Accounting Voices Podcast

"The CFO-Accountant Relationship", host Rob Brown interviews guest Steve Rosvold, who shares his insights on the skills accountants need to develop to grow their firms. Rosvold emphasizes the importance of improving communication skills and developing insights beyond just financial statements. He believes accountants must become business advisors and compete with other companies by leveraging their unique insight into their clients' financial information.Rosvold also discusses the role of the CFO and how it can be a stepping stone to the CEO role. He shares his four pillars of CFO success: accounting, finance, treasury, and leadership. Rosvold details the accounting pillar covering governance and internal controls, recording transactions, and reporting accurate and timely financial statements.Overall, this episode is aimed at accountants looking to improve their skills and become more than just number crunchers. It provides valuable insights into the changing role of accountants in today's business landscape and how they can position themselves for success.Key Takeaways➤ Accountants must improve their communication skills and develop insights beyond financial statements to become successful business advisors.➤ The CFO role is an exciting avenue for those interested in leading companies, and it's becoming a stepping stone to the CEO role.➤ Rosvold's four pillars of CFO success include accounting, finance, treasury, and leadership. The accounting pillar covers governance and internal controls, recording transactions, and reporting accurate and timely financial statements.➤ The partnership model can work well for public accountants and consulting companies today.➤ Emotional intelligence and managing the customer experience are crucial skills that accountants need to develop to compete with larger firms like McKinsey and Boston Consulting.➤ Attestations and audits will continue to be significant revenue streams for accountants, but they must also focus on becoming trusted business advisors to their clients.Steve Rosvold is the Founder of CFO.University, a professional development platform for finance leaders built on the four pillars of CFO success: Accounting, Finance, Treasury, and Leadership. With 20 years of corporate finance leadership experience, he developed the ability to drive change, improve profitability, and ensure long-term financial health. Steve lives in Vancouver, WA, with his wife, and is an avid bicyclist who once pedaled 275 miles in one day. Learn more about CFO.University on their website.◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast drops every Monday to accounting professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers across 150 countries in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, go to https://accountinginfluencers.com/events and book your place at the next gathering. Great to build your personal brand and make valuable industry connections. ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersJoin the Accounting Influencers community and get invitations to our international speed networking events to build your personal brand and network in the accounting, finance and tech world: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubeThanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Join us at Accountex London, the pinnacle of fintech innovation, May 15-16, 2024! Discover ground-breaking solutions from 295+ brands and gain invaluable insights at our CPD-accredited sessions. Connect with 10,000+ finance professionals. Elevate your practice – attendance is free, plus earn up to 16 CPD points! https://www.accountex.co.uk/londonDEXT. Streamline your accounting practice with Dext! Our cutting-edge tools, Dext Prepare, Commerce, and Precision, revolutionize data handling, saving you precious time and ensuring accuracy. Connect seamlessly with leading software like Xero and QBO. Join 500,000+ customers transforming their practices. Start your free trial and embrace efficiency today! https://dext.comIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown

Welcome to the Accounting Influencers Podcast, going live every Monday and Thursday to 150 countries and 30,000 accounting practitioners, fintech specialists and influencers in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space.Trisha Daho, the founder of Empowered, shares insights on culture, people strategy, and DEI strategy for accounting and law firms. Trisha explains that accounting firms are easier to work with than law firms as they are less hierarchical in decision-making. However, accounting firms' culture and people stuff is more complicated and essential as their people are the product.Trisha also emphasises that trust is a crucial factor for service providers. Clients buy services not just because the work is done but also because they trust the service provider and want to work with them. Millennials and Gen Zs are more interested in culture and work-life balance, and clients now demand that firms focus more on these issues. Firms also need help acquiring and retaining talent due to a shortage of skilled people entering the accounting industry.Trisha notes that the pandemic has taught firms to look more expansively for talent and that firms are making crossroads decisions about their path, with younger people coming in and wanting to own their own companies. The conversation around how accounting firms do their work and create career paths for people is changing, and firms that can differentiate themselves through employer branding will win the talent war.Key Takeaways➤ Culture and people strategy are crucial for accounting firms and their success. As people are the product, firms must ensure that their culture is correct and consistent with their brand.➤ Trust is a significant factor for service providers, and clients buy services because they trust the service provider and want to work with them.