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Vol. 17 • No. 1 • January/February 2005
An Introduction to Blogs
E-Marketing: Who’s
Doing It and How
By Marsha Leest, Practice Management Associates
B
logs, or weblogs, are a
relatively new and very
popular method of
communicating on
the Internet. They are easy to create
and easy to maintain — and it is not
necessary to be familiar with HTML
coding. Blog content can be anything
the blogger wants to write about. In a
sense, blogs are chronological, online
diaries whose content ranges from personal reflections to political commentary to detailed information about
particular subject matter.
For professional service firms, blogs are
another way of using the Internet as a
marketing tool that will make others
aware of their knowledge and expertise.
Web sites vs. Weblogs
Blogs are different than traditional
Web sites in several ways. For example,
they are much easier and less costly
to create and update. Several Web
sites, including www.blogger.com and
www.blog-city.com, offer downloadable
software that is either entirely free
or free on a trial basis. The potential
downside here is that you may be
required to allow advertising on your
blog. This may be a consideration
since you generally have no control
over which advertisers will appear.
Caveat: To maximize the marketing
value of your blog, whenever possible,
the blog should be on or connected to
your Web site. While these free tools
can be fine for a stand alone blog, you
will need to make sure the blogging
software is compatible with the software used to create your firm’s site.
Perhaps the biggest difference between
the two is that even the most interactive Web sites are third-party vehicles
that acquaint clients and potential
clients with the firm, the members of
the firm, and the services that are provided. In effect, a firm’s Web site acts
more or less as a firm brochure. The
fact that text is written in the second or
third person is clear evidence of this. A
blog is a much more personal record of
one’s thoughts. This means that the
blogger’s personality — whether that is
formal, casual, humorous or something
else — will come through and will
reflect on the firm. This is true whether
By Kayte Steinert-Threlkeld,
Whittlesey & Hadley, P.C.
I
t should come as no
real surprise that
accounting firms are
not at the forefront of
the e-marketing movement.
The broad practice of marketing only
came to the accounting industry some
20 years ago; there remain a large
number of firms across the country
today with no internal marketing
staff and perhaps too little interest in
marketing. At the same time, partners
Page 3
Save the Date!
AAM Summit 2005
“Marketing Magic”
June 8 - 10
Hilton in the
WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort
Orlando, Florida
More details on page 12
and the AAM Web site,
www.accountingmarketing.org.
Page 2
Electronic Marketing:
New Technologies and How to Use Them!
4
5
6
7
8
8
9
Results of Electronic Marketing Survey
AAM Chapter News
AAM-MAA Winner Profile
Marketer Toolbox
AAM New Members
AAM High!
Member Voices
9 Meet the AAM Advisory Council…
10 Sally Glick Named One of
Accounting Today’s Top 100
10 The Partner’s Perspective…
11 AAM Speaks! For Many Reasons
12 Experience the Magic —
Grasp the Knowledge!
Marsha Leest and Kayte Steinert-Threlkeld — Issue Editors
MarkeTrends is designed by PDI Global, Inc. (www.pdiglobal.com)
www.accountingmarketing.org
An Introduction to Blogs
continued from page 1
blog entries truly are written by a partner or are prepared by the marketing
department.
The “yikes” factor: There is potential
for bloggers to say something that the
firm would rather leave unsaid. In an
effort to prevent this, firms can run
entries through a kind of quality control procedure before posting, but this
goes against the spontaneous nature
of the blog. Since the blogger is an
employee of your firm, the best alternative might be to believe in his or her
integrity and sense of responsibility and
trust that entries will conform to your
firm’s standards.
2. Pictures. The mechanics of blog
software is easy to understand
and follow. Pictures can be posted
without much effort.
Interesting Accounting Links
According to a recent issue of The
CPA Technology Advisor, the following
are among the most popular accounting blogs:
• The Tax Blog (www.fairmark.com)
• The Tax Guru — Ker$tetter Letter
(www.taxguru.net)
• The Tech Gap
(www.TheTechGap.com)
• Tax, Benefits and ERISA Law Blog
(www.benefitscounsel.com/
benefitsblog)
The frequency with which a blog must
be updated is another thing that is
different. Since blog entries are dated,
deciding to add a blog to your marketing mix is a real commitment: it means
daily or weekly updates. And that
cannot be fudged easily since entries
appear in the order in which they are
posted, with the latest entry at the top.
Well-maintained blogs show visitors
the depth of the blogger’s up-to-theminute familiarity with developments
in the subject area. Conversely, readers
will notice that they are looking at the
same entry, and they will miss the blog
(at least for a while) if the project is
abandoned.
• The Tax Prof (http://taxprof.
typepad.com)
Here are some other distinctions:
Many blogs which teach novice bloggers how to more effectively use their
blogs as a marketing/public relations
tool have emerged. One of these is
http://marketing.about.com/od/
marketingblogs/, which provides a
1. Links. Good blogs contain a lot of
links. These links can be to other
places on your Web site or to other
interesting sites.
• Roth & Company’s Blog
(www.RothCPA.com)
• The Accounting Blog
(http://accounting.blogspot.com)
• Small Business Advisor Blog
(www.your-small-businessaccounting-advisor.com/index.html)
• Argmax Blog
(www.argmax.com/about.php)
Learning About Blogs
Blogs have become such an integral
part of the Internet that the approximately 2 million blogs now on line are
collectively called the Blogoshpere.
About the Author:
Marsha Leest, President of Practice Management Associates,
LLC has an extensive background in marketing as well as
professional publishing. Her areas of expertise include business,
accounting, personal finance, tax, and law. Marsha has served
as Director of Marketing for a top 25 accounting and business
consulting firm and as a private consultant to various accounting and law firms as well Fortune 500 and privately held
companies. Marsha is the author of How to Manage Your
Accounting Practice, published by Aspen Law & Business as well as various articles
in industry publications. She is a Board Member of the New York City Chapter of
AAM. Marsha can be reached at 845.369.3224 or at [email protected].
2
list of relevant blogs. Another interesting site is http://whatsnextonline.com/
reality_pr_marketing/.
