Golden Practices

Today I Remember a Dear Friend

2009-11-16T22:38:51-06:00

Today, Nov 16, marks one year from when a remarkable man, Paul O'Byrne, closed his human eyes for the final time. My brilliant friend--a fellow senior fellow of VeraSage Institute--fought a noble battle against a slightly more stubborn cancer that was determined to grow.

Paul changed the world. For me, anyway, and for a lot of other Chartered Accountants and CPAs. Paul O and his partner, Paul Kennedy (their firm O'Byrne & Kennedy in Goffs Oak) were among Ron Baker's earliest victims converts subscribing, quickly, to pricing in advance rather than billing after the fact. A few years later, they even trashed their timesheets.

But that's not how Paul changed the world. Paul was a gifted counselor and something of (in his words!) a "speaking whore." In this role, he inspired a lot of people in many countries.

If you have just a few minutes, I encourage you to visit the final entry of his blog, posted by his children, which is the transcription of his eulogies. You can get just a little taste of Paul's charming wit and dedication to his family, friends, community and clients

Please give blood regularly.

And, please, in honor of Paul, be sure to carpe your diems!

Think Your Clients Use Your Firm's Website?

2009-11-04T23:20:59-06:00

If you think your website exists primarily for clients, think again.

A lot of firms think about investing in pricey features that would be in a client-only portion of the website. Did you know that only about 1% of clients return to a firm’s site after hiring them? And when they do, it’s usually to find an address or phone number.

Firms think about adding a payment feature or a document storage tool where clients can get their electronic documents without bothering the firm to send copies. Yikes, how firm-centric are these ideas??

Firms also talk about putting valuable content and tools behind this client-only wall. This is exactly opposite of what your content strategy should be. Put your content and tools "out front" where people can see how brilliant and generous you are.

And recognize other audiences are using your site a lot more than clients ever will.

Clients expect you to personally impart any and all important information to them. Everyone else wants to be able to find it without, or before, having to interact with you.

Most CPA firm website visitors are job seekers; second are prospective clients or referral sources—particularly looking at biographies. Least visited are firms’ services pages.

Build your site features and content according to these realities and you'll get a lot more out of your site.

Disenchanted with the New Facebook?

2009-10-26T09:58:21-05:00

I'm hearing it everywhere. People are pretty heated over the changes Facebook rolled out last week.

Other than some technical problems I'm having with errors and actually using the site, I think there is actually some good potential in the changes they've made.

First, let me reassure you that your "old" News Feed view is still there!

Just choose "Status Updates" in the left column. If you want that as your default, just grab it and drag it to the top of the stack.

So the new News Feed is a filter set up to show you the most popular items...the items people are engaging with on your wall and others' walls--likes, tags, and comments. The downside, of course, is that you may not want to see all your friends' friends posts and you will by the nature of filter.

The Live Feed shows (almost) everything new. It seems to still pick friends who are most actively engaged and it's limited to a certain number of friends (which you can change down at the bottom). The default limit is 250 so if you have fewer than 250 friends, you should be okay if you want to see them all.

Though it is frustrating to have changes pushed without much (any?) explanation, it's nice that we have more options.

Social Media Risk Tolerance Quiz for Firms

2009-10-13T11:17:33-05:00

I'm working on some risk assessment tools for firms to use to determine the level of rigidity (or lack thereof) needed in their own social media policies--and firms' likelihood, or not, of success in using social media tools to their full potential.

And I wholeheartedly believe that, while some potential risks exist (liability, etc), such policies are primarily anchored to the level of trust within an organization.

I like to keep things simple so I created a 3 question "Quiz" for firms to assess the strictness of their policies governing, well, everything--but particularly: Communication, Internet and Email Use, and Social Media Use.

Here's the quiz:

How important is autonomy among your firm’s values and current practices? (scale 1-5, 5 highest)
How important is innovation among your firm’s values and current practices? (scale 1-5, 5 highest)
To what degree does your culture demonstrate trust in, and respect of, employee judgment? (scale 1-5, 5 highest)

Results:

Add to determine your total score.

