@dougsleeter the paradigm keeps shifting douglas sleeter founder & ceo the sleeter group...

@dougsl

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The Paradigm Keeps Shifting

Douglas SleeterFounder & CEOThe Sleeter Group

@dougsleeter

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The Accounting Profession

Compliance

Advisory

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1960-70s 1990s 2010s

The Pendulum Shifts Decade by Decade

CentralizedMainframe

DistributedPC

CentralizedLANs

DistributedWeb Apps

CentralizedHosting

HybridSaaS & Mobile

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Client COLLABORATION Accountant

Security

Software

Live Data

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MostTrustedAdvisor

Reimagined

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Compliance

Advisory

Efficiency Gains in Compliance

Driving the Profession Towards Advisory Services

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CLIENT ROLE:

Customer Focused

“Run the Business”

Operations

Inventory

POS

Employee Management

Some (but less) “bookkeeping”

COMPLIANCE:

Bookkeeping (Outservicing)

Payroll (Automated)

Sales Tax

Financial Statements

Audit

Tax Prep (Automated)

Compliance

Advisory

The New ParadigmACCOUNTANT ROLES:

ADVISORY:

Technology Consulting

Business Process Consulting

CFO Services

KPI Analytics

Business Planning

Tax Planning

Client

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What isyour role?

?What doyou wantit to be?

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TrustedServant?

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MostTrustedAdvisor?

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68%

What SMBSWant

WhatSMBsGet

38%ServiceG A P

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Get closer toclientsDive deep on solutions

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Without TrustNothing Else Works

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When Clients Trust You, They

Implement your recommendationsRefer you more businessPay you more, and pay fasterForgive mistakesTreat you like a Partner

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The Trusted Advisor

Uses many toolsGains certifications

Is vendor neutral

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1. Clients come first, last, and always

2. Products come and go, but the accountant-client relationship is life-long.

3. Don't be intoxicated by Brochureware

4. Build Your Brand First

5. Loan it to vendors, but only after deep scrutiny, client-by-client.

Doug’s Rules of Vendor Neutrality

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The Trusted Advisor

Uses accountant-centric toolsProductizes their service

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ThinkOutservice,

notOutsource

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The Trusted Advisor

Has a toolkitSpecializes in market niches

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Filtering the noise

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s

Leading clients to success

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Remaining relevant

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