➤ Younger generations, such as Millennials and Gen Zs, are interested in work-life balance, culture, and DEI issues. Clients are also demanding firms have a greater focus on these issues.➤ Accounting firms struggle with talent acquisition and retention due to a shortage of skilled people entering the industry. Firms are reimagining the skills they need and how they can expand the talent pool.➤ Employer branding is crucial for accounting firms to win the talent war. Firms that can differentiate themselves through employer branding and innovative ways of engaging with clients and employees will succeed.Guest BioTrisha Daho is a former Big 4 Accounting and Advisory partner turned into a culture, talent, and DEI expert. She founded Empowered, partnering with leadership teams to create sustainable and measurable people results. With laser-focused strategies, she built thriving practices in four regions and created growth businesses that have expanded exponentially. Trisha writes and speaks regularly on authenticity in leadership, creating growth cultures, diversity and inclusion, and more. She is also a kickboxing instructor, dog fosterer, and avid traveller.https://www.linkedin.com/in/trishadaho/◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢If you like the show, we'd truly appreciate a review on whatever platform you listen. We'd love to get to know you!Main show website. For access to every single show with full shownotes: https://accountinginfluencers.com/podcastFor announcements of published shows, tagging guest so you can build your network and offer feedback on the show: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubehttps://www.instagram.com/accinfluencershttps://twitter.com/accinfluencershttps://www.facebook.com/accountinginfluencersThanks to our sponsors:Accountex. Accountex will return to ExCeL London UK on the 10-11 May 2023. Bringing together 250+ top fintech companies and cutting-edge start-ups, visitors can browse new software and stay up to date with the latest technology, tools and ideas in accountancy and finance. Alongside the exhibition, attendees will take away actionable tips from the CPD-accredited seminar programme, led by 200+ thought leaders shaping the profession.Accountex is Europe’s largest annual event for the accounting and finance profession. It attracts 8,000+ attendees and 250+ exhibitors. Attendees can get up to 16 CPD hours with 200+ free seminar sessions across 12 theatres.https://www.accountex.co.uk/london/

Caroline Hobden talks about Accountex, the most significant accounting event in Europe, which will be held at Excel in London on the 10th and 11th of May this year.The event will feature a variety of educational programs and a large expo with incredible stands. There will be networking opportunities, parties, and CPD to be gained. Accountants from all over the world attend Accountex, including some from as far away as Australia. The event is designed to be a level playing field for everyone, regardless of budget, and will feature various topics.Speakers at this year's event include Brad Bur, Jeff Ram, Rebecca Be, Sharon Cook, Joe Wood, Zoe Whitman, Lee Chambers, Mo Canel, and Mark Pugh. The topics covered will include understanding menopause in the workplace, sustainability, women in leadership roles, and more.Key Takeaways➤ Accountex is the largest accounting event in Europe, taking place on the 10th and 11th of May at Excel in London.➤ The event will feature a variety of educational programs, a large expo, networking opportunities, parties, and CPD opportunities.➤ Accountants from all over the world attend Accountex, including some from as far away as Australia.➤ Accountex is designed to be a level playing field for everyone, regardless of budget, and will feature a broad range of topics.➤ Speakers at this year's event include Brad Bur, Jeff Ram, Rebecca Be, Sharon Cook, Joe Wood, Zoe Whitman, Lee Chambers, Mo Canel, and Mark Pugh.➤ Topics covered at the event will include understanding menopause in the workplace, sustainability, women in leadership roles, and more.The event is designed to meet the needs of everyone in the accounting profession and is an excellent opportunity to learn and network.Caroline Hobden is a seasoned event professional with over 20 years of experience managing international business-to-business events. As the Director of the popular Accountex portfolio, Caroline brings her wealth of knowledge and expertise. From Accountex Summit North in Manchester to Accountex in London, virtual events, and the monthly e-newsletter Accounting Insight News, Caroline delivers top-notch events for the accounting and finance community. Connect with her on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on the latest in the industry.◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast drops every Monday to accounting professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers across 150 countries in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, go to https://accountinginfluencers.com/events and book your place at the next gathering. Great to build your personal brand and make valuable industry connections. ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersJoin the Accounting Influencers community and get invitations to our international speed networking events to build your personal brand and network in the accounting, finance and tech world: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubeThanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Join us at Accountex London, the pinnacle of fintech innovation, May 15-16, 2024! Discover ground-breaking solutions from 295+ brands and gain invaluable insights at our CPD-accredited sessions. Connect with 10,000+ finance professionals. Elevate your practice – attendance is free, plus earn up to 16 CPD points! https://www.accountex.co.uk/londonDEXT. Streamline your accounting practice with Dext! Our cutting-edge tools, Dext Prepare, Commerce, and Precision, revolutionize data handling, saving you precious time and ensuring accuracy. Connect seamlessly with leading software like Xero and QBO. Join 500,000+ customers transforming their practices. Start your free trial and embrace efficiency today! https://dext.comIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown

Rob Brown features Lee Frederiksen, a behavioural scientist and researcher at Hinge Marketing, discussing marketing and growth opportunities for accounting firms.Lee talks about the importance of marketing and the need for the right talent and skills to implement effective marketing strategies. He highlights the role of digital marketing techniques such as search engine optimisation, consultations, and blog posts in high-growth firms. In contrast, traditional techniques like business development and networking are used by no-growth firms. The episode also covers the importance of being flexible and adaptive to changes and gathering client data to understand their needs and anticipate changes in the market. The focus should be on leveraging technology and talent to develop innovative solutions and stay ahead of the competition. Frederiksen concludes by emphasizing the evolving role of accounting firms, which includes strategy development, branding, and marketing services.Key takeaways from this episode include:➤ why employer branding is a critical topic for accounting firm leaders to understand➤ the three things you need to build a successful professional services firm➤ the biggest growth challenge for many accounting firms➤ why the accounting profession has the lowest number of actively looking job-seekers in the whole professional services sector➤ what exactly job seekers are looking for in new roles depends on where they are in their career➤ the importance of being able to work remotely for talent looking for accounting roles➤ why accounting firms who have not responded well to covid will suffer most in losing top talent➤ the number one factor in creating a really strong employer brand for your accounting firm➤ the futility of your accounting firm having more than 3 core values➤ the number one thing job seekers who are actively looking for a new position actually want➤ the prime times or triggers that make people restless in wanting to leave an accounting firm or role➤ explaining the trend of people thinking of their career as a series of gigs vz jobs➤ why loyalty to an accounting firm increases for both staff and clients once a critical time has passed➤ the disruptive effect of mergers and acquisitions on workforce stability of accounting firms➤ why making people stay with 'golden handcuffs' can cause resentment and lowered productivity in accounting firm staff➤ the two stages in developing a compelling 'employer brand' in an accounting firm➤ a strong accounting firm brand in the marketplace may attract talent to you, but there's one vital thing it won't do➤ the differences in professional services sectors when it comes to how they attract and retain top talent➤ the importance of time horizons for restless employees - vital to know for retaining your best people➤ why it's inevitable in tough times that accounting firms will lose people➤ how the business model of 'needing a local and regional presence' has changed for accounting firms➤ what do accounting firms can do to attract employees that are not actively looking to move➤ questions accounting firm leaders should be asking in shaping a strong employer brand➤ two top tips for accountants who want more career capital and greater profitabilityLee Frederiksen is an award-winning marketer, Visible Expert®, and business strategist. As the Managing Partner of Hinge, he uses his PhD in behavioural psychology and CEO experience to help professional service firms achieve high growth and profitability. Lee is a recognized industry name, having authored several books and conducted extensive research on marketing and business growth. He is a regular speaker at major industry events and quoted in mainstream publications.Discover growth strategies for accounting firms in this Accounting Influencers Podcast episode. Learn the importance of research-based approaches and digital marketing to stay competitive.---This show was initially aired as season 0, episode 116, on 20 Aug 2022. It was entitled "Employer Branding Strategies for Growing Accounting Firms". With the current focus on employer branding for accounting firms, Lee Frederiksen's research shows the importance of talent attraction and retention for accounting practices.When he’s not travelling to speaking engagements or working at the Hinge headquarters, you’ll find Lee pursuing his interest in hot rods or watching movies with his wife, Candace. You can reach him here...https://www.linkedin.com/in/leefrederiksenhttps://twitter.com/leefrederiksenhttp://www.hingemarketing.com◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast drops every Monday to accounting professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers across 150 countries in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, go to https://accountinginfluencers.com/events and book your place at the next gathering. Great to build your personal brand and make valuable industry connections. ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersJoin the Accounting Influencers community and get invitations to our international speed networking events to build your personal brand and network in the accounting, finance and tech world: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubeThanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Join us at Accountex London, the pinnacle of fintech innovation, May 15-16, 2024! Discover ground-breaking solutions from 295+ brands and gain invaluable insights at our CPD-accredited sessions. Connect with 10,000+ finance professionals. Elevate your practice – attendance is free, plus earn up to 16 CPD points! https://www.accountex.co.uk/londonDEXT. Streamline your accounting practice with Dext! Our cutting-edge tools, Dext Prepare, Commerce, and Precision, revolutionize data handling, saving you precious time and ensuring accuracy. Connect seamlessly with leading software like Xero and QBO. Join 500,000+ customers transforming their practices. Start your free trial and embrace efficiency today! https://dext.comIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown

"Getting Accounting Clients to Conform", Susan Bryant discusses how accountants can improve their services and client experiences. She discusses the importance of accountants being proactive, communicating with clients regularly providing holistic financial advice. Bryant suggests that accountants need to focus on the clients that truly value their services and are willing to pay for them. She also encourages accountants to prioritise their fulfilment by only offering services they enjoy and focusing on their business development.Bryant notes that the accounting industry needs to shift from an employee mindset to an entrepreneurial mindset and suggests that compensation for accountants should be tied to their ability to increase the value of their client's businesses and personal lives.Bryant also discusses the need for accountants to standardise their processes to ensure conformity from the beginning and create positive client experiences. She highlights the importance of setting expectations and having systems to handle clients' varied and complex needs. She notes that clients are increasingly willing to switch accountants to find better service and advice and that accountants must be honest about their services to avoid disappointing clients. Bryant also emphasises the need for accountants to continually focus on their business development and continuously improve their knowledge and expertise.Key takeaways➤ Clients seek a more holistic approach from their accountants beyond compliance work. Accountants must evaluate whether their clients truly understand and value their work and are willing to conform to their processes and standards.➤ Accountants should consider recalibrating what a good client looks like and be willing to let go of clients who are not a good fit. This may necessitate creating systems and processes to attract better clients eager to consume their services.➤ Accountants who are proactive, close to their clients, and able to deal with complexity will be more successful. They need to be willing and honest about the clients they want to serve and how they want to serve them.➤ Accountants need to have an entrepreneurial mindset and think of themselves as business owners. They should be compensated based on their ability to contribute to increasing the value of their client's businesses and personal lives.➤ Developing a more commercial acumen and a more entrepreneurial business-thinking mindset will be necessary for accountants to stay relevant.Susan Bryant is a highly experienced and accomplished Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Tax Coach passionate about driving positive change in the business world. With over 15 years of experience, Susan has worked closely with numerous business owners, helping them achieve their goals and dreams by improving their finance functions. She firmly believes that accurate and reliable accounting data, combined with advanced tax planning and strategic advisory services, can be a game-changer for businesses looking to propel themselves forward.Susan has worked in various capacities with her clients over the years, including as an architect of accounting processes, a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisor, and a tax strategist. Her expertise and dedication have earned her a reputation as a trusted and respected professional in the industry. With her knowledge and skills, Susan has helped countless businesses streamline operations, maximise profitability, and achieve long-term success.◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast drops every Monday to accounting professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers across 150 countries in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, go to https://accountinginfluencers.com/events and book your place at the next gathering. Great to build your personal brand and make valuable industry connections. ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersJoin the Accounting Influencers community and get invitations to our international speed networking events to build your personal brand and network in the accounting, finance and tech world: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubeThanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Join us at Accountex London, the pinnacle of fintech innovation, May 15-16, 2024! Discover ground-breaking solutions from 295+ brands and gain invaluable insights at our CPD-accredited sessions. Connect with 10,000+ finance professionals. Elevate your practice – attendance is free, plus earn up to 16 CPD points! https://www.accountex.co.uk/londonDEXT. Streamline your accounting practice with Dext! Our cutting-edge tools, Dext Prepare, Commerce, and Precision, revolutionize data handling, saving you precious time and ensuring accuracy. Connect seamlessly with leading software like Xero and QBO. Join 500,000+ customers transforming their practices. Start your free trial and embrace efficiency today! https://dext.comIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown

Welcome to the Accounting Influencers Podcast, going live every Monday to 150 countries and 30,000 accounting practitioners, fintech specialists and influencers in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space.In this Talent Special bonus, "The Under-Used Brain of Accountants", Rob Brown chats to Dawn Goldberg, a mindset coach for accountants and shares how understanding and managing your brain can transform your personal and professional life. She discusses the universal application of the mindset mastery tool she teaches, explaining how it can improve relationships and every other area of life. She also shares her experience applying the tool to tax season and how it improved her experience with reduced stress.Dawn highlights the importance of mastering time management for accountants and explains that managing the brain and time go together. She stresses the significance of taking ownership of our thoughts, creating intentional change, and sharing how getting everything out of our brains and onto paper can help in this process, allowing us to separate the facts from our thoughts about the facts. She emphasises that our thoughts are optional, and we can think intentionally to achieve better results.Key Takeaways➤ Mindset mastery is a universal tool that can be applied to every area of our lives.➤ Circumstances are neutral and our thoughts create our reality.➤ Better time management for accountants involves understanding how to manage our brains, not just relying on external tools.➤ Taking ownership of our thoughts and understanding that our thoughts about our jobs create our feelings is crucial for creating intentional change.➤ Getting everything out of our brains and onto paper can help with the process of mastering our mindset.➤ Our thoughts are 100% optional and intentional thinking can lead to better feelings and better results.You can also watch this on YouTube.Guest BioDawn Goldberg is an accomplished CPA with over 30 years of experience in public accounting, having worked for notable firms such as Deloitte and Ernst & Young. She is also a Professional Certified Coach for Accountants, passionate about teaching accountants how to optimise their skills and become more competent professionals.Dawn's interest in learning led her to study life coaching, through which she learned powerful tools that positively impacted her life, including stress-free tax seasons. Her passion for helping accountants led her to write the book "The Smarter Accountant" and create two 6-week coaching programs - The Smarter Accountant Program and The Smarter Accountant Time Management Program.Dawn aims to empower accountants to become more efficient and productive, preventing burnout, stress, and frustration. She achieves this by sharing her coaching and tools, helping accountants become more intelligent, productive, and ultimately more fulfilled in their profession.Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Dawn.Goldberg.CPALinkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-g-11366717b/Website https://thesmarteraccountant.com/◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢If you like the show, we'd truly appreciate a review on whatever platform you listen. We'd love to get to know you!Main show website. For access to every single show with full shownotes: https://accountinginfluencers.com/podcastFor announcements of published shows, tagging guests so you can build your network and offer feedback on the show: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubehttps://www.instagram.com/accinfluencershttps://twitter.com/accinfluencershttps://www.facebook.com/accountinginfluencersThanks to our sponsors:Accountex. Accountex will return to ExCeL London UK on the 10-11 May 2023. Bringing together 250+ top fintech companies and cutting-edge start-ups, visitors can browse new software and stay up to date with the latest technology, tools and ideas in accountancy and finance. Alongside the exhibition, attendees will take away actionable tips from the CPD-accredited seminar programme, led by 200+ thought leaders shaping the profession.Accountex is Europe’s largest annual event for the accounting and finance profession. It attracts 8,000+ attendees and 250+ exhibitors. Attendees can get up to 16 CPD hours with 200+ free seminar sessions across 12 theatres.https://www.accountex.co.uk/london/

"What Works in Successful Discovery Calls", Rob Brown speaks with guest Nancy Fox about growing accounting firms. Nancy highlights the importance of having a unique value proposition and point of distinction that sets accountants apart from their peers. Additionally, she emphasises the need to warm up potential clients before a discovery call by networking and building relationships. Nancy shares a five-step structure for conducting discovery calls and suggests asking deep questions to determine potential clients' readiness, commitment, and budget for working with an accountant.Nancy also advises waiting to send proposals until certain pieces are established and the client is ready to move forward. She emphasises the need to understand clients' businesses, ask great questions, and add value to their services to get their desired fees. Nancy concludes by offering to help accountants improve their probing and open-ended questions and providing a mini-training on success in discovery calls if enough people are interested. By setting boundaries and guidelines, accountants can work with clients who respect and value their services.Key Takeaways➤ Having a unique value proposition and a point of distinction is crucial to building brand awareness and setting yourself apart from other accountants.➤ Warm-up before a discovery call by networking and building relationships with potential clients, and prepare for the call by conducting thorough research on the person or company.➤ During the discovery call, ask deep questions during the uncovering stage to determine interest versus commitment and nurture relationships with potential clients who may need more time to move forward.