Score of 11-15 = SM usage can flourish in your firm because trust inspires people. A brief, mellow policy will be more than adequate and you won’t have to worry about hampering people’s enthusiasm with rigid, unfriendly policies. (samples: Baker & Daniels Mayo Clinic and Headset Bros )

Score of 6-10 = SM usage may be less than it could otherwise be. A tendency toward carefully worded, somewhat detailed policies convey the firm is wary or skeptical and somewhat concerned about being embarrassed by employees.(sample: Jaffe template Harvard Law and Microsoft)

Score of 1-5 = SM doesn’t fit well with your current culture. Very specific, restrictive policies probably suit your firm best. Look closely at the underlying reasons for your concerns and try to understand the root cause so you can work on building a more knowledge-worker-friendly environment. (I choose not to embarrass any orgs by listing them here, but these tend to exceed 2 pages, and include everything but the kitchen sink)

I invite your thoughts...

PS - hat tip to Social Media Governance for their excellent compilation of sample policies and to Ron Baker for his response to my questions on the subject which helped contribute to the direction of this brief quiz

What is it With Disclaimers?

2009-09-03T17:10:57-05:00

Some interesting albeit frustrating discussions about disclaimers lately. These relate to websites.

Before I get into this, I want to state that I am not a lawyer, I do not pretend to be a lawyer, nor do I know more than lawyers on the topic of legal liabilities. (I hope that adequately protects me...you'll see the irony later.).

AND, if any IP or other attorneys, especially those WELL ACQUAINTED with web and social media would please add their .02, here, I would be thrilled!

Now to my topic. It involves two scenarios...

OUTBOUND LINK DISCLAIMERS
An association whose board (comprising leaders of member companies) perhaps at the urging of their legal counsel, created a policy requiring its members (independent companies) to substantially modify their individual websites to protect the association.

The requirement: each member must program their website such that EVERY external link first opens a pop-up stating independence from, and no liability to, the company OR the association for the content or opinions, etc. on the third-party website.

I checked with several web-savvy attorneys who have, off the record, agreed this is overkill in the extreme.

They agree that a single statement on the company's legal page disclaiming liability for any external links, for either the company and/or the association(s) to which it belongs, will suffice as protection for both. If a company/association is super worried, they might want to spell out that disclaimer in small print at the bottom of the page(s) that contain outbound links.

Pop-ups are functional misery when it comes to website usability, not to mention SEO (the pop-up, especially with a "agree/disagree" prompt to close it) stops search engines from crawling to index the site thus the company loses link juice.

Site departure warnings are such an antiquated approach in today's virtual business-world. Do we really need neon signs telling us that EVERY outbound link is taking us to another site?

Is there really, truly a need to apply this aggressive, in-your-face method of protection? If so, why don't the Top 100 law firms do it for all their outbound links? If anybody would be cognizant of major liability, Big Law would, right?

And, as one very web-savvy IP attorney asked rhetorically, "Do they have a disclaimer on every page of their newsletters? If not, why have a disclaimer on every page of the web site?

Frankly, I am shocked any members comply, but they are required to. Please chime in....let's release them from this restrictive bond!

ATTORNEY/CLIENT PRIVILEGE
Another example recently brought to my attention is concern about prospects emailing a law firm with sensitive information--an act through which they might infer they now have an attorney/client relationship and the confidentiality, etc. that goes along with it.

When you email any of Hepler Broom's attorneys, get this pop-up which requires your "agreement" in order to send an email.

Overkill? Great idea? I'm sure the votes might be split.

Here's what I think:

Why on earth would a firm want to create an accept-these-terms-legal-disclaimer barrier between themselves and anyone who wants to reach out to them?

I'm really NOT into precedent (at all) but, again, Big Law doesn't do this.

Do you need to do this if your "contacting us by email or through this website does not constitute an attorney/client relationship" policy is clearly stated in your legal disclaimer? Or at the bottom of each page?

(I notice that Hepler Broom doesn't seem to have a legal disclaimer anywhere else, just a very brief privacy policy. But if they did, wouldn't that suffice?)

Do most firms (excluding, say, PI and bankruptcy who might serve a non-business or generally less-sophisticated clientele) get such a high frequency of people who email with the expectation they then have atty/client privilege?

I'm thinking this pop-up thing makes the firm look paranoid to talk to anyone. Or it looks super-aggressive. Or both. It also presumes no one but prospects would email. What about referral sources? Or media?

If they are THAT worried about misunderstandings and inadvertent conflict situations, why stop with just people who email through the firm's website??

What about the business card? Or the handout from the presentation the attorney did last month?

If a firm REALLY wants to make sure to avoid any such misunderstandings through emailed confidences, shouldn't they just set up their email server to auto-respond to ALL incoming emails (from all sources) requiring people to agree to these terms or their email won't be delivered.

