“You don’t mind being paid in cash, do you?” asks the client.

“Not at all,” says the accountant.

After the client leaves the office, the accountant immediately opens the envelope, only to discover that the client has overpaid by several hundred dollars. He is then forced with an ethical dilemma:

“Do I tell my partner?”

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The architect said, “I enjoy time with my wife, building a solid foundation for the future.”

The artist said, “I enjoy time with my mistress, because of the passion and mystery.”

The accountant said, “I like both.”

“Both?”

The accountant explained . . . “If you have a wife and a mistress, they will each assume you are spending time with the other woman, so you can go to the office and get some work done.”

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I’m certainly seeing this in the firms I visit with – and it’s not just the seasonal increase. We had a slight reprieve of the people problem in the last couple of years, however good people are still be hard to find.

At 2020 we’re often asked to keep an ear out for a good 5+ year CPA, but unfortunately they’re like unicorns, very difficult if impossible to find. The good ones are very well looked after. However, due to life happening, sometimes the good ones do leave, and too often they’re  lost forever; but that doesn’t have to be the case. Firms need to work harder to stay in contact with all former employees (the good ones anyway). Here are some tips:

• Keep them on the email newsletter, invite them to team/firm events, so that when they’re ready to re-enter the workplace they know where they have a home.
• Stay connected with them on LinkedIn. this is also a good way to keep tabs on their career.
• Update the technology that allows a mobile work environment. One 2020 member had a manager move interstate, however they were able to keep her because they had the right technology in place.

When it comes to finding the ‘unicorns’ you need to be connected, not to recruiters, but your peers.

• Stay in touch with the people you started your career with. They may have the perfect candidate for you.
• Branch out at CPE events and talk to people outside your firm – you never know who you might meet.
• Become friends with the HR folks at the big firms. They see a lot of resume’s and may be able to introduce you to suitable candidates.
• Visit the local universities and get in touch with the careers department as they’ll have links to the alumni.

The final option for the capacity issue is something I’ve felt very strongly about for a long time – outsource it. If you can’t find qualified people in your area, you may have no other choice. Whether you outsource to Utah or India, you have the opportunity to tap into a highly qualified pool of labor, and often for a significantly lower fee. One 2020 member has a great outsourcing operation where his office is in the Boston area and he outsource to West Virginia. It can be done.

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Granted I used to work with Barry, but their blog offers quick and easy tips to improve your communication skills.

A recent blog post focused on the importance of the first sentence. We only have one chance to make a first impression and unfortunately accountants often opt for the safe (and bland) introduction.

Have a read of Andrew Moore’s post and think about your own writing style.  Can you put his tips into action? (Oh and these tips translate when you’re speaking with people or giving a presentation).

I recently had a chance to review your work and what I found shocked me.

Of course, I don’t know you from Adam, but did I get your attention? Are you curious to know what shocked me?

An opening line that draws in your readers is the best way to generate interest in your writing. In journalism, it’s called the lead, and it’s the most important sentence of the story. A lead grabs your readers, plays on their curiosity, and motivates them to read further.

John McPhee, a prominent author and journalist, wrote in a recent edition of The Wall Street Journal that “A lead is a promise. It promises that the piece of writing is going to be like this. If it is not going to be so, don’t use the lead. A lead is good not because it dances, fires cannons or whistles like a train, but because it is absolute to what follows.”

The logic of a lead applies to business and technical writing, too. A manager swamped by data sheets and engineering proposals is likely to be drawn in by the one with the most engaging opening sentence.

Given the importance of its task, the opening sentence can be difficult to craft. If it’s too dry, too clever, or too cute, your reader might move on.

What’s the key to writing an effective opening sentence? The answer is elusive, as different types may work better in different situations, and different writers will tackle the same problem with different approaches. But for starters, here are five tips:

• Know your audience – Is your communication for a general audience or a specialized one? A company-wide report will likely start differently compared with one written for the engineering department.

• Don’t start naming your children after the first date – A good lead will typically hint at your subject material without giving away the entirety of what you have to say. It’s a way to whet your reader’s appetite with the who, why, and where without giving the reader a reason to skip the rest of your document.

• Be brief – Short and punchy is always more effective than a lengthy explanation. You can delve into details deeper in your piece.

• Experiment - Try writing several different leads, and then share them with colleagues to get feedback.

• Go easy on the puns or wit – You may set the wrong tone for your document or turn off those readers who don’t understand your attempts at humor. The best lead hits the ball straight down the middle.

Below is an example of a lackluster first sentence from an actual product data sheet. (The company name has been changed to protect the guilty!)

“Acme Security’s XX Series provides maximum protection against even the most malicious Internet security threats while reducing the complexity of security management.”

Pretty bland, right? Did you start spacing out halfway through it?

What if we re-wrote it by starting with a bold but believable assertion?

“The Internet is awash in malicious security threats. But Acme Security’s XX Series has tightened the noose around those threats while simplifying security management.”

How about this one from another data sheet?

“The sluggish economy has forced midsized semiconductor and component manufacturers to take a hard look at costs.”

Not bad. It’s short, strong, and clear. If I were a midsized manufacturer of semiconductors, I’d be interested in reading further.

The premise is simple: Time is a limited resource. In a world where your target audience is continually bombarded with emails, reports, and various other documents, readers have only minutes to scan these items as they move across their desk. To engage people for any longer, you have to snap them to attention. And you do this by crafting a well-written opening sentence.

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Kenny replied, “Well then, just give me my money back.”

The farmer said, “Can’t do that. I went and spent it already.”

