WEBINAR CATALOG 2010

Webinar descriptions:

Plan and Lead in the Right Direction - The participant will be given the background and thinking skills to not only plan, but to also develop a practical plan that can be implemented in the firm. Planning is a vital component of the workplace, but planning alone is not sufficient. The successful planner must have a common sense approach to get people involved and get them to buy into the plan. Many great thoughts and ideas have been discarded, not because of lack of good strategic planning, but simply because of politics. This webinar will give participants the strategies and actual steps to think and then to plan. In addition, it will give them the people skills to get the buy-in for implementation.

Effectively Communicate the Leadership Message - Guides participants to become effective speakers by meeting listeners\' needs. Communication skills are developed by having participants understand the styles for effective communication, both face-to-face and via phone, in their work environments, and learn how they may need to adapt their styles. Participants are educated in the styles of communication to adapt their own styles to better communicate. Individual strengths and developmental techniques to help each participant create his or her own unique style of effective communication are analyzed. Participants also learn successful techniques for meetings.

Styles and Dimensions of Leadership - The Leadership Webinar guides participants toward becoming effective situation leaders who meet firm, staff and partner, and individual expectations. Characteristics of an effective leader are highlighted throughout the webinar. The webinar enables the participants to identify their own leadership styles and the different maturity levels and work habits of followers. The participants learn to develop potentials within themselves and followers.

Building a Learning Culture in Your Firm - With the tremendous number of Baby Boomers who will retire in the next decade, preparing your people to lead the firm is critical to your success, and investing in learning and development programs while developing a learning culture will help you do so. Creating an environment of continuous learning involves more than skills development and technical training investment; it requires the identification and investment in developing the skills and behaviors required to succeed.

Succession Planning and Valuing the Smaller Accounting Firm - How do you value the accounting firm of 4 partners or less? When should you start to plan your succession? What are the alternative deal structures? How do you choose your successor and transition the relationships to your successor firm? What do I charge my partners for my share of the firm?

Succession Planning, Buying and Merging Larger Accounting Firms - This session will review how larger accounting firms (5 partners and larger) are being valued in 2010, both for external sales and for buying out partners. The different types of mergers going on and how issues of governance, compensation and equity are being addressed.

Balanced Scorecard - It Can Work in Your Firm - Many firms confront the mystery of clarifying staff responsibility and the means for achieving staff accountability. In this session the solution is revealed with a proven approach to measuring and rewarding performance at all levels of a firm. Learn the theory behind the Balanced Scorecard and how to use the proper tools to implement the system in your firm.

Improving Practice Efficiency - This session will examine the business case for implementing workflow technology, discuss its place among other paperless technology initiatives, and review the competing and complementary approaches to workflow by technology providers to help you evaluate the approach that best suits the goals of your firm.

Growing Better, Not Just Bigger - Growth for growth\'s sake is an undisciplined growth. Manifestations include chasing everything that comes along, doing everything for everybody, and wasting time and money on initiatives with little incremental return. This program covers the principles of growing efficiently and effectively, ending up with the best and most profitable clients, utilizing resources wisely, and achieving market shares which are the envy of competitors.

Benchmarking the Firm's Operations - CPA firms tap into roughly 1/3 of their profit potential. Benchmarking your firm\'s financial and operating performance is a great way to exploit the untapped 2/3. In today\'s trying economic climate, firms are taking an even deeper look into indentifying ways to increase profitability. This session highlights the results of the 2010 Rosenberg MAP Survey (which will be hot off the presses!)

Understanding the Business of Accounting - A course to educate accounting practitioners, marketers, administrators, and support staff on the accounting firm as a business; on understanding its principal drivers; and on understanding their roles in contributing to the realization of the firm's vision, strategies, and objectives.

IT Vision and Strategy—An Accelerator for Firm Growth - Gary Boomer will provide an insider\'s view of how firms are leveraging technology to reduce costs and grow their firms -- both organically and through acquisitions. Planning, people and process are key ingredients and technology is the accelerator.

Performance Management: Managing Accountability for Great Performance - No matter the generation and no matter what position held every team member in the firm is hungry for meaningful feedback from leadership. The challenge is gathering the right data, storing it in an efficient system and holding a performance interview that is honest and motivational. In this session we will walk through the step by step process for building a system that will be truly valuable for your firm.

Critical Skills Every Manager Must Develop - When you are responsible for the management of people, planning and processes within the firm, it is imperative that you understand how to manage well. Once we have identified the 5 fundamental truths that every firm manager must know, we will clarify the core skills needed by every manager and then develop your personal action plan for progress.

Being a Leader Regardless of Your Role - No matter what position you hold in your firm, your ability to lead will determine the extent of your success. Leadership skills enable you to guide clients effectively, get team members and firm leadership to buy in to your ideas, and develop the respect and reputation you need to get ahead.

Conducting Powerful Presentations - Presenting your ideas with power and persuasion is a critical leadership skill and is both an art and a science. Attend this session and explore a methodology and the nuances of developing and delivering powerful presentations tailored for your audience.

Sell Without Selling - In this webinar series, Rick will take you step-by-step through his renowned \'Sell Without Selling\' process, sharing the secrets that make it work so well. By the end of the series, you will be able to apply this process to any sales situation.

Effectively Giving Performance Feedback - How to set up a system of continuous feedback as an alternative to a performance evaluation system.