WHERE ARE THE LAWYERS WHO ARE IN THE KNOW?
The above examples fall into the same categories as contact page "forms" (where one cannot get to a human) and those gawd-awful automated voice systems that we find ourselves trapped in.

They are all representative of the same things: we are too corporate to do business with you; we are more worried about US (being liable, being bothered, whatever) than we are about building a relationship with YOU.

I find myself quite frustrated with the seemingly low number of legal advisors who really "get" communications in the 2000s. Lawyers who don't "get it" are scaring the tar out of their clients.

Legal experts, I beg of you, if you can help your colleagues handle their own and their clients' legal needs in less intrusive ways, with fewer negative service/presentation side-effects, please speak up and help get your legal colleagues up-to-date.

Can anyone point to or cite examples (or case law) for or against these types of practices?

Two Great Honors, Two Amazing Marketers, Two Firms, One Houston Office Building

2009-08-18T12:19:55-05:00

In June in Austin Texas, something really cool happened.

Two extremely dynamic ladies who work for competing firms in the same city--the very same building, no less--were both honored for their exceptional contributions to the profession of accounting marketing.

At the 2009 Association for Accounting Marketing conference--AAM's 20th anniversary event--Karen Love of PKF Texas was inducted into the AAM Hall of Fame (pdf), and Stacy Soefer of Gainer Donnelly & Desroches was named AAM's 2009 Rookie Marketer of the Year (pdf): awarded to marketers with substantial accomplishments within two years of entry to the profession.

Karen blew us (accounting marketing veterans) away when she created a strong awareness of the importance of community involvement LONG before "corporate social responsibility" was in vogue, and long before other CPA firms, large or small, got serious about it. Through personal and corporate commitment, she elevated awareness of her firm while "doing good" in Houston and beyond. She is a true leader in accounting marketing.

She was among the first marketers who were invited to become owners in their firms and, in 2002 was both AAM Marketer of the Year and recognized by Accounting Today as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the profession.

Stacy, too, is exhibiting leadership and conquering new ground with energy, campaigns, and total "unorthodox" creativity that, I kid you not, had some traditional marketers rolling their eyes. Until they realized she's onto something good...real, honest-to-goodness differentiation of her firm in a very crowded marketplace.

Now other marketers are sitting up and taking notice. And heralding her work. And most marketers are envious of her ability to sell her firm's partners on some pretty non-traditional stuff like, say, conceiving the notion to volunteer as official judges of the International Federation of Competitive Eaters' Inaugural Matzoh Ball Eating Championship for charity.

That two Houstonians received such notable recognition in the very same year is remarkable and maybe even coincidental. But anyone who knows these two lovely ladies knows it's well-deserved on both counts!

Congrats to you both! And kudos to Houston for fostering such great and influential business-women.

Managing Your Corporate Giving Strategies

2009-08-03T07:55:25-05:00

Responding to a query by a fellow marketing professional about how much to give to whom, Andrew Rose, Director of Marketing and Business Development at accounting firm Naden/Lean, LLC chimed in with some excellent tips.

To manage those random requests for dollars:

We struggled with this for awhile until I went to presentation on structuring corporate giving strategies. It was quite valuable.

One of the best things I took away was creating an on-line request form that solicitors should use to apply for sponsorships or contributions, providing me with the requisite information for me to make a decision.

And a policy for annual monetary contributions to clients:

We also have several large non-profits that are clients. I determine, based on their activities and billing, what would be a good dollar amount to allocate to them. I then communicate early in the year the total dollar amount to their executive director or development officer. I let them know they can use the money in any way they wish, but we would like exposure in return. This has lead to some ‘creative,’ mutually beneficial, sponsorship opportunities from them.

Lastly, be generous with the Joe:

We also will donate a nice, fair-trade coffee basket to almost any non-profit that asks for it. We tend to get as much bang (or more) for the buck from these baskets. Cost for the baskets is less than $100, but we get mention in event brochures and, more often than not, there is an announcement at a meal about our nice basket.

Andrew's contribution request form is what surprised him most. Though he and his partners point many people to it, the take up has been little, if any. Guess it's just too much trouble to fill out...

As an aside, Andrew, located in Maryland, learned these tidbits at a meeting of the Marketing Directors Support Group he founded in 2003. The "by invitation only" group which started as a few marketing types from across a variety of sectors has now grown to about 400 members. It's billed as "an educational and peer support group of marketing and business professionals." They meet monthly and bring in gurus on all sorts of topics.