Kenny said, “OK then, at least give me the donkey.”

The farmer asked, “What are you going to do with him?”

Kenny replied, “I’m going to raffle him off.”

Farmer exclaimed, “You can’t raffle off a dead donkey!”

Kenny replied, “Sure I can. Watch me. I just won’t tell anybody he is dead.”

A month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, “What happened with that dead donkey?”

Kenny said, “I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at $2 apiece and made a profit of $898.”

Farmer asked, “Didn’t anyone complain?”

Kenny replied, “Just the guy who won. So I gave him his money back.”

Kenny grew up and eventually became a partner in a large international accounting firm. Allegedly.

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What the newsletter article doesn’t emphasize enough is the role that video, or more specifically your own YouTube channel, can have a dramatic impact on where your firm lies in the search engine rankings. YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world (behind google). That is people go to YouTube and search. Sometimes they search for videos of cats, other times they search for “how-to” videos. And it’s these how-to videos you need to be creating. The other benefit of your own YouTube channel is that you will appear more often in google like searches – pushing out the competition!

But back to the article. The good news is that your videos don’t need to be Spielberg-esque productions, and BizActions offered a couple of ideas to get you started.

1. Script and Content

Develop content that you find interesting. If you are interested in the topic, it will show through loud and clear on the screen. Great videos are often scripted and rehearsed in advance, but spontaneous and impromptu reactions from staff, clients or strangers frequently have the highest online appeal. A solid strategy is to do a combination of both formats. Interviews of company executives are an excellent way to grant your audience “behind the scenes” footage – be the first to break the news about upcoming changes to your viewers. Consider taking the most important piece of an article (in one minute or less) and discussing its implications on screen. Or reviewing the highlights of a current event or pending legislation.

• Remember your audience is coming to you to learn. They have searched for ‘tax help,’ so make sure your content teaches them something, not just sells them something.
• Do develop a script and rehears it until it sounds natural.

2. Lighting and Direction

Your video should be shot with the best available lighting, sound, focus and steadiness of the camera. Be mindful of controlling background noise when you can, such as turning off a television or radio if it’s not part of your scene. Have fun with the creative aspects – put on your Director’s cap when determining what to capture and how to capture it.

• Buy a tripod – a good one shouldn’t cost more than $50.
• Maybe also buy a lavaliere microphone for best sound quality. It doesn’t need to be wireless but you’ll notice a dramatic improvement.
• Make sure your video reflects who you and your firm are. For example if you’re not a formal suit wearing firm, then please don’t wear a suit in the video.

3. Editing

Brevity is the gold standard. One minute and thirty seconds is the optimal length for web videos, and less than one minute is usually even better. If you have five minutes of high quality content, it will likely be more appealing if published as multiple shorter productions. A series of brief, concise and compelling videos will help your brand more than one long video that won’t be able to maintain viewership and attention. Don’t get too fancy with editing tricks. Your audience will forgive amateurish aspects of your video production, provided that the content is interesting and engaging. Be sure to publish video that makes you smile and makes you proud. What is in your video is more important than how flashy it is.

• There is some good editing software out there for the do-it-yourselfers, however this might be where you want to spend some money; perhaps on a training course for someone in the firm.

4. Embrace Serendipity

One thing to remember when developing your own video content is that you just never know how good it may turn out. Sometimes, you get lucky and unintended circumstances contribute to your content having such wide appeal that it gets passed along and shared by many people. Embrace the idea that your videos need not be “perfect” and that you may not fully understand the elements that help a video “go viral”.

My only additional comment would be to ’key word’ it correctly. Think of the terms that people be using to find these answers.

BizActions do have some prepackaged videos you use on your website and in your newsletters. And they also offer additional advice on customized videos. Check them out!

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Coming Soon: Updated Disclosure Letters.

Go to the Resource Center to download the samples.

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1. Increasing chargeable time by 20%
2. Knowing how and when to re-negotiate fees
3. Keeping jobs within budget
4. Streamlining the accounts and audit review processes (cheaper, quicker, faster, better!)
5. How firms are successfully differentiating fees between compliance and non-compliance
6. When is it best to send out the invoices
7. Invoicing the right way to improve recoveries by at least 7%
8. The importance of “turnaround time”

With tax season looming, this webinar is designed to get you off to a flying start. While Ian and Gordon sound funny, they do have some great ideas that will result in greater growth and profitability. You might need some translation services, especially when they discuss some of the resources, so please do give us a call.

Stream this webinar now.

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What is the Audit Prepayment Program?

For an extra 10% of fees (minimum $100), we will represent our clients in any audits related to the returns we prepared up to the appellate level at no charge. Typically we just offer this to individuals, however many member firms are now offering the service to their business clients; though the percentage of fees is often higher.

The key to success is that the APP is an opt-out service. We advise clients in January with the APP letter that accompanies their organizer. You can find the letter in the Resource Center.

We then include the Audit Prepayment Program fee on the invoice and in parenthesis we include the following language (If you do not wish to use this service, please disregard this optional charge).

You can expect a 30-50% take up of this service and be warned, some clients will get audited. In fact you might restrict who is offered this service. It is a great service that both offers peace of mind to your clients and increases your average transaction value.

Go to the Resource Center.

Access to the Resource Center requires regular membership to 2020 Group USA. Regular membership is free. Register now at www.2020groupusa.com/register.

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Find out more information about the Focus Groups.

Southern California (Glendale) – January 18 – SOLD OUT

Texoma (Dallas) – January 24 – REGISTER

North Carolina (Charlotte) January 26 – REGISTER

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