➤ Set boundaries and guidelines for working with clients who respect and value your services and understand their businesses to add value to your services and get the desired fees.➤ Only send proposals once certain pieces are established, and the client is ready.Overall, by focusing on building relationships, providing value, and setting boundaries, accountants can better prepare for discovery calls and grow their firms.Nancy Fox, a former corporate executive, launched her coaching and training business in 1999. With a background in manufacturing, Nancy has trained and coached senior executives in leadership, communication, and business development. She also served as a Fractional Business Development Officer in professional service firms, guiding accounting and law professionals in networking, client relationship building, and engagement. Nancy has helped firms develop internal mentoring programs and women's initiatives.Nancy is an accomplished community and network builder, a keynote speaker, and the author of the highly recognised strategic networking book Network Like A Fox. She is based in Los Angeles and enjoys playing tennis, spending time with dogs, hiking in the mountains, and dancing West Coast Swing. If you want to book a call with her or learn more about her book, Network Like A Fox.Links: Book a call: https://fractionals.as.me/leapforwardNetwork Like A Fox book - https://networklikeafox.com◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast drops every Monday to accounting professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers across 150 countries in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, go to https://accountinginfluencers.com/events and book your place at the next gathering. Great to build your personal brand and make valuable industry connections. ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersJoin the Accounting Influencers community and get invitations to our international speed networking events to build your personal brand and network in the accounting, finance and tech world: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubeThanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Join us at Accountex London, the pinnacle of fintech innovation, May 15-16, 2024! Discover ground-breaking solutions from 295+ brands and gain invaluable insights at our CPD-accredited sessions. Connect with 10,000+ finance professionals. Elevate your practice – attendance is free, plus earn up to 16 CPD points! https://www.accountex.co.uk/londonDEXT. Streamline your accounting practice with Dext! Our cutting-edge tools, Dext Prepare, Commerce, and Precision, revolutionize data handling, saving you precious time and ensuring accuracy. Connect seamlessly with leading software like Xero and QBO. Join 500,000+ customers transforming their practices. Start your free trial and embrace efficiency today! https://dext.comIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown

Welcome to the Accounting Influencers Podcast, going live every Monday to 150 countries and 30,000 accounting practitioners, fintech specialists and influencers in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space.In this Talent Special bonus, "What Motivates Accountants & CPAs" Rob Brown features Ashley Miller, an executive coach. Ashley shares insights into leadership, team dynamics, and influence. She discusses the importance of the human element in accounting and how firms can add value by understanding what motivates their employees. Ashley also describes creating emotional connections in the workplace and inspiring employees through communication and empathy. She suggests building trust by being vulnerable and creating a sense of belonging for employees. Furthermore, Ashley notes the unique opportunity for accounting firms to expand globally by recruiting diverse individuals. She concludes by challenging leaders to be self-aware and advocate for their own careers while being accountable.You can also watch this on youtube here: https://youtu.be/jrprBPjKU_gKey Takeaways1.       Accounting firms are uniquely positioned to help businesses grow and succeed, especially during challenging times like the pandemic. Firms can expand globally and seek diverse talent to support their clients.2.      People crave human connection, even in their work lives, and accountants need to remember that clients and colleagues are people, not robots. Leaders can motivate and retain talent by understanding what motivates each individual and providing value beyond just salary.3.      Self-awareness is crucial for both leaders and team members. Leaders need to be aware of their impact on others and seek feedback to improve, while team members must advocate for their careers and take personal accountability for their actions.4.     Trust and vulnerability are essential for building relationships with colleagues and clients. People are likelier to follow leaders they trust and buy from organizations they like. Accountants can build trust and create deeper connections by being vulnerable and sharing their human side.Guest BioAshleigh Miller is the founder of Amplify Excellence LLC, a certified executive coach, and a business leader with over 20 years of experience in professional services organizations such as EY and Accenture. She is passionate about the human element within the business environment and empowers others by helping them realize their unique strengths as a catalyst for personal and team success. Ashleigh facilitates workshops and coaches on the art of emotional intelligence and its impact on business development, leadership skills, and team dynamics. She also serves as the President of the Board of Ballet Excel Ohio (BXO). In her free time, Ashleigh enjoys consuming hours of audiobooks and exciting podcasts, playing cards, laughing with friends, and engaging with her teenage children.◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢If you like the show, we'd truly appreciate a review on whatever platform you listen. We'd love to get to know you!Main show website. For access to every single show with full shownotes: https://accountinginfluencers.com/podcastFor announcements of published shows, tagging guests so you can build your network and offer feedback on the show: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubehttps://www.instagram.com/accinfluencershttps://twitter.com/accinfluencershttps://www.facebook.com/accountinginfluencersThanks to our sponsors:Accountex. Accountex will return to ExCeL London UK on the 10-11 May 2023. Bringing together 250+ top fintech companies and cutting-edge start-ups, visitors can browse new software and stay up to date with the latest technology, tools and ideas in accountancy and finance. Alongside the exhibition, attendees will take away actionable tips from the CPD-accredited seminar programme, led by 200+ thought leaders shaping the profession.Accountex is Europe’s largest annual event for the accounting and finance profession. It attracts 8,000+ attendees and 250+ exhibitors. Attendees can get up to 16 CPD hours with 200+ free seminar sessions across 12 theatres.https://www.accountex.co.uk/london/

"Innovation Beyond Technology in Accounting" Rob Brown speaks with Ed Kless, Senior Director of Sage Accountants Solutions, about innovation in the accounting industry. With 18 years of experience working for Sage, Ed has a wealth of knowledge about helping accounting partners, influencers, and customers improve their businesses.Ed discusses the history of Sage and a think tank started by Ron Baker that helped to initiate the value pricing movement. He maintains that the billing model needs to be revised by the hour, as it focuses on efficiency rather than effectiveness. He also talks about the issue of tracking time and how innovation is about bringing disparate things together to create something new, using examples such as a skateboard and stroller combined.The conversation delves into innovation around business models, delivery, packaging, pricing, and language. The speakers discuss the value of social capital and the importance of making connections, even with weak connections, to help others. They also discuss subscription marketing and how companies can innovate to create offerings that provide customers experiences and transformations beyond the product itself.Using the example of the Fender guitar, the speakers discuss the importance of creating an offering that surrounds what customers are after, which could be peace of mind, experiences, or transformations. They highlight the power of language in changing mindsets and how Disney's language changes played a role in creating attractions rather than rides.Overall, this episode provides insightful and valuable perspectives on innovation in the accounting industry and how companies can create offerings that genuinely serve their customers' needs. Key Takeaways➤ The traditional billing model of charging by the hour is no longer effective in today's marketplace. Instead, firms should focus on delivering value to their clients and pricing their services based on that value.➤ Innovation is not just about technology but about bringing disparate things together to create something new. This includes innovative business models, delivery methods, packaging, pricing, and language.➤ Social capital and networking are important for building connections and helping others. Even weak connections can be valuable and lead to new opportunities.➤ Subscription marketing can be a powerful tool for firms looking to provide experiences and transformations beyond the product itself. The key is to focus on what customers are ultimately after, whether it's peace of mind, experiences, or transformations.➤ The power of language should not be underestimated. Using language that focuses on the benefits and outcomes of a service or product can change clients' mindsets and lead to increased sales.Ed Kless is a Senior Director at Sage Accountants Solutions, where he develops and delivers courses on leadership, strategy, pricing, and project management. He also serves as a facilitator of the Sage Leadership Academy and a liaison to the Sage Leadership Academy Alumni Association. Ed is a senior fellow at the VeraSage Institute and a consultant for Tipping Point Advisors. He hosts "The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the knowledge economy" with Ron Baker on VoiceAmerica Talk Radio/◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢The Accounting Influencers Podcast drops every Monday to accounting professionals, finance specialists, software vendors, tech providers and influencers across 150 countries in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space. To participate in our international virtual speed networking events for the accounting community, go to https://accountinginfluencers.com/events and book your place at the next gathering. Great to build your personal brand and make valuable industry connections. ◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@accountinginfluencersJoin the Accounting Influencers community and get invitations to our international speed networking events to build your personal brand and network in the accounting, finance and tech world: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubeThanks to our sponsors:ADVANCETRACK OUTSOURCING. Transform your accounting firm with AdvanceTrack. Our top-tier offshoring solutions free your team from mundane tasks, allowing you to focus on growth and client engagement. Experience seamless scalability and expert support. Visit advancetrack.com and elevate your practice today. https://www.advancetrack.comACCOUNTEX. Join us at Accountex London, the pinnacle of fintech innovation, May 15-16, 2024! Discover ground-breaking solutions from 295+ brands and gain invaluable insights at our CPD-accredited sessions. Connect with 10,000+ finance professionals. Elevate your practice – attendance is free, plus earn up to 16 CPD points! https://www.accountex.co.uk/londonDEXT. Streamline your accounting practice with Dext! Our cutting-edge tools, Dext Prepare, Commerce, and Precision, revolutionize data handling, saving you precious time and ensuring accuracy. Connect seamlessly with leading software like Xero and QBO. Join 500,000+ customers transforming their practices. Start your free trial and embrace efficiency today! https://dext.comIf you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore. https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown

