Geraldine Carter is the founder of She Thinks Big Coaching, where she helps CPAs get out of the accounting rut. She is also the host of the podcast "Smart Strategy for CPAs". Her cashflow forecasting models have resulted in millions of dollars for climate change efforts. Shownotes:

How the tsunami of covid has affected the world of accountants and CPAs

Why NOW is actually a great time to be an accountant

How coachable accountants are as a breed and how receptive they are to change

What attracts accountants and CPAs to the accounting profession and why it attracts certain types of people

The number one biggest challenge accountants and CPAs are facing right now

The 'tall poppy syndrome' - why some accountants and CPAs are reluctant to stand out

What makes most accounting firms look and sound the same, and have the same kind of websites claiming the same things

Does complacency (having a recurring fee business model) play a part in accountants being reluctant to change?

The main trap that accountants and CPAs get into that causes inertia and lack of growth

The problems that arise when accountants and CPAs don't think like business owners with their clients

The definition of a framework and why they are so important for accountants to best serve their clients

The mistake accountants and CPAs make by giving away so much expertise

Why a lack of process and framework for accountants and CPAs stops them from properly adding value to clients

How accountants and CPAs can enhance the value they offer clients by a factor of 5 to 10

What getting your life back from working way to many hours looks like for accountants and CPAs

How a framework helps accountants and CPAs position advisory services beyond low margin compliance work

The main thing clients want from accountants and CPAs that most professionals get wrong

The risks larger accounting firms are facing in not empowering younger talent to be more entrepreneurial

The restraints that stifle the growth of professional firms

Advice for leaders in accounting firms to better develop and keep their entrepreneurial talent

Shout out to Rob Brown's TEDx talk on YouTube 'The Personal Brand of You'

The danger for accountants and CPAs of competitors being able to copy or claim the same things they do

What accountants and CPAs need to do to stand out as experts in their chosen verticals, niches or sectors

How accountants and CPAs can identify their best verticals, niches or specialist areas to work in

In her free time, Geraldine can be found mountain biking forested trails or running after her two small children in her hometown of Missoula, Montana USA. Contact her here:

https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/ (Website and blog)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/geraldine-carter (LinkedIn)

Barbara Koenen is the author of the book Beyond Billable Hours and Global Head of Business Development and Marketing at Ince, a legal and professional services provider with more than 900 employees globally. She is based in Dubai and has 10 years of business development and marketing experience in the professional services industry.

She writes regular blog posts on her website www.beyondbillablehours.com and is very passionate about helping fee earners in professional services firms to thrive as she knows how hard it is to focus on things beyond billable hours. Shownotes:

The difference between marketing, sales and business development for accounting professionals

Why sales and selling are such difficult words for professionals like accountants and lawyers

The #1 reason professional service firms should build the selling skills and culture of their people

The problem for professionals who can bill fees but not generate new revenues in a professional firm

An explanation for why accountants and lawyers don't think like business people

Thoughts on how coachable professionals like accountants, CPAs and lawyers are 'as a breed'

Why almost everyone in professional services should be 'hands on' with business development

The need for a business development plan or strategy and why not every tactic will succeed to bring in new work

How a different approach to winning business is required by different professionals depending on a number of factors

A great example of why some accountants and professionals should not go to networking events to win business

Sound advice for young accountants and lawyers who want to make partner in a professional firm

The importance of setting goals to grow your professional firm, either corporately or as an individual accountant

What to do as a career ambitious accountant if your personal goals do not align with your firm's goals

Why starting early in your accounting or professional career with business development is much better than waiting

The relevance of writing out a business development or work winning plan and why 'in your head' is not good enough

Great questions accountants should ask themselves in devising a business development strategy

The key reasons why professionals are technically good but struggle to sell and promote themselves as individuals

What developing a reputation in your business community or market looks like for an accountant looking to be successful

Where the inspiration for the book 'Beyond Billable Hours' came from

How so much money is wasted in accounting firms on the wrong kind of professional and business development activities