Courses on using blogs also are
available:
• http://weblogs.about.com/od/
coursesandworkshops/ contains online
tutorials about some blogging basics.
• http://www.newcommforum.com/
discusses an upcoming conference
about using blogs as a marketing/
public relations tool.
Legal Issues
To protect your firm, you might want
to consider adding a “terms of use”
section to your blog. This section could
(1) state that information posted on
the blog should not be considered
specific advice and that professional
counsel should be sought for specific
problems, (2) indicate that you have
the right to delete posts, (3) note the
types of posts that will not be permitted (e.g., those using abusive language
or copyrighted material), and (4) state
your privacy policies. It is a good idea
to play it safe and have your attorney
review these policies.
Note: Some companies are filing trademark infringement lawsuits against
“gripe sites” that criticize their products
on the Internet. Who knows where
this will lead or how it will affect professional service firms?
Conclusion
Although the effectiveness of blogs is
becoming legendary — whatever your
political beliefs, the Howard Dean blog
has arguably changed the landscape of
future political campaigns — at this
point, few accounting firms are taking
advantage of this marketing tool.
Perhaps the primary reason for this is
the same one that affects many marketing endeavors: it requires a heavy
commitment of nonbillable time. Still,
it is exciting to be in the vanguard of
what seems to be an important new
method of marketing on the Internet.
E-Marketing
continued from page 1
who manage our firms as well as vast
numbers of our target audience, business owners and managers, are of the
generation that simply was not raised
on the computer. They don’t turn to
their computer to transact business.
But that is slowly changing, as some
firms create interactive Web sites, offer
clients their tax organizers and assorted
financial calculators online, deliver
e-newsletters, and utilize e-mail for
broad-based marketing efforts.
Interactive Web sites
Take a look at the Web sites of J.H.
Cohn LLP (www.jhcohn.com), Porter
Keadle Moore, (www.pkm.com), and
Clayton & McKervey, P.C. (www.
claytonmckervey.com). Each has some
innovative features not seen on many
firm sites.
At J.H. Cohn (93 partners, 500 professionals), the business owner in a variety
of industries — construction, manufacturing/distribution, law firms, and real
estate — can click into a business
life-cycle (emerging, middle market,
mature, etc.) graph and access a pulldown menu that reveals the services
offered by Cohn. In addition, site
visitors can also link to an industry
snapshot, industry links, case studies,
an online firm brochure about the specific industry, and a niche newsletter.
The Porter Keadle Moore (8 partners, 52
professionals) site actually talks to you.
Hit the video button and you’ll hear testimonials from clients themselves. “We
have added video clips throughout our
Web site,” says Marketing Director Laura
Snyder. “It lets visitors hear what clients
and employees think about our firm, in
their own words. I think this is much
more effective than merely having them
read the testimonials on the screen.”
Other innovations on the site include
casual photos of the management team
and caricatures of each partner. “The
partners each have individual caricatures
showing what they like to do during
their down time,” Snyder says. “I think
this demonstrates our firm’s culture and
drive for work/life balance.”
The Clayton & McKervey (7 partners,
32 professionals) site has its own search
engine; visitors have the ability to
search for particular key words or
phrases throughout the site. In addition, invitations to quarterly events are
sent via traditional mail and e-mail.
Today, about 95% of those who attend
register on the firm’s Web site. “In
addition to significant cost savings,
event attendance is up, and we are
walking many prospects, suspects and
decision makers through our Web site
to further educate them on Clayton &
McKervey services and capabilities,”
says Marketing Director Susan Brown.
Potential employees for Clayton &
McKervey also have the ability to
submit their resume and complete a
Predictive Index online. This process
allows the firm’s HR office to sort
through resumes much faster.
Another noteworthy site is that of WT
Benefits, LLC (www.wtbenefits.com), a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Weaver
and Tidwell, LLP (29 partners, 158
professionals), Dallas-Fort Worth. The
site won a 2004 AAM-MAA Award,
recognized for its best use of technology and ease of navigation.
Tax organizers
Offering clients the use of a tax organizer online appears to be the most
widely spread use of “e-marketing”
among accounting firms. Firms that
offer the clients the ability to complete
their tax organizers online include CPA
Associates (www.cpa-associates.com),
Weinstein & Anastasio, P.C.
(www.wa-cpa.com), and Clayton &
McKervey. Marketing directors at
these firms say usage of the online
organizer grows a little with each
tax season, though it is still used by
5% or less of their client base.
“We decided it was important to offer
this option to our clients because it’s
convenient and user-friendly,” says
Grace Carlson of CPA Associates (10
partners, 24 professionals). “It also
improves our efficiency and overall
accuracy of collecting data and analysis. It’s cost effective and it is the wave
of the future.”
Page 4
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MarkeTrends is published six times a year by
the Association for Accounting Marketing, Inc.
(AAM). It is a benefit of membership in AAM.
Association office:
14 West Third Street, Suite 200
Kansas City, MO 64105
Phone 816.221.1296/Fax 816.472.7765
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.accountingmarketing.org
Association membership for executive,
associate and affiliate members is $250
annually with a one-time $50 initiation fee.
Association membership for student
members is $150 annually with a one-time
$50 initiation fee.
Copyright ©2005 by Association for
Accounting Marketing, Inc. All rights
reserved. Please request permission to
reprint or copy any part of MarkeTrends.
AAM MarkeTrends Committee
Anne Angera, Chair
Dunlap & Associates, P.C.
Phone 215.997.7219/Fax 215.997.7218
E-mail: [email protected]
Granville Loar, Executive Director
AAM Home Office
Julie Barnes
Smith & Howard, PC
Michelle Class
Barnes Dennig & Co.
Kim Cooley
Henderson, Hutcherson and McCullough, PLLC
Laura Del Monte
Fiddler and Company, LLP
Sally Glick
J.H. Cohn, LLP
Susan Lanfray
ERE LLP
Marsha Leest
Practice Management Associates
Maria Litrenta
Carbis Walker LLP
Amanda Hopson-Walker
PDI Global, Inc.
