AICPA Business Solutions Workshop: Delivering on Your Trusted Advisor Status [Louisiana]

Nationally renowned tax expert Sidney Kess attended the Workshop and here is what he had to say:

"Practicing as a CPA in a small to medium size firm has never been as difficult as it is today. Developing a powerful resource network improves your client relationships and increases your firm's revenues. The AICPA Business Solutions Trusted Advisor Workshop is an excellent way for the CPA to focus on how he can more effectively serve his or her clientele."
- Sidney Kess, CPA, J.D., LL.M.

Attend the AICPA Business Solutions Workshop, where you'll learn practical tools, techniques and skills for strategic client planning, so you can return to the office with a concrete action plan to enhance your practice.

Through solution-driven sessions, you'll learn how to translate the issues clients face into opportunities for consulting with them — by hearing first-hand why some clients switch firms and what they're looking for from a CPA.

View video highlights from our last workshop:
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• Do you know what is really important to your most valuable clients?
  View the video clip
• Bill Reeb explains the A-B-Cs of grading your clients.
  View the video clip
• Bill Reeb shares a personl story about why it is never too late to 'make your move'.
  View the video clip

Who Should Attend:

• Sole practitioners
• CPAs and partners in small- to mid-sized firms
• Staff looking to take on more leadership roles

Why Attend:
Transform your clients' problems into opportunities:

• Conduct more successful client planning meetings
• Collaborate with clients more insightfully
• Keep clients from switching CPA firms

"This Workshop really hits home! The Workshop is a must for a Partner or someone who wants to be a Partner in a CPA firm. It forces you to stop and look at the easily overlooked aspects of your practice, your employees and your clients!"
- Jim Bourke, CPA
   Withum, Smith & Brown, Red Bank, NJ
   President, NJ State Society of CPAs

"This seminar was concise, informative and very educational.  I left feel more empowered as a sole proprietor with the value that I can offer my clients."
- Carmel Charron, CPA
   Carmel Charron, CPA, P.L.L.C.
   Manchester, NH

“Very well presented, very applicable to practices of all sizes.”
- David Stein, CPA, MBA
   David M. Stein, Ltd.
   Plymouth, MN

8:30 am From the Client’s Perspective

• Interview with three clients about why they switched CPA firms
• Understanding small business need

9:00 am Run a More Profitable Practice

• Key trends in the CPA marketplace
• Investing in technology and training
• Investing in marketing
• Determining appropriate billing rates and minimum fees
• Culling low-profit or marginal clients

10:45 am Break

11:00 am Building Client Loyalty with 5 Star Client Service™

• Proactive relationship management
• Meeting and exceeding client expectations
• Developing value-added services

12:00 pm Lunch (provided)

1:00 pm Developing the Skills Necessary for Being
“Your Clients’ Most Trusted Advisor”

• Some benefits you should expect from being a trusted advisor
• It’s not about selling, it’s about understanding clients’ needs
• You don’t need all the answers…you just need to help the client put a plan together
• You are the general contractor and will find the necessary resources

3:15 pm Break

3:30 pm How to Conduct a Successful Client
Planning Meeting

• Meeting management and tips
• Review client resources and map them to the requirements
• Turn clients’ requirements into opportunities for expanded service offerings or referrals

4:00 pm General Contractor Concept

• Subcontracting to specialists - e.g., retirement planning or banking
• Building a strong professional referral network

4:30 pm Recap, Action Planning and Toolkit

• Putting what you learned into practice
• Building your roadmap to becoming a more successful trusted advisor

5:00 pm Workshop Adjourns

Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants
2400 Veterans Blvd.,
Suite 500
Kenner, LA 70062

Click here to see all workshop dates and locations.