Welcome to the Accounting Influencers Podcast, going live every Monday to 150 countries and 30,000 accounting practitioners, fintech specialists and influencers in the accountancy, CPA and bookkeeping space.In this Talent Special bonus, "Employer Branding for Accounting Firms", Rob Brown continues his conversation with Jen Surtees, Director of People Experience (UK & EMEA) at Xero, to discuss some of the biggest challenges facing employers in the current recruitment landscape.Jen shares her insights on how companies can differentiate themselves as employers to attract and retain talent in a highly competitive market. She also provides valuable tips on hiring for culture fit and identifying values that drive the organisation's culture.The conversation then shifts to the "great resignation," where many employees are quitting their jobs in search of better opportunities or work-life balance. Jen discusses what companies can do to retain talent, including creating a culture that values employee well-being, development, and growth.Finally, the discussion turns to remote and hybrid working, which has become increasingly popular after the pandemic. Jen shares her views on how companies can make this work with their culture and the benefits of providing employees with more flexible work arrangements.Overall, this episode provides valuable insights and practical advice for employers navigating the challenges of recruitment and the work landscape. Jen's extensive experience in coaching and developing high-performing teams and cultures provides a unique perspective on how organisations can thrive in these challenges.Key takeaways➤ In today's challenging recruitment landscape, it's essential to differentiate yourself by being clear on your employer's brand and values and offering competitive benefits and career development opportunities.➤ Hiring for culture fit is critical to building a cohesive and high-performing team. To do this, it's essential to define your company's values and behaviours, ask behavioural interview questions and involve multiple team members in the hiring process.➤ The "Great Resignation" is a genuine concern for many businesses, and it's important to focus on employee retention. This can be achieved through several strategies, including offering flexible working arrangements, investing in employee development and training, and prioritising employee well-being and work-life balance.➤ Remote and hybrid working is becoming increasingly popular, but some businesses must be convinced whether it can work with their company culture. To make remote or hybrid working successful, it's essential to communicate effectively, build trust, and offer the right tools and technology to support remote workers.You can also watch this on youtubeGuest BioJen is an experienced and passionate Director of People Experience at Xero, where she leads efforts to create an inclusive and supportive environment for employees. With a background in coaching and research into the psychological conditions for high-performing teams, Jen brings a wealth of expertise to her role. She has designed recruitment, development, and cultural programs for businesses that prioritize people and is committed to seeing the impact of her work firsthand. At Xero, Jen is dedicated to ensuring every Xero employee has a world-class experience. The company's recent recognition as the 5th Best Workplace in Tech and 2nd Best Workplace for Women in the UK Large Business Category is a testament to her efforts. Outside work, Jen enjoys spending time with her family in their new coastal home, where they can explore the outdoors and appreciate nature.◣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◢If you like the show, we'd truly appreciate a review on whatever platform you listen. We'd love to get to know you!Main show website. For access to every single show with full shownotes: https://accountinginfluencers.com/podcastFor announcements of published shows, tagging guest so you can build your network and offer feedback on the show: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accountinginfluencersFor videos of all podcast interviews and bonus video content: https://bit.ly/AI-youtubehttps://www.instagram.com/accinfluencershttps://twitter.com/accinfluencershttps://www.facebook.com/accountinginfluencersThanks to our sponsors:Accountex. Accountex will return to ExCeL London UK on the 10-11 May 2023. Bringing together 250+ top fintech companies and cutting-edge start-ups, visitors can browse new software and stay up to date with the latest technology, tools and ideas in accountancy and finance. Alongside the exhibition, attendees will take away actionable tips from the CPD-accredited seminar programme, led by 200+ thought leaders shaping the profession.Accountex is Europe’s largest annual event for the accounting and finance profession. It attracts 8,000+ attendees and 250+ exhibitors. Attendees can get up to 16 CPD hours with 200+ free seminar sessions across 12 theatres.https://www.accountex.co.uk/london/