Firm Management

The literal definition of a well-oiled machine is … well, a machine that is well-oiled. It’s a term I use figuratively quite often to describe a business that is producing strong revenues and operating at peak efficiency … without an excess amount of effort. When I think back 10 years to what I thought was […]

Where does innovation come from? While this may be a rhetorical question for some, it was precisely the intent of the inaugural CPA Practice Advisor Thought Leader Symposium, which brought together 25 of the most influential tax and accounting professionals, technophiles and consultants for three days of collaboration and dialogue. As the host of the […]

A Productivity in Practice Feature

Not too many years ago, accounting professionals had a reputation for being stodgy, stubborn and even curmudgeons, especially when it came to technology. Most of the professionals I meet today agree that reputation was usually appropriate, but it was driven out of the conservative and skeptical nature that drives them to provide valuable service to their clients … and the constraints of time, of course. After all, what professional looks forward to retraining staff on new systems and workflows every few years?

Just reading the few words that make up this story’s headline, branding purists have already made up their minds that I don’t know what I’m talking about. After all, doesn’t branding take months to accomplish through a bevy of paid consultants who want you to spend a lot of money on concept, testing and implementation?

Column: Business in Practice

Column: MarketingWorks

Like the drip-drip-drip of water in a leaky faucet, drip marketing campaigns promote a company’s services or products through a stretched-out, methodical series of promotions to a target audience. According to About.com, drip campaigns were developed to respond to the “Law of 29.” A prospect won’t turn into a client unless the prospect views a marketing message at least 29 times. That sounds like way too many times to me, but it may very well be the case depending on what a company is trying to sell, the price point and other factors, such as supply/demand and competition.