How the covid pandemic has changed the way accountants and other professionals win new business

Where the 'low hanging fruit' really is for accountants and CPAs who want to develop new business opportunities

Barbara is a mother of 20-month old Olivier, born on Christmas Day, and she is expecting another boy around Christmas. She is a keen golfer, sailor and skier and she loves to cook and bake. Contact her here:

http://www.beyondbillablehours.com (Website and blog)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-koenen-geerdink-231a4613 (LinkedIn)

Tim Williams roams the globe in search of “next practices” in the world of professional services. As the founder of Ignition Consulting Group, he teaches leaders of professional services firms the principles and practices of effective positioning and pricing strategy. His assignments have taken him literally around the world, where he has worked with advertising agencies, law firms, accounting firms and business associations on every continent.

Tim is author of two books, the latest of which is “Positioning for Professionals: How Professional Service Firms Can Differentiate Their Way to Success.” He is serves as one of LinkedIn’s global influencers, where several hundred thousand followers regularly read his articles on positioning and pricing strategy. Shownotes:

Why law firms are to blame for the billable hour and charge out time sheets

Why getting pricing right is so critical for profitability in accounting firms

The four factors that improve margins in an accounting firm

The biggest reason professionals like accountants struggle with pricing

Why most professional firms don't actually have a revenue model but a cost structure, which is not the same

The ideal revenue model that represents the future of pricing for accounting firms

The difference between creativity in accounting and creativity in pricing accountancy services

Why the billable hour is a sub-optimal way of pricing for accountants

Why costing is a science but pricing is an art

The different pricing options available to accountants and the merits of each

The major problem with the term 'value pricing'

Evidence that the world is shifting towards a subscription economy

The main reason why an accountant should always offer a client options

How accountants have ceded power to buyers over the years by educating them wrongly on pricing

One of the worst things accounting firms do when it comes to pricing

Are you selling activities, efforts and inputs or outcomes, results and outputs?

What it means for your accounting firm if your prospects or clients are shopping or choosing you on price

An excellent metric to decide whether your accounting firm is pricing correctly

How accountants can change the dialogue around pricing with existing clients

Tips for pricing outcomes or results that are out of your control or influence

How your positioning in the marketplace affects your ability to price optimally

Shout out to pricing experts Ron Baker and Mark Wickersham

What accountants must consider to avoid becoming trapped on the 'hourly rate treadmill'

Although Tim started his career on New York’s Madison Avenue, today he finds it much more rewarding living in the Rocky Mountains, where he spends his spare time in Utah’s red rock country hiking with his wife and two Airedales. Contact Tim here:

http://www.ignitiongroup.com/ (Website and blog)

http://www.linkedin.com/in/TimWilliamsICG (LinkedIn)

Ty Hendrickson is a CPA, sales expert, and co-founder of The Sales Seed where she helps accounting firms grow through the integration of sales principles. She worked as an accountant at firms ranging from small to large prior to moving into the accounting technology sector successfully building sales training programs for both Wolters Kluwer and Bloomberg BNA achieving record sales successes. Shownotes:

Why accountants struggle with salling and what it takes to become more comfortable with the word 'sales'

A simple question to challenge accountants with who feel that selling should not be part of their job

Why firms with marketing and business development resource should still expect their people to win work

The reasons why accountants and other technically smart professionals can be good at selling

The key differences between marketing, business development and sales for accountants

Why marketing people in a professional firm should actually not be selling

Who is the best person in an accounting firm to actually be doing the selling and closing

Questions an accountant should ask themselves to develop a work winning or business development strategy

How to strike a balance between finding business for yourself and for others in your accounting firm

What dictates how coachable and willing to learn an accountant or CPA can be around winning new business

The importance of sales frameworks to help accountants be more confident and effective in selling

Why working in specialty areas, sectors or niches actually makes new clients easier to find

A 5 step sales process that will help accountants, CPAs and service professionals win business

The real difficulty accountants have in identifying a niche or target client to go after