Lisa Rozycki
LR Marketing Group
Kayte Steinert-Threlkeld
Whittlesey & Hadley, PC
Ilene Schwartz
McCrory & McDowell LLC
E-Marketing
continued from page 3
These firms offer the online tax organizer through CCH; the firm’s Web
sites are simply a portal to the service.
Clients who wish to complete the
organizer online receive a password
administered by the firm to enter the
secure site. “Techno-phobia is probably
a bigger objection in our demographic
market than anxiety about security,”
Carlson says.
Michele Baum of Weinstein &
Anastasio (3 partners, 18 professionals)
also notes that usage of the online organizer grows slowly. Response at both
firms has been stronger from clients
abroad who are technologically sophisticated and comfortable transmitting
financial data online. Professionals at
W&A also perform online bookkeeping
services for an international client.
Baum notes that clients who use the
online organizer and the various financial calculators on the site describe
the site as “fun” and “not the typical
accounting firm Web site.”
A growing number of clients and
prospects prefer e-mail because they
avoid telephone tag and quickly
resolve or delegate inquiries.
“I used to close the books with a
manual trial balance,” says Lewis.
“Conversion to the early poorly-crafted
financial applications was difficult.
Today, any CPA firm in the country
would be gone if they were still manual.
“E-mail communication is in its infancy.
Firms can expand client cross-selling
efforts and exponentially leverage communications if they develop a good
e-mail process. E-mail will not go away.
It will become a vital source needed to
stay in business.”
How do you develop a good e-mail
process? According to Lewis, begin with
a non-offensive, brief, text-only e-mail
with an opt-out link. Test the system
with a well-crafted small audience (10
publications, 100 lawyers, etc.). “Weak
messages will train people not to read
the content,” says Lewis. “Most time
is spent determining a good e-mail
E-mail Marketing
Bob Lewis, a former accountant and
founder of Visionary Marketing (a marketing firm for CPAs), says that e-mail
marketing is “not a 100% solution,”
but an excellent way to reach clients,
prospects and referral sources who prefer to communicate via e-mail. It is, he
says, part of a strategy, not a replacement for other marketing strategies.
marketing plan and then working on
content. You need to learn to write
with less words.”
Visionary Marketing has reaped benefits from its own e-mail marketing
plan. Over the past three years, more
than 100 publications have picked
up articles submitted by Visionary.
“Remember, the primary use of this is
to build referral sources and to establish credibility,” Lewis says. “The number of calls we have received from our
articles and conversion to client work
are high. The best part about e-mail
is it generates an immediate response.
Very few people respond beyond a
few days.”
Noted one marketer who has recently
implemented large scale e-mail: “The
good news is that no clients have optedout of our distribution list. The bad
news, though, is that e-mail addresses
frequently change, and keeping that
list current is an ongoing challenge. It
adds another wrinkle to the database
challenge that we all face.”
About the Author:
Kayte Steinert-Threlkeld is director of marketing services for
Whittlesey & Hadley, P.C. in Hartford, Conn. Prior to
joining the accounting firm industry eight years ago, Kayte
spent almost 10 years in marketing and communications in the
not-for-profit arena. A journalist by profession, she has also
owned three community newspapers and taught English and
journalism at the community college level. She can be reached
at [email protected], 860.524.4423.
Results of Electronic Marketing Quick Survey
I
n the course of
researching this issue of
MarketTrends, AAM
conducted an online
survey to determine how its members
use e-marketing, CRM and Web sites
in their strategic marketing plans.
Forty-five firms responded to the survey. Firm demographics ran the gamut
from small to large and through all
regions of the country. The number of
responders represents 8% of AAM’s
membership, a good response for this
type of survey.
The results showed that most respondents consider traditional marketing
strategies to be far more significant
than newer ones. The survey listed ten
marketing activities. A resounding 49%
of our respondents said networking was
the overall most important part of their
plan. Organizational involvement was
key according to the second largest
group (29%) of respondents. The third
biggest group (11%) said they relied on
public relations to get their message
out. The next largest group (9%) rely
most heavily on seminars.
Of the electronic marketing methods
listed, the survey showed 2% rely on
e-alerts, and 5% on e-newsletters.
(Interestingly, another 5% named print
newsletters as their most important
marketing vehicle.)
Page 5
4
Survey
continued from page 4
A majority of firms, 74%, have an
intranet (or internal network), while
only 47% have an extranet. (According
to www.whatis.com, an extranet is “a
private network that uses the Internet
protocol and the public telecommunication system to securely share part of a
business’s information or operations
with suppliers, vendors, partners,
customers, or other businesses. An
extranet can be viewed as part of a
company’s intranet that is extended
to users outside the company.”)
Of the firms with an extranet, only
28% have a password protected clientonly section. The sensitive nature of
the material being exchanged requires
such sections to have a high level of
privacy and security.
A little over half, or 53% of the
responding firms offer online tax
organizers. Web usage is monitored
by 60% of the respondents.
As far as CRM, 64% of respondents
said they use such systems; only 37% of
those tie their CRM to the firm’s time
and billing system.
It is interesting that the results of our
survey were close to those of Jean
Caragher of Capstone Marketing.
In Jean’s recent survey of 101 firms,
networking, social mixers with referral
sources and seminars were most highly
rated marketing tools that generate
leads. According to Jean, “It’s clear
that marketing tools that bring the
CPA face-to-face with new prospects
generate business.”
AAM will periodically monitor these
results to measure and report on any
changes.
AAM Chapter News
Atlanta Chapter
The Atlanta Chapter is pleased to
announce its Board of Directors for
2005. They are: Erinn Keserica,
Director of Marketing, Frazier &
Deeter; Reiko Tate, Marketing
Associate, Habif Arogeti & Wynne;
and Laura Snyder, Director of
Marketing, Porter Keadle Moore. The
Atlanta Chapter will meet on February
16 at the offices of Habif Arogeti &
Wynne, 5565 Glenridge Connector,
Suite 200. The program will begin at
11:30 a.m., and the cost to attend is
$20 for AAM National members or
$25 for non-members. For information
about upcoming programs, please contact Erinn Keserica at Erinn.Keserica@
frazierdeeter.com or 404.253.7500.