Cross-Selling Accounting Services - Learn how to discuss additional firm services with clients in a comfortable and natural way, without nay selling. Whether or not clients engage, they will appreciate your proactive approach and the value this conversation will have.

What is Your Firm's Lifetime Value to its Clients? - We\'ve been taught for two decades to compute the lifetime value of a client. But what about the firm\'s lifetime value to its clients? Many firms report less than desirable results from their cross-selling initiatives. Is this because we are trying to sell what we offer, rather than what clients want and need? This program will offer proven strategies on implementing a unique Value Proposition that enables firms to increase their lifetime value to clients, thereby earning more loyalty and profitability.

Mentoring for Better Performance and Retention - This course blends two of the most important challenges facing every firm; developing a plan for the future and having the talent to implement it. We will discuss a process to develop the talent in your firm through mentoring.

The CPA as Advisor to Business Managers in Uncertain Times - Tough and uncertain economic times present amazing opportunities for business managers to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. In this webinar we will explore exactly what uncertainty is and precisely what gives rise to opportunity for those who are willing to see and use it to their advantage.

Strategies to Implementing a Wealth Management Business - Provide a practical understanding of various wealth management models and solutions utilized by the most successful tax & investment practices. You will learn the details of our wealth management system which is designed around investment consulting, advanced planning and relationship management. Our goal is to help clients achieve all that is important to them by utilizing best practices to be sure we are delivering a unique yet consistent experience to each client.

Value Pricing as a Business Model - Learn to price on client-perceived value, not time. Communicate better with clients, discover their expectations up-front, remove surprises from their invoices, involve them in setting the scope and value of your work, speed collections, and increase profits. This program is not just about pricing. It is about a business model change--from selling time to selling intellectual capital, the chief source of wealth.

Delivering Great Client Service - Learn why firms fail to make client service a high priority. Discover the basics of great client service. Find the missing tools to accelerate client service in your firm. Document a plan to make client service the hallmark of how you do business.

Understanding What Your Partnership Agreement Should Include - Partnership agreements need to speak to succession, compensation and governance. But they also need to address demergers and the many road bumps the path has. How do you admit new partners; buyout partners, establishing criterion for success.

Partner Retirement & Buyout Plans - With the unprecedented number of partners retiring due to the aging Baby Boomer generation, accounting firms are paying a lot more attention to their partner retirement/buy-out plans. In recent years there have been significant changes in practices in this area. Because many firms\' partner agreements have not been updated for 10 years or more, they are out of touch with current practices. Marc will share current practices and trends in designing partner retirement plans.

Partner Compensation Methods - The Best and the Worst - There are 11 different partner compensation systems. We will define them, examine why firms adopt one over the other and expose strengths and weaknesses of each. We will also discuss new trends, how the top 50 firms allocate income, how performance criteria link to partner compensation, and more.

Partner Unity and Accountability - This session will walk you through a proven process to develop unity and accountability. Included are: why firm mission values and principles are critical, developing a culture of accountability, the role of trust, and tying compensation to accountability and unity. An online survey will allow you to determine your level of accountability.

Family Business Consulting: Creating Synergy Between the "Family Strategy" and the Business Strategy" - Family business planning has traditionally centered on two issues -- estate planning and succession. These goals are far too limited for today\'s family firms. Business families want to turn the business not only into a tool for profit but one for self-expression, innovation and legacy. The parallel planning process explains how to integrate the needs and expectations of the family and business systems in order to create an organic and entrepreneurial unit.

Family Business Consulting: Managing Capital and Liquidity in a Risky World - In this presentation we will discuss how each stage impacts the family, the owners and the management and how to navigate those waters, make necessary changes and involve the three systems in a \'new architecture\' that each generation can use to continue to make the family business successful and sustainable.

Succession Planning for Small to Mid Size Firms - Many firms either lack a good succession plan, or have an outdated one. Be proactive and learn to develop a plan that will ensure your firm\'s success long after you\'ve gone. Discuss key questions and decisions and understand how to ensure a smooth transition to the next generation. Look at actual situations.

Developing Women's Leadership and Executive Presence in the Accounting World - Discussion includes: What is holding women back? How can women attain credibility? How can they improve their self-confidence? Networking for women. Becoming leaders. How can women be better business developers? Initiatives by accounting firms for developing women. Men mentoring women. How can men better understand and help women in their CPA roles?

Engagement Letters - More Communication, Less Liability - Learn how to write engagement letters for both attest and non-attest engagements and enhance client relationships and communications with clients as well as other known and unknown users.

Understanding Malpractice Insurance Policies - Types of policies. What and who is and is not covered. When and how to make claims. How to communicate to your client when you have made a mistake. Policyholder and insurer responsibilities. And more.

Audit Failures -- Case Studies and Remedies - This program will review case histories of audit failures in detecting financial statement fraud and employee embezzlement. The circumstances detectable but undetected in each audit will be identified and lessons will be drawn from the experiences of capable auditors who missed significant cues.

Energy Policy Tax Incentives - The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) created a new tax incentive for constructing energy efficient commercial buildings. Section 1331, the Commercial Building Tax Deduction, establishes a tax deduction for expenses related to the design and installation of energy efficient commercial building systems. Discussion will be on the EPAct, how to identify qualifying client properties, and how to introduce Energy Efficiency Studies to clients and prospective clients.

Cost Segregation Analysis - Cost segregation is one of the most valuable tax planning strategies available to commercial real estate owners. In addition to benefiting your clients, offering cost segregation creates value for