The Top 5 Ways to Keep Your Clients and Grow Your Practice

•  Proactive Strategic Advice•  Specialization and expertise in their industry•  Focus on your best ‘A’ clients•  Use the latest and most efficient technologies•  Communicate your services (cross-sell)

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Source: CPA.COM Insight into the CPA of the Future Study 2014

Only 8% of CPAs are Future Ready

Future Ready is the capacity to be aware, predictive, and

adaptive of emerging challenges, tech innovations, and trends and changes in business, population, and

social environment.

Only 13% of CPAs Ahead of Curve

What  SMBs  Want?  

Source:  What  SMBs  Want  from  their  CPA  –  2014  –  The  Sleeter  Group  

The research: Anticipation is showing up across our Profession

MACPA  Member  Survey  Top  Challenges  2014   Sleeter  Group  Survey  2014  

Still not convinced?•  #1 Issue facing CPAs in MACPA-BLI national survey•  76% of SMB owners say their CPAs are not proactive•  75% of SMB owners have changed firms due to “reactive

services” instead of proactive advice•  57% want more business planning and strategic advice

What your customers rally want?

"Increasing the proactive consultative approach to business service and technology information is one of the most important factors in improving a firm’s reputation and the strength of its relationships.” - Doug Sleeter

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CPAs are trusted advisors who help business and organizations shape their future. Combining insight with integrity they deliver value by:

•  Communicating the total picture with clarity and objectivity;

•  Translating complex information into critical knowledge;

•  Anticipating and creating opportunities;

•  Designing pathways that transform vision into reality.

Source: AICPA: CPA Horizons 2025 Report

“The  faster  we  go,  the  farther  ahead  we  have  to  see…”  

ANTICIPATION  Strategic  Thinking  External  Awareness  Vision  ConOnuous  Learning  InnovaOon  CreaOvity  Problem  Solving  PrioriOzaOon  Business  Acumen  Decisiveness  Influencing/Persuading  EmoOonal  Intelligence  Consensus  Building  CollaboraOon  InspiraOon  Risk  Management  

Anticipation – The Critical Competency•  Anticipating and reacting

to the nature and speed of change.

•  Acting decisively without always having clear direction and certainty.

•  Navigating through complexity, chaos, and confusion.

•  Maintaining effectiveness despite constant surprises and a lack of predictability.Source: Conference Board 2015 Ready-Now Leaders Report

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Hood's  greatest  a,ribute  isn't  that  he  consistently  glimpses  the  future  more  quickly  than  the  rest  of  us  (though  he  does).  It's  that  he's  able  to  bring  it  back  to  the  present  and  serve  as  its  ?reless,  inspiring  and  effec?ve  champion.  

– Accounting Today

Tom Hood, CPA, CITP, CGMA

Named the Second Most Influential in Accounting by Accounting Today Magazine 2013 & 2015 CPA Practice Adviser Accounting Hall of Fame Top 150 Influencer by Linked-In Top 25 Influencers in Learning & HR by HR Examiner Top 25 Public Accounting Thought Leaders by CPA Practice Adviser Working on Learning Management with AICPA/CPA2Biz, Cloud Curriculum, Performance Management /XBRL, Leadership & Generations

CEO Maryland Association of CPAs (MACPA) www.macpa.org Business Learning Institute (BLI) www.blionline.org

http://www.linkedin.com/in/tomhood/