Chicago Chapter
The Chicago Chapter will meet on
February 15 from noon – 1:30 p.m. for
a presentation on “Sales Intelligence”
by Rick Hauser of the Chicago
Chapter of the Society of Competitive
Intelligence. The meeting will be held
at the offices of the Illinois CPA
Society. For more information, or to
register, contact Mary Doherty at
[email protected] or 312.602.8664.
Houston Chapter
This NEW chapter will hold its first
luncheon meeting on February 9 at
11:30 a.m. The topic will be
“Recognizing Trends in the Future of
the Accounting Industry,” and the
meeting will take place at the Houston
CPA Society offices, 1700 West Loop
South, Suite 750. The cost to attend
the luncheon is $25 for AAM members, $35 for non-members. For more
information about this event or about
the Houston Chapter, please contact
Raissa Evans at [email protected]
or 713.860.1464.
Los Angeles Chapter
The Los Angeles Chapter of AAM
(formerly AAM SoCal) meets the first
Wednesday of every month from
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. There is a $50
annual fee to join the Southern
California Chapter. Meeting cost
is $20 for AAM members and $25 for
non-members. Checks should be made
payable to Erin Chavin, Moss Adams,
LLP. For more information, contact
Diane Paoletta at 626.403.6801, Ext.
103 or [email protected].
Maryland/DC/Northern
Virginia Chapter
The Maryland Chapter will meet
on March 15 for a presentation on
“Implementing a CRM Solution and
Strategy.” The meeting will take
place in Bethesda. Please contact
Suzanne Bouhia of Reznick Fedder
& Silverman at 301.280.3634 or
[email protected] for more
information.
Minnesota Chapter
The Minnesota chapter will meet on
February 8 for a presentation on
“Branding,” given by Nancy Chesser
of Introworks and on March 8 for a
presentation on “Getting Partner
Buy-In,” given by Sally Schmidt of
Sally Schmidt Marketing. All meetings are held at the Minnesota
Society of CPAs, 1650 West 82nd
Street, Suite 600, Bloomington from
8:30 – 10 a.m. The cost to join is
5
$100 for accounting marketers and
$125 for associate members. Meetings
are included in the membership; however, if you are a firm non-member,
the cost to attend a meeting is $15.
If you are an associate non-member,
the cost is $25 to attend a meeting.
We will allow one complimentary
meeting to make sure the group is a
good fit for you. For more information, or to register, please contact
Dawn Wagenaar at 952.841.3117 or
[email protected].
New York Chapter
For more information about joining
the NY Metro Chapter, becoming a
sponsor, or on future programs, contact
Susan Lanfray at 212.931.9270 or
[email protected]; or Alisa Morris at
212.303.1880 or [email protected].
Philadelphia Chapter
The Philadelphia chapter will meet
on February 16 for a presentation by
James Palmer, founder and principal
of jajopa Web Design, on “Making
the Most of Your Web Page.” The
meeting will be held at Smart &
Associates, LLP in Devon, Pa.
Meeting cost is $25. For more
information, or to register, contact
Erin McClafferty (emcclafferty@
bbdcpa.com or 215.567.7770,
Ext. 6062) or Jack Kolmansberger
([email protected] or
215.241.8963).
Wisconsin Chapter
For information about upcoming programs, please contact Michelle Meyer at
[email protected]
or 920.996.1290.
AAM-MAA Winner Profile:
Rea and Associates, Inc.’s SEQUENCE Sales Campaign
Pays $20,000 to Employees
By Michelle Class, Marketing Manager, Barnes Dennig
R
ea and Associates, Inc.
(180 employees, 28
shareholders) launched
a highly successful sales
initiative, SEQUENCE, aka “Give Me
Five,” and proved a little competition
amongst employees can benefit everyone. In June 2003, Rea’s Marketing
Manager, Katie Tolin, launched a new
sales initiative to help build a sales
culture firm wide that would:
(1)include all team members and illustrate how everyone is responsible
for marketing;
(2)be fun in hopes of spurring friendly
competition; and
(3)have a significant incentive that
will grab and motivate employees
at every level.
The Concept
Initially, Katie searched
for a board game or pop
culture item on which to
base the campaign. The
board game SEQUENCE
was selected because it
was easily related to the
sales process. It takes a five
step process to win the game
in SEQUENCE — so a five step sales
process was created to match. These
steps would coincide with an initiative
to increase the amount of new business
brought into the firm.
“Since I had only been with the firm
two months in addition to being Rea’s
first ever marketing professional, I
knew that buy-in from partners would
be essential to the success of the initiative,” explained Katie. “We scheduled
a day long retreat with the marketing
partners in each of our offices where
the board game was played, the
SEQUENCE process was outlined, and
general guidelines for the incentive
were presented.”
About the AAM-MAA Award Winner:
Katie Tolin is the Marketing Manager for Rea & Associates, Inc.
— a regional firm with more than 180 dedicated professionals,
headquartered in New Philadelphia, Ohio. Katie joined Rea in
2003 and handles marketing, business development, and public
relations. Katie can be reached at [email protected] or via
phone at 330.339.6651.
Partners were not only asked for their
input, but they helped brainstorm how
the goals would be set, what the incentive would be and how the results
would be calculated — ensuring that
each of them took part in the development of the initiative. Together this
marketing team determined that each
office should bring in 5% of its
previous years fees as its goal during the seven-month campaign.
So, what about incentives?
What would help the
employees reach this goal?
“Everyone at the retreat
agreed that each office
would receive 5% of its goal
to celebrate,” Katie said.
“Each office team could
decide for itself how to spend
the reward.”
Five became a very important number
at the retreat. There is a five-step
process, 5% of last year’s fees would be
the goal, and the winning team was to
receive 5% of total goal as a reward. It
was actually Rea President Tim Michel
who first suggested that the sales
incentive be called “Give Me Five!,”
and everyone agreed. How clever —
a high five for the winners!
