To gather management ideas for CPA firms, IPA interviewed some of the consultants from its “Most Recommended Consultant” list. The following consultants were included in the interview: Marc Rosenberg of Wilmette, Illinois; Sam Allred of Helena, Montana; Robert J. Gallagher of Pittsburgh; Roman Keczyk of Phoenix; Allan D. Koltin of Chicago; L. Gary Boomer of Manhattan, Kansas; Jay Nisberg of Ridgefield, Connecticut; Troy Waugh of Nashville; Gale Crosley of Atlanta; and Jeff Pawlow of St. Louis.

Here are some of their suggestions:

• There is no panacea for recruiting. Develop a team of recruiters and a stimulating communiqué to candidates illustrating what makes your firm different and desirable.
• Retention requires recruiting existing staff as well—with leadership and management development training, deferred compensation plans, etc.
• When turnover is high, it is the partners who must be held accountable.
• Performance appraisals should be candid but not brutal. Feedback to staff should be given continuously, not during the formal appraisal only.
• Do not treat all staff equally—then no one is special.
• The firm must have rainmakers. If you do not have them, go out and find them.
• Create an advisory board that includes non-client influential business people.
• Perform client satisfaction surveys, and use the positive responses in your marketing materials.
• Eliminate unprofitable clients so you can take advantage of more profitable new opportunities, permit better service to good clients, and maintain high rates.
• Determine the significance of management and leadership in the firm. Distinguish management from administration. Find out if partners are willing to be managed.
• Make sure that people who relinquish clients to spend more time in management have something to fall back on if and when they no longer have management responsibilities.
• The best firms are those whose members have a shared vision for the firm.
• Strategic planning must be conducted more frequently than in the past. The plan should cover less than a one-year period.
• Everyone in the firm should have a 90-day plan for which he or she should be accountable. There should be 90-day reviews of these plans.
• Proper scheduling should be a strategic objective. Work assignments should promote efficiency, effectiveness, and staff development.
• Processes in the firm should be systematized—this includes marketing, recruiting, billing, etc.

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From Inside Public Accounting, February 2006, p.1. Hudson Sawyer Professional Services Marketing Inc. www.hudsonsawyer.com. Subscription $345 per year; back issues—nonsubscribers $35. 404-264-9977. orders@hudsonsawyer.com.