Arvid Mostad, President
Mostad & Christensen, Inc.
There is nothing worse for a local accounting firm than to be without a website. Wrong! Having a website with out-of-date information is worse than not having one at all. Consider the impression on your clients or prospective clients when they read two-, three-, and four-year old tax information. Archiving your tax tips or blogs [...]
Here are suggestions to help reduce the number of new clients you will end up firing. Your initial consultation is the proper time to screen a potential client to see if the individual or business and your firm will be a good long-term fit. Consider these points: 1. How many prior accounting firms has this [...]
Today there are more ways than ever to reach clients and prospects — from the tried-and-true client newsletter to social media like Facebook and blogging. Combine print and electronic marketing to cover all the bases in your marketing strategy and get the best practice-building results. Take advantage of the increased opportunities a dual approach gives [...]
Your current clients and prospective clients like dealing with a well-known and successful accountant. The more visible you are, the more likely it is that people will consider you successful. Take the opportunity to speak at local service clubs and to write articles for your local newspaper or trade journals for industries in which you’re [...]
How does the size of your firm affect your client’s perception of your professionalism? This may be difficult to measure. However, some clients may be more willing to deal with a partnership than with a sole proprietor. This does not have to do with professionalism; it has to do with security. If you are absent [...]
Perhaps your firm should seek to increase the number of paraprofessionals you have in lieu of hiring more professional staff. If you hire sharp, ambitious, paraprofessionals who do not aspire to be CPAs, you may solve one of the main problems facing accounting firms. You will lessen the need for producing higher and higher gross [...]
While with a client, leave your cell phone off and out of sight. That’s it. That should be all that needs to be said. But many of us seem to think we should be an exception to this common courtesy. Imagine being in a meeting where you are paying your attorney for his professional advice. [...]
Were fees an issue with some clients this past tax season? Here’s a suggestion you might consider. Most clients who ask for a fee and time estimate on an engagement simply want some idea of the size of their project. Because your client will always remember the lowest figure given, you are better off not [...]
One of the best assets a local accounting firm can have is satisfied clients that will refer more good clients. You can improve your client relations and goodwill by assisting clients in keeping their accounting fees as low as possible. Consider telling your clients these five ways to help reduce their accounting fees: Contact us [...]
During the summer, clients are more likely to be vacationing than calling you for an appointment. But that doesn’t mean you should let summer slip by unprofitably. Why not sow some seeds that will grow profits for you later this year? Here are three suggestions that have worked for other accountants. They could work for [...]