The Game
Rolling out the “Give Me Five” program
was exciting, being the first-ever internal
sales campaign for Rea & Associates.
Mousepads with the Rea logo and the
saying “The Rea SEQUENCE: With a
little strategy and a little luck, you’re a
winner” — a saying borrowed from the
board game — were distributed to each
team member to remind them of the
friendly competition at all times. An
internal newsletter was developed and
e-mailed each month highlighting
progress to date for all offices. Within
the newsletter, there was also a bar chart
showing where each office was in relation to its goal. Additional e-mail communications were sent periodically
highlighting big wins and office successes. There was much excitement each
month, as the team members waited
anxiously to see the charts — not only
to see how close they were to obtaining
their team’s goal, but to ensure they were
“beating” their friends in other offices.
The Winners
The end of the campaign awarded six
of the eleven offices (55%) with more
than $20,000 in incentives. One office
chose to take a cash option; a second
office planned a trip to Niagara Falls
and Casino Niagara for the weekend,
and a third allowed employees to
choose between either a day of golf or
a day at the spa followed by a scrumptious team dinner.
Of course the firm won too. Throughout
the campaign signed engagement letters
were secured from approximately 200
new clients totaling almost $900,000 in
new business. Plus, all the work would
be completed during the next year.
Page 7
6
AAM-MAA Winner Profile
continued from page 6
The Benefits
Many team members began talking
openly about prospecting and prospect
companies. In one office, team members
were walking around giving each other
high fives after reaching a significant
milestone throughout the campaign. In
addition to professional staff, administrative assistants and receptionists were the
ring leaders — hounding shareholders
for signed engagement letters and
encouraging younger professionals to
start making sales calls.
The biggest show of support from the
team members, and an indication
that the “Give Me Five” program was
a success, began when a significant
number of shareholders requested to
continue the campaign. The marketing
team at Rea & Associates put on its
thinking cap and prepared a new campaign that shareholders bought into by
stating “something like this needs to
take place at all times.”
Marketer Toolbox:
Tax Season Stress Busters
By Laura Del Monte, Fiddler and Company, LLP
D
uring the height of “tax
season” it can be a challenge to keep staff motivated and happy. The
first tax season with my firm, a manager
e-mailed me, “People are beginning to
drag: any ideas to pump them up over
the next 14 days??? These are the most
important/critical days of our tax season.” I turned to the AAM Discussion
List for help. Since then, many suggestions have been posted. The following
is a compilation of some of those
suggestions, which may help you and
your firm’s accountants get through
tax season in better spirits.
Well fed accountants make
happier accountants.
Many firms relieve stress with food
(sound kind of familiar?). From simple
things like fresh fruit available all day
long, to special occasion treats like an
ice cream social. Clayton & McKervey
went all out for its ice cream socials. The
firm has done several take-offs of the
standard social: shareholders dressed in
aprons dishing out the ice cream and all
the toppings; a little ice cream “cart,”
complete with a bike horn, driven
around the office with popsicles, fudge
bars and other frozen creations; and
self-serve tubs of ice cream and all the
toppings, using the left over ice cream
for root beer floats later in the week.
Theme based stress busters.
Jones & Roth, PC had a weekly theme
all the way through tax season. Some
of the weekly themes from a previous
year include a 50’s theme ice cream
party week hosted by its Specialist
Department; Pie Day Friday, hosted
by the Technology Department;
Individual Treats Day where favorite
snacks are delivered; and Krispy Kreme
doughnuts day. A variation on this
used by another firm: Theme Week,
where there is a theme for each day of
the week. For example, they have had
“western day,” “50s day,” and “nerd
day” where everyone is encouraged to
dress up for each theme.
Games people play.
Games and contests are also a popular
way to keep the staff upbeat, while taking
little time away from the work. MPP&W,
P.C. had a “crazy shirt and tie day.” The
entire office participated and competed
for prizes. One year, free publicity
resulted: a local news station taped it for
its segment on tax season stress.
E-mail bingo is also a popular stress
buster. Clayton & McKervey played
the game by e-mailing each player
their bingo card with TAXES (Bingo)
across the top. Under each column was
a list of staff names they chose to fill in
their boxes; for example, in column
one, they chose from Mary, Jane, Jim,
Paul, Bob, Alex and Tom. Each day
several names were drawn from a
hat and sent out by e-mail. Prizes
included items like gift certificates to
Blockbuster, Chili’s, and TGI Fridays.
7
At McCauley, Nicolas & Company,
LLC the following games have been
played at the firm:
• Interesting Facts Match Up Game —
Collect an interesting and relatively
unknown fact about each employee.
The employees match the fact
with the employee to which they
think it applies.
• Scavenger Hunt — Provide a list of
items to the staff: see who can find
the most things in their desk area
the quickest.
• Group Poker — One card is distributed to everyone each morning for
five days. On the fifth day they
exchange with the “dealer” — best
hand wins.
• Baby Photo Contest — names
revealed and winners announced at
the after-tax party on April 15.
Whalen & Company did a modified
putt putt golf game in its hallways during one tax season. The administrative
staff set it up and created the props.
They then divided into teams and had
various types of winners.
Got More?
For more details on any of these “tax
season stress busters,” or to see more,
search the AAM Discussion List
archives using the search words “pumping up tax season,” “tax season fun,”
and “tax season stress busters.” And
have a happy Tax Season!”
AAM New Members
Deborah Bell
Sebring, Fla.
[email protected] / 863.655.0241
Betty Breen
Georgian Society of CPAs
Atlanta, Ga.
[email protected] / 404.231.8676
Holly Cook
J.D.Cloud & Co. LLP
Ft.Mitchell, Ky.
[email protected] / 513.621.1188
Cristina Del Bueno
Right Angle Consulting,LLC
Richmond, Va.
[email protected] /
804.726.4583
Douglas Dib
Ernst & Young
New York, N.Y.
[email protected] / 212.773.7647
Kevin Boardman
Lighthouse Seminar Group
Dallas, Texas
[email protected] /
866.522.1293
Molly Farrar
Peterson Sullivan PLLC
Seattle, Wash.
