication styles with the Minding, Grinding, Finding and Reminding concepts. This allows you to (1) focus on those tasks we are naturally suited to, and (2) we not expect ourselves (or our team members) to perform roles that they “are not cut out for” – why teach elephants to dance, as the saying goes? Sadly, this often happens in the area of rainmaking (marketing and selling) where team members are expected to perform a role (e.g. finding new clients and/or up-selling existing clients onto additional services) that they are neither suited for, nor trained in. This sets everyone up for stress and disappointment. View the recording of the webinar to learn why DiSC profiling is a useful tool for working out who within your firm should focus on Minding, Grinding, Finding or Reminding.

Going for Growth: Webinar about the New No.1 Challenge Facing the Accounting Profession

// February 7th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // The Practice Paradox

Hundreds of accounting firms from around the world logged in for our live webinar, ‘Going for Growth: The New No.1 Challenge Facing the Accounting Profession and How to Address It’. View the recording here and join in the discussion (via the ‘Leave a Reply’ comment form at the bottom of the page) about the marketing and rainmaking challenges facing accounting firms.

Why Negative Perceptions of ‘Selling’ are Holding You Back

// October 16th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // The Practice Paradox

Accounting firms that have one or more effective ‘rainmakers’ who are great at finding new clients for the firm and effective at up-selling existing clients onto additional services, prosper and grow well above the industry average growth rate. However, the vast majority of firms are not very good at rainmaking. This post explores the common root cause of a firm’s failure to be good at rainmaking: Negative beliefs about ‘selling’. The article explores how you can address what is a severely limiting belief for a business owner or principal.

3 Ways to Grow Your Accounting Firm – But Where’s the Leverage?

// August 6th, 2009 // 4 Comments » // Clientshare

Of the ‘3 Ways to Grow a Business’, one of the ways offers greater leverage than the other two. Find out why Clientshare© is an important Key Performance Indicator your accounting firm should know and track.

How does The Practice Paradox affect accounting firms?

// August 4th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // The Practice Paradox

The services that most accounting firms would love to provide to their clients, and which are of great benefit to their clients, accounting firms don’t know how to sell. I call this phenomenon The Practice Paradox™. It costs the firm—and the firm’s clients—dearly. This post starts us on our journey of exploring how to overcome The Practice Paradox™ in your accounting firm and links to a download of a free preview of the forthcoming book, The Practice Paradox.

Accounting firms’ challenge of selling additional services

// August 2nd, 2009 // 2 Comments » // The Practice Paradox

Accounting firms that lack the ability to ’sell the intangible’ are limted in their growth potential. Not until a firm can sell additional value, can they add additional value to clients. Firms need a combination of the right psychology, the right skills and the right systems for ’selling the intangible’ to clients.

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