How the business development and networking game has changed how professionals win business

The big problem with LinkedIn and what accountants should actually doing on there

Warmer ways for accountants to reach prospects than cold calling

Top tips to get prospects to switch from their current accounting advisors to you and your firm

Why compliance is still necessary for accountants but advisory services are much easier and more profitable to sell

The importance of the right culture in a professional firm to give people the support they need to sell

Why poor culture is a big reason professional firms are struggling with recruitment and retention

How leaders in accounting firms can identify and support more junior people who want to do business development

Why just trying to grow more revenues from an existing client roster or portfolio is not the best way to grow

Why your value is not the products and services you deliver

The factors that should help an accountant define their ideal client

Ty is a contributing expert in the accounting industry and has spoken at conferences and events hosted by Accounting and Financial Women’s Association, Association for Accounting Marketers, Alliott Group, CPAmerica, CCH User Conference and more. You can find her articles and insights featured in CPA Trendlines and the AFWA blog. Ty is based in Lexington, KY where she lives with her CPA husband and her two red-headed sons. Contact Ty here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyhendrickson/

If you want to kick-start your business development activities, download our free guide on how to add 100 new prospects in just 1 month here: https://thesalesseed.com/100-prospects-1-month

Paul Dunn holds a Lifetime Service Award to the Accounting Profession in the UK and he’s been honoured as a Social Innovation Fellow in Singapore. He first rocked the Profession through the radical Accountants’ Boot Camp where over 17,000 Accountants found new ways to work with clients. He’s in Forbes Magazine with Sir Richard Branson as a ‘disrupter’ in business and his ‘Firm of the Future’ book, (with Ron Baker) is known as a breakthrough tool for professional firms. AccountingWeb honoured Paul with their Inaugural ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Profession Award. Shownotes:

How the globally successful Accountants Bootcamp was born in 1992 and what has changed since

Why it took a pandemic like covid to show the true value accountants can provide for their clients

The one thing that makes many accountants struggle to be trusted advisors

The most important thing accountants should be 'doubling down on' in these turbulent times

How accountants need to recognise the shift from value to values that the pandemic has caused

How income follows impact and profit follows purpose

The primary thing good accountants should be doing for their clients instead of merely reporting history

How effective the movement started by Ron Baker and others has been in moving accountants away from the billable hour

What makes leadership so critical in uncertain times

The three types of leaders who have emerged in all businesses, not just accounting firms

What it takes to lead a fulfilling life and make a difference in the world

Shout out to Steve Pipe, another accounting legend and dedicated servant to the profession

Why there are no silver bullets any more with accounting software

How alarmingly little entrepreneurs know about the numbers in a business, which is why they need accountants.

Paul is the co-founder of Accountants for Good and the revolutionary B1G1, enabling businesses to connect in new ways creating over 209 Million giving impacts globally. He is based in Singapore and makes a point of running 5K every day. Contact Paul here:

http://www.AccountantsforGood.com (Website and blog)

http://www.linkedin.com/in/paulb1g1 (LinkedIn)

Lee Frederiksen is an award-winning marketer, Visible Expert®, and business strategist who helped pioneer the field of research-driven marketing. As the Managing Partner of Hinge, a marketing firm for the professional services industry, he draws on his Ph.D. in behavioral psychology and his CEO experience to help clients achieve high growth and profitability. Lee’s research on marketing and business growth has made him a recognized industry name, along with the numerous books he authored on the same topics. He been quoted in a number of mainstream publications, and he regularly speaks at major industry events around the country. Shownotes:

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 once a critical time has passed

The disruptive role of mergers and acquisitions in disruption of workforce stability

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 market place 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 important 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 peopl

How the business model of 'needing a local and regional presence' has changed for accounting firms

What 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 promotability

When he’s not traveling 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 her here...