[email protected] / 206.382.7802
Susan Martindill
Abbott, Stringham & Lynch
Campbell, Calif.
[email protected] / 408.377.8700
Stephen Hall
Robert Hall & Associates
Glendale, Calif.
[email protected] /
818.242.4888
Robert Massey
Bob Massey & Company
Eatonton, Ga.
[email protected] / 706.484.1010
Stephanie Horton
Johnson, Price & Sprinkle PA
Asheville, N.C.
[email protected] / 828.254.2374
Elizabeth Johnson
Carol L. King & Associates, P.A.
Asheville, N.C.
[email protected] / 828.258.2323
Chris Jones
Linkenheimer LLP
Santa Rosa, Calif.
[email protected] / 707.546.0272
Cheryl Knudson
Eide Bailly LLP
Fargo, N.D.
[email protected] / 701.476.8323
Emily Broe
Samet & Company, PC
Chestnut Hill, Mass.
[email protected] / 617.731.1222
Scott Levy
Grant Thornton LLP
Edison, N.J.
[email protected] / 732.516.5501
Mari Cochran
Johnson, Price & Sprinkle PA
Marion, N.C.
[email protected] / 828.652.7044
Ericka Loften
Horovitz, Rudoy & Roteman, CPA
Pittsburgh, Pa.
[email protected] / 412.391.2920
Leslie Edelsberg
Ciuni & Panichi, Inc.
Cleveland, Ohio
[email protected] / 216.831.7171
Jeff Lucke
Lucke & Associates CPA’s
Witchita, Kan.
[email protected] / 316.721.9020
AAM High! Launches Its 2005 Program
The AAM High! Quarterly Virtual Learning Series has launched its 2005 program.
On February 3, AAM members joined Richard Levick, ESQ. President, Levick Strategic
Communications, to hear about “Crisis Management and the Media”. The next AAM
High! session will take place on May 10, 2005, when August Aquila, PhD, Director
of Practice Management Consulting for The Growth Partnership, will discuss “Major
Issues Facing CPA Firm Marketing Directors.”
AAM members may access the Virtual Learning Series from a single telephone line, and
there is no limit to the number of people who may listen in and participate on that line.
The fee to participate is only $74 per session for AAM members, or $124 per session for
non-members. Each presentation is approximately 75 minutes in length, and include two,
10-minute question-and-answer sessions where the moderator shares/reads questions
submitted by e-mail throughout the presentation. For more information on the AAM High!
series, visit the AAM Web site at www.accountingmarketing.org.
8
Anabel Monson
T.R. Moore & Company, PC
Houston, Texas
[email protected] / 713.789.7077
Christi Morrison
Dixon Hughes PLLC
Greenville, S.C.
[email protected] /
864.213.5364
Jill Myers
Smith , Lange & Phillips LLP
San Francisco, Calif.
[email protected] / 415.243.8833
Jen Noll
Dean, Dorton & Ford, P.S.C.
Lexington, Ky.
[email protected] / 859.425.7675
Barbara Redmond
Barbara Redmond Design, Inc.
Minneapolis, Minn.
[email protected] / 612.339.3861
Belinda Ressler
Wilson Price Barranco Blankenship
Montgomery, Ala.
[email protected] / 334.260.2387
Karin Rising
Matson, Driscoll & Damico, LLP
Atlanta, Ga.
[email protected] / 404.252.0085
Deborah Saunders
McConnell Jones Lanier & Murphy LLP
Houston, Texas
[email protected] / 713.968.1600
Adam Schair
RIA
New York, N.Y.
[email protected] / 212.367.6394
Stephen White
Aronson & Company
Rockville, Md.
[email protected] / 301.231.6658
Member Voices
An interview with Jill Lock, Director of Marketing, Isdaner & Company, LLC
by Kayte Steinert-Threlkeld, Whittlesey & Hadley, P.C.
Jill Lock, Director
of Marketing for
the Bala Cynwyd,
Pa-based Isdaner &
Company, LLC (9
partners, 54 staff)
knows the ropes of
accounting firm
marketing. A vetJill Lock
eran with 17 years
of experience, Jill has served as the first
marketing director at four firms in the
Delaware/Philadelphia market. It is a
role she relishes.
“At all four accounting firms where I
have worked, I was the first marketing
director. One of the reasons I selected
those firms in which to work was for
that reason. I like to make my mark,” Jill
says. “At each of the firms, I feel I left
them a blueprint for marketing and
made inroads for that specific firm. At
each of the firms, a marketing culture
was established during my tenure. Each
firm had the tools they needed to move
forward if they chose.”
She has been at her current firm for just
less than two years and has already
made her imprint there. In fact, the new
firm brochure she developed walked
away with an AAM-MAA Award at
the 2004 conference in Las Vegas.
“When I came to the firm, we did not
have a firm brochure or slogan,” Jill
says. “In the process of creating the slogan and brochure, we had to examine
our strengths and weaknesses and
determine how we were perceived and
how we wanted to be perceived. This
process included employee and client
interviews.”
Acknowledging that no two firms are
alike, Jill says she enjoys the experience
of “inventing the wheel” at each firm
she serves. “I also like the challenge of
starting from scratch with a clean slate. I
like to invent the wheel for the firm —
it fills me with anticipation. I like to
initiate new programs and see how the
accountants develop as I train them,” Jill
says. “It makes me feel good to see them
succeed and know that I helped them to
be successful.”
“I have attended many
AAM conferences and at
each conference, I have
either learned something
new about the industry or
heard a new idea I could
implement at the firm.”
In addition to the new brochure, Jill
has completed other major marketing
initiatives in her short time at Isdaner,
including a revamped Web site to be
uniform with the brochure, a marketing incentive program, and communications training sessions for staff.
Staff training is, in fact, her greatest
joy. Her most rewarding experience at
Isdaner has been training and encouraging people about marketing and seeing them understand and embrace the
concepts. Her greatest challenge?