The corporate giving topic was expertly fielded by Jim Choplick, marketing and communications professional (formerly with Constellation Energy--a big corporate giver) who credits colleague, Leanne Posko as the true expert (they are both SO humble).

Andrew says the two are "the most knowledgeable people I know in this area."

When You Look at These Future CPAs, the Future of Accounting Looks Bright!

2009-07-31T19:08:40-05:00

Gotta hand it to McGladrey! I was just hopping around the web and came upon a post to McGladrey's Success Starts Here blog.

They've posted about their 2009 Summer Intern Capstone Conference and, you know what, this video speaks for itself. It's upbeat and exciting. Just makes me feel good all over. :)

Watch it!

FAQ Pages for Accountants or Lawyers?

2009-07-23T11:11:24-05:00

FAQs--the sort found on software or product sites--might not be the most effective approach for marketing a service firm, but what can we learn from them?

If most firms set about to add a general FAQ page today, without thinking it through, it would end up being more like a QWWYWA (Questions We Wish You Would Ask) page. This would be where the firm would regurgitate its brochure and proposal "all about us" language yet again.

But it's proven. That doesn't work.

LESSON ONE: PURPOSE

You don't sell a product that has finite function, limitations, or usage. The FAQ was first created for that. You sell knowledge. So what should your FAQ contain? Be certain of your purpose before you build it. See below.

LESSON TWO: TRANSPARENCY

If your FAQ is going to cover "why buy from us" or "how to buy from us" then be transparent about it. Some ideas about that...

I love how transparent the CEO of Zappos was yesterday in his email to employees about the Amazon / Zappos deal. A great letter, BTW, I commend Tony Hsieh on every aspect of it.

About 1/2 way down the letter begins a "Q&A" section, and 3/4 of the way down is this:

Q: I'm a business/financial reporter. Can you talk like a banker and use fancy-sounding language that we can print in a business publication? (where they used their canned marketing jargon)

And below that is Q: Can you talk like a lawyer now? (where they obviously put that requisite legal stuff)

If an accounting or law firm were to throw in some self-serving info in a FAQ, I would hope they would do it with this sort of transparency (and humor).

LESSON THREE: CONTENT

Who is an FAQ gonna help sell?

Traditional FAQs are probably not going to close a $10K+ accounting/audit service or big piece of litigation to the C-suite.
Bookkeeping or basic tax work, sure, but last time I checked, firms over $3-4 million in revenues aren't interested in doing more of either of those services.
Bankruptcy, estate administration, or estate planning for an individual, perhaps.

For complex issues, some accountants and many lawyers have GREAT FAQ pages, and they are usually called blogs. If you really want an FAQ page, use a blog approach even for a static website.

Make an FAQ topic specific. Not an FAQ "about the firm" but about "estate planning" or "trusts" or "probate." Break a complex issue down into pieces and tackle each piece separately.

A blog is a better tool to accommodate this content style, though.

These professions are so complex that a good FAQ page is a discussion of meaningful issues--a fluid discussion because issues are fluid.

Here is a blog by a small but powerhouse firm who does public company audits aptly titled "Gray Matters." Does it get more complex than SEC compliance? This is meaningful, useful advice, and theoretical concepts (and not always towing the party line!) that keep CEOs, CFOs, and board members reading, and it substantiates the firm's level of knowledge. Big 4 folks subscribe to the blog, too. It's that good.

LESSON FOUR: EFFECTIVENESS

When your competitors read you, and media reads you, you know you are on the right track. When clients or prospects comment on how helpful the site was, or they actually contact you because of it, you are doing it right (assuming these are your goals).

If you are a professional service / knowledge firm, then my recommendation is to skip the all-about-us FAQ and give people evidence of your knowledge. Blog being your tool, or not.

Just, please, don't recycle your brochure language anymore, no one cares about it. Instead, answer questions real people have about real issues.

Show WHAT you know, don't just say you "know a lot of stuff." How, after all, does that make you any different from the person in the office across town?

100 Accounting Practice Blogs!

2009-07-10T06:49:37-05:00

Having just updated the Accounting Blog List again (seems like every week or two) I am delighted to report that we have just crossed the 3-digit count threshold.

The 100th blog has now been entered on the list!

To qualify in the count, a blog must be authored by a licensed and currently in practice accounting practitioner (CPA, CA, etc) or public accounting firm (group authored is okay).

If you have a blog and are not on this list, please drop me a note!