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leefrederiksen (Lee on LinkedIn)

https://twitter.com/leefrederiksen?lang=en (Lee on Twitter)

http://www.hingemarketing.com (Check out his website here)

Tim Williams roams the globe in search of “next practices” in the world of professional services. As the founder of Ignition Consulting Group, he teaches leaders of professional services firms the principles and practices of effective positioning and pricing strategy. His assignments have taken him literally around the world, where he has worked with advertising agencies, law firms, accounting firms and business associations on every continent.

Tim is author of two books, the latest of which is “Positioning for Professionals: How Professional Service Firms Can Differentiate Their Way to Success.” He is serves as one of LinkedIn’s global influencers, where several hundred thousand followers regularly read his articles on positioning and pricing strategy. Shownotes:

Why accountants and other professionals struggle with the terms 'selling' and 'marketing'

What all professional service firms have in common when it comes to positioning

Why accounting leaders should think of their own brand like their do a client

The reason why good marketing makes selling easy in accounting firms

What happens to a professional firm if they don't get their market positioning right

The fallacy in accounting firm positioning to being everything to everyone

Why it's so difficult for humans and professional firms not to copy others

Differentiation - easy or not for accounting firms to truly achieve this?

An example of Michelangelo to illustrate how accounting firms should view positioning

How most accounting leaders get their positioning strategy all wrong

The importance of being 'best in class' for a premium positioning in the marketplace

Why 'full service' and 'wide range of experience' are such meaningless phrases for accounting firms

The top motivator in why one accounting firm gets selected or hired over another

What proactive accounting firms do over those who just claim to be proactive

Why professional firms are in both the magic business and the logic business

The meaning of 'disintermediation' of professional firms

How specialising and narrowing your accounting firm's focus takes courage

Why introducing more products and services can actually damage an accounting firm's market position

The two things that accountants are really selling if they want premium positioning

Why billing by the hour imposes a ceiling on profits for accounting firms

Why consulting and advising is so rewarding for service professionals like accountants and consultants

Shout out to Ron Baker as the 'best in class' expert on the topic of pricing and killing the billable hour

Advice on saying 'no' which is the cornerstone of premium market positioning for accountants

Although Tim started his career on New York’s Madison Avenue, today he finds it much more rewarding living in the Rocky Mountains, where he spends his spare time in Utah’s red rock country hiking with his wife and two Airedales. Contact Tim here:

http://www.ignitiongroup.com (Website and blog)

http://www.linkedin.com/in/TimWilliamsICG (LinkedIn)

MC Carter is the CEO of digital marketing agency, Practice Paradox. Dubbed “the father of modern marketing for accountants”, MC is the pioneer, globally, in advising accountants about modern marketing including blogging and social media. Since founding Practice Paradox in 2009, MC has guided the growth strategies of hundreds of now very successful accounting firms, globally. Shownotes:

Despite downward pressure on compliance, still not many accounting firms want to do the non-compliance advisory services

It's counter-intuitive, but accounting should revolve more around people than numbers

The big problem for the accountants who say they're proactive but are really not

FFAM - the secret weapon for accountants who want more advisory business

A very practical definition for advisory that should help accountants sell it better

Why compliance will never be dead, and how the compliance vz advisory debate is not helpful for accountants

The reason why accountants struggle so much with marketing

How accountants can overcome their aversion to sales and marketing

Beware the 'pony-tail' marketers and silver bullet vendors who sell the wrong things to accountants

What makes marketing such a challenge in any business

Calling out software, tech and marketing vendors who don't always have the accountant's best interests

The biggest mistakes accountants and accounting firms make with their marketing

The 3 traits of accountants and accounting firms who really get marketing right

The problem with most of the content that accounting firms put out

Getting into the mind of a small business client - why it's like being a parent

What progressive accounting firms do that most others don't when it comes to marketing and growth

How marketing has changed over the years, particularly with the era of digital

The dangers of 'interruption marketing' that many accounting firms rely on

The critical feature of 'inbound' marketing methods that attract leads to your accounting firm

The key challenge for most accounting firms in resourcing their marketing efforts