“People not being responsive to my
requests as we need to move forward to
accomplish the firm’s goals.”
They are successes and challenges
shared by many members in AAM, who
continue to be a great resource to Jill.
“AAM continues to play a major role
in helping me with my job,” Jill says.
“At the Las Vegas conference, I
attended the session about incentive
programs and gained insights on how to
run such a program. After further
research, I developed a program specifically for our firm based on many of the
methods described at the AAM session.
“I have attended many AAM conferences and at each conference, I have
either learned something new about
the industry or heard a new idea I
could implement at the firm. Also, the
Discussion List is another benefit that
is so helpful. You can connect instantly
with other marketers and share ideas
and learn from each other. I have
learned so much from this sharing of
information. Many times I pass on
e-mails to my managing partner so he
can see what other firms are doing in a
particular area.”
Jill’s key to success? Patience.
Consistency. Staff education. AAM.
“You may sometimes feel alone but then
there is AAM,” Jill says. “Your fellow
marketer is just an e-mail away.”
Meet the AAM Advisory Council…
Ed Russ, AAM Advisory Council Member
Chief Marketing and Sales Officer
Grant Thornton LLP
49 offices in the United States
Years in Accounting Marketing: 13
Marketing Tip: Orchestrate your marketing and sales activities according to the Buying Cycle:
Awareness > Interest > Desire > Action. First, create Awareness of your firm among targeted
clients. Then generate Interest by offering information they perceive is of value. Convert Interest
into Desire by communicating how your services benefit clients like them. Motivate Action by
connecting service benefits to client needs and providing reasons to act now.
Focus marketing resources more on earlier stages of the Buying Cycle. Focus partner and other
selling resources more on latter stages. Integrate your marketing and sales efforts, and you’ll
acquire a lot more clients.
9
Sally Glick Named One of Accounting Today’s Top 100
Our very own
AAM president,
Sally Glick, was
named to
Accounting Today’s
list of Top 100
Most Influential
People in
Accounting for
Sally Glick
2004. Sally has
been involved in accounting marketing
for more than 20 years, and is currently
serving as Chief Marketing Officer at
J. H. Cohn, LLP. It is rare that anyone
who is not a CPA is named to this list.
What does Sally have to say about this
significant achievement? “In recent
years, it has become a tradition to name
AAM’s president to Accounting Today’s
list of influential people. I am personally happy and flattered — and also
very proud of the role AAM played in
this achievement. I think that says
a lot about how much AAM’s role as
resource for accounting marketers contributes to the success of accounting
firms of all sizes and across all regions.”
Sally also added that she considers the
fact that AAM member firms make
more than 75% of the firms named to
Public Accounting Report’s annual list
of top 100 firms a tribute to the strides
the association has made in becoming a
key player in the accounting marketing
industry. Congratulations Sally!
The Partner’s Perspective…on Building a Successful Niche
An interview with Verdell Vang, Partner, Eide Bailly LLP
By Kimberly Cooley, Director of Marketing, Henderson Hutcherson & McCullough, PLLC
Serving — and
marketing — a
niche can be quite
challenging for a
professional
accounting firm.
But today’s aggressive market mandates that CPA
Verdell Vang
firms offer industryspecific services in order to stay ahead
of the competition. So how do you find
your firm’s niche and get your share of
the profits — and loyal clients — that
specialized services bring?
Eide Bailly LLP, a CPA and business
advisory firm headquartered in Fargo,
North Dakota, has managed to develop
seventeen industry and service specialty
niches. Effectively serving these niches
takes a great deal of organization and
communication, according to Verdell
Vang, a partner with Eide Bailly.
“We have 12 offices in eight states so
obviously we face a number of obstacles that other more centralized firms
would not encounter when developing
niches,” said Vang. “By implementing
video conferencing and establishing
strict meeting schedules for each niche,
we’ve managed to overcome some of
the challenges associated with being so
spread out.”
Organization is a key factor to the
firm’s niche development — each
niche is headed up by one or more
partners responsible for keeping the
service area on track and overseeing
assigned staff. Vang believes the lead
partner is the key to making a niche
service a successful one.
“It is very important that you have a
firm champion or champions that keep
a service specialty, niche or industry
thriving — someone very devoted to
that area to keep momentum going,”
Vang said. “Because the services we
provide our niches are so varied and
specialized, someone on a higher level
has to serve as the flame at the top, so
to speak.”
Vang, himself, serves as the “flame” for
Eide Bailly’s automobile and implement dealerships niche, an industry in
which he has worked since joining the
firm 32 years ago. He has witnessed the
firm’s niche development first hand
and says most of it has been evolutionary in nature.
“Most of our niches evolved over
time,” Vang explained. “We picked up
a few clients in an area, realized the
potential for growth and opportunity
there, and made the conscious decision
to establish a presence in the field.”
Establishing a presence can be done in
a number of ways, Vang said, but the
most common way is through participation in industry events such as trade
shows and state association functions.
Becoming a familiar face in the industry
takes time, but it pays off.
“Niches are definitely evolutionary, but
if you consistently maintain a presence,
you eventually achieve a critical mass
in that industry,” Vang explained. “You
are eventually recognized as a specialist
in that industry and when your name
is equated with a specific industry or
service, you know you’ve arrived.”
In addition to patiently plotting a niche
development, Eide Bailly has used
acquisition as a way to develop a specific industry service. “We’ve acquired
firms with a strong industry presence,”
Vang says. “For example, our healthcare
niche was developed through firm
acquisitions.” Eide Bailly’s other niches
include financial institutions, construction, manufacturing, agricultural producers, agricultural processors, governmental, utilities, real estate, insurance
companies, non-profit organizations,
employee benefit plans, trusts and
estates, arbitrage and business valuation.
Now that Eide Bailly has several welldeveloped niches in place, the firm
Page 11
10
Partner’s Perspective
continued from page 10
works hard to effectively serve its
clients associated with each industry.
“Our firm puts out an average of six
different newsletters that cater to various niches,” Vang says. “Each niche
group has a strategic or functional plan
that includes marketing and sales,
newsletters, participation in state soci-
eties and national meetings, education
of staff members, and hosting of inhouse seminars to offer information
pertinent to each industry. We do what
we need to do to cater to our niches.”
