FORE WHAT IT'S WORTH
Practical advice & creative ideas for professionals who price their work in advance.
Defining and Comparing Various Pricing Approaches
The various pricing approaches discussed in the accounting profession these days can be really confusing. There's a lot of overlap between them and many misconceptions, especially about "value pricing." Defining any of these with a tidy little soundbite is tough so...
Grimbleby Coleman’s Leader of Advance Pricing Methods® Initiative, Jane Johnson, Recognized by CPAFMA as Firm Manager of the Year
Thrilled to see that firm ops rockstar Jane Johnson, COO of CA firm Grimbleby Coleman was just honored by CPA Firm Management Association as their 2021 Firm Manager of the Year. I had the pleasure of working with Jane when she contacted me a few years back to embark...
CPA Firm Business Model “Tension”
Several years ago, it hit me that the root cause of much tension among firm's leaders is the fact that, in our profession, we're trying to operate multiple business models simultaneously without acknowledging some key distinctions among our models. In addition to...
Should We Grow That Niche?
Which industry niches* should we grow? Are we true specialists in an industry? How do we prioritize our industries served when it comes to human and monetary resource allocation (staffing, training, marketing, recruiting, etc)? To help determine the best answers, a...
Some Thoughts on Pricing in the Pandemic
I keep reading how buyers across all sectors are "demanding discounts" and it's easy to see how this creates strain and pressure for us to do the same. Fact is, CPA firms are a relatively low-margin-high-volume industry that, when billing by the hour, already writes...
Update on the Accounting Profession’s Evolving Business Model
We're seeing some really big strides in the business (and revenue) model shifts in the accounting profession. At this writing, FIVE of the US Top 100 largest CPA firms, and several Top 200 firms, are currently instituting Fore's Advanced Pricing Methods℠. These brave...
Unlearning and Relearning is a Struggle, But See What Happens Once You Do
Embarking on a business model change? I don't want to give any spoilers for this terrific and inspiring video, but here's one of Dustin's quotes: "Once you have a rigid way of thinking in your head, sometimes you cannot change it even if you want to."...
What Your Firm’s Clients Have in Common with LegoLand Visitors
My friend Greg Kyte is one of my favorite customer experience experts. Maybe it's because of his authenticity? Or maybe it's his ability to relate seemingly unrelated things. Whatever it is, he REALLY gets it. (If you've been through any of my pricing workshops,...
How to Shift from Reactionary RFP Responses to Richer, More Contextually Relevant Proposals
Excellent, highly effective proposals don't occur in a vacuum. They are the end result of great process that begins with a conversation between the buyer and your firm. In an article called Designing Better Proposals that I recently wrote for Association for...
Retraining Clients When You’ve Taught Them to Abuse You (aka Preventing Costly Schedule Disruptions)
Many CPA firms lament clients not being ready for them when they show up for audit fieldwork. (This post uses audit as an example, but the concepts apply to tax, consulting and a zillion other types of projects.) I can’t blame a firm for being frustrated when the team arrives for fieldwork and the advance PBC (prepared-by-client) list has not been completed. It’s expensive and it’s disruptive. And let’s face it, it’s inconsiderate and unprofessional. But is it partly our own fault?
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