The myth of the 'full-stack marketer' who is good at every marketing specialties

What accounting firms should NOT do first when wanting to push marketing and generate leads

Why most accounting firms fail to give a strong brief to their marketing function or advisors

The three essential things required to bring about lasting change in any area of your life

Google 'the professionalism paradox' and find out why boring branding hurts accountants

Why accountants are the true trusted advisor for businesses in these troubled times

When not working, MC plays cricket and lives a barefoot beach lifestyle with wife Isabella, teenage son Ned, daughter Milly and dog Jimmy in Queensland, Australia. Contact MC here:

https://practiceparadox.com.au/ (Website and blog)

https://au.linkedin.com/in/getmc (LinkedIn)

Vanessa Ugatti is the author of ‘True Worth’. She helps financial and legal professionals to create a solid foundation to take charge and get paid what they are worth confidently, while creating a healthier work-life balance. Shownotes:

Why professional people sometimes struggle with being coached and taking on new ways of thinking

Why professional development for accountants is a lifelong process that never really stops

The downsides for accountants of not charging what they are worth

What might lead an accountant to be resentful of their clients

The need for a balance between low and high charge-out rates for accounting professionals

The dangers of getting promoted in causing problems with what you charge

What leads some accountants to under-servicing or over-charging clients

Why accounting firms are reluctant to get rid of those poor 'category D' clients

The danger for accountants of underestimating fixed fee work

What a garage servicing cars can teach accountants about scope creep

The proper definition of self-worth when it comes to pricing and accountants

How a lack of self worth is similar to imposter syndrome which affects many professionals

How to strike a balance between value pricing and time sheets

The biggest problems accountants have when it comes to charging fees

What leads accountants to underestimating their worth and undervalue themselves

The one thing that keeps accountants stuck in old behaviors and ways of thinking

When she’s not working, Vanessa is a great believer in practising what she preaches so incorporates daily meditation and exercise into her schedule. In normal times, live music, restaurants and travel are also important ways for her to enjoy life. You can reach her here...

http://www.thetrueworthexpert.com (Website)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessaugattitrueworthexpert/ (LinkedIn )

https://twitter.com/trueworthexpert (Twitter)

Liston Witherill is the founder and creator of Serve Don't Sell where he helps professional services firms build the confidence and systems they need to win the business they know they should. He’s also host of the Modern Sales podcast, a podcast that’ll help you sell more by understanding how people buy. Liston has spent his career in professional services and consulting, with a focus on marketing and selling services. Prior to running his own company, he was the Director of Business Development and Marketing at a consulting firm that grew from $8M to $12M in three years. Shownotes:

The critical difference between marketing, business development and selling when it comes to professional services

The profile of a classic rainmaker in a professional firm, and why it's hard to teach people to do it

What accountants need most of all if they want to build a referral based business

The fantasy of having a sales or business development person in your accounting firm that can win lots of work on their own

Why sales and selling is not comfortable for smart technical professionals like accountants

Why very few partners in accounting firms have had any kind of formal training in sales and business development

Why the natural sales people and top work winners in an accounting firm are often very poor coaches and mentors

Why continued growth and business development succession is so difficult in many accounting firms

The key differences in selling products and services for an accounting professional

The two critical factors for accountants who want to sell more 'intangible' services like advisory

Why fixed pricing beats the billable hour in accounting services

The art of turning accounting services into products for better pricing and better profitability

The two things accountants need to be if they want to be better at sales and win more business

The criteria required to justify bringing in external professionals to help an accounting firm win more work

The dilemma for accountants in devoting time to fee-earning and to building a portfolio of new business.

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When he’s not working, Liston makes beats, exercises, and is an avid reader of business, economics, and history books. He lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, dog, and cat. You might be surprised to know that Liston has recorded a nationally televised rap song, and can still dunk a basketball despite his aging knees. You can reach him here...

http://www.servedontsell.com (Website )

http://www.linkedin.com/in/listonwitherill (LinkedIn )