A good example of Eide Bailly’s catering is the firm’s participation in Auto
Team America, an alliance of CPA
firms that serves over 2,000 dealerships
nationwide. They helped found ATA,
which was started 15 years ago by individuals just like Vang who were interested in providing the best service
possible to their clients.
According to Vang, “We had watched
our dealers participate in 20 groups and
it dawned on us that similar benefits
could be gained by organizing ATA. It’s
this type of commitment and forward
thinking that makes a niche successful.”
AAM Speaks! For Many Reasons
By Karen Love, Director of Practice Growth, PKF Texas
E
very week I have the
privilege of answering
the phone and talking to
a fellow AAM member.
Sometimes the phone call brings a
request for guidance; other times we
share ideas that work. In every conversation, I’m reminded that there is an amazing amount of knowledge that we each
have gained in our tenure in our firms.
Together, our membership is a literal
vortex of answers to all those who seek
marketing and practice growth wisdom.
For instance, did you know that we have
within our ranks twelve (12) winners of
CPA Marketing Report’s Marketer of the
Year? And several of Accounting Today’s
100 Most Influential People in
Accounting? And, let’s not forget about
our seven Hall of Fame inductees! AAM
is the only professional association with
the sole purpose of acting as a catalyst
for furthering the marketing and sales
efforts of its members and their firms.
Part of this effort is the new speakers’
bureau, AAM Speaks!, which provides
AAM members an opportunity to showcase their expertise. For quite some time
we’ve looked to outside consultants as
the “experts,” and while I respect and
value their contributions, I encourage
each of you to look at the immense
amount of knowledge you’ve acquired
over the years. So much of what you
have to offer is insight into the accounting industry through your unique marketing or business development perspective. You’ve walked a mile in our shoes,
you understand our challenges and you
can guide us in a way only our peers can.
Do you have an important message to
share? Do you know something that
would help others in their firms? Then,
join AAM Speaks! Share your message
and celebrate your milestones. This is a
perfect way to showcase your talents
and market yourself within your firm.
There are many areas in which you can
share valuable ideas:
• Business Development
• Creating a Marketing Culture
BREAKING NEWS: Fellow AAM members, please join
us in congratulating one of our own — Karen Love — on
her admittance as a shareholder with PKF Texas! Since
Karen joined PKF Texas in 2000, the firm has experienced
unprecedented growth, moving from Houston’s 17th largest
firm to the 7th largest in 2004. The firm has doubled in
number of employees and revenues over that period.
According to PKF Texas President, Kenneth Guidry,
“Karen is truly a team player in that she measures her success by how successful we are as a Firm. Karen has played a leadership role in
directing our strategy and branding and in helping shape our firm’s culture and
focus. She is an advocate for personal and professional growth and for embracing change. Her overall impact and value to our firm are immeasurable. From
day one with us she evidenced an entrepreneurial and ownership mindset.”
Karen has more than ten years of experience in the accounting industry, having
been recognized as CPA Marketing Report’s Marketer of the Year in 2002 and as
one of Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People in the Accounting
Profession. Congratulations Karen!
11
• Tracking & Accountability
• Planning & Budgeting
• Industry Trends & Issues
• Leadership Skills & Management
• Training & Development
• Branding
• Building Infrastructure
• Business Etiquette
• General Marketing & Business
One of the greatest things I’ve been able
to do in my career as a practice growth
director and former Marketer of the
Year is to share what I’ve learned with
others. I encourage each of you not only
to share what you know but to tap into
this tremendous pool of resources and
talent we call AAM Speaks!
Experience the Magic — Grasp the Knowledge!
A
AM Summit 2005:
Marketing Magic is a
learning conference. It’s
an intimate event
designed to put you side-by-side with
people who share your challenges.
Whether you’re charting new ground or
just beginning to explore the possibilities, our three outstanding keynote presentations lay a solid, trusted foundation
that builds throughout the conference.
Make Your Mind Up, Not Down! —
Barbara Braunstein
Wednesday, June 8
Dealing with whining, pessimistic,
negative people is difficult. Not dealing
with them can reduce productivity,
lower morale, and in fact, sink a team
or an organization! Overcoming negativity … our own and others … is a
critical success skill. You’ll leave feeling
in control, energized, and upbeat!
Barbara Braunstein is an internationally acclaimed speaker, known for her
energetic, fast-paced, no-nonsense,
humorous style and her very practical,
do-able strategies and “jump starters.”
The Magic Continues —
AAM’s Partner Power Panel
Wednesday, June 8
Building upon the success of AAM
Summit 2004, we once again offer you
the hard-hitting insights and expertise
of the Partner Power Panel. This
expanded format combines four partners from across the country, each representing various size firms and areas of
expertise. This line-up will generate
cutting-edge ideas, lessons from the
trenches and thought-provoking views.
The Disney Perspective —
Loyalty — The Disney Institute
Friday, June 10
The Disney success story, one of the
greatest of the 20th century, became
the subject of intense focus by business
professionals in 1986. Based on the
business excellence displayed by
Disney, professionals from around the
14 West Third Street, Suite 200
Kansas City, MO 64105
world started coming to the WALT
DISNEY WORLD® Resort asking,
“How can we learn the Disney
approach?” This demand was the start
of Disney’s Professional Development
Programs. This program showcases the
powerful strategies and business models
that have stood the test of time and are
applicable for all types of organizations.
And we can’t forget about the great
breakout sessions that put you right
in the middle of some of the leading
authorities in the accounting marketing
industry. This year will feature 30
concurrent sessions, two pre-conference
events designed with both the beginning marketer and seasoned professional in mind, and a post-conference
event that finds you behind the scenes
of Disney where the general public in
never allowed!
Be sure to mark your calendars now
to join us June 8-10, 2005 at AAM
Summit 2005: Marketing Magic! We
are constantly adding new information
to our Web site, so visit often —
www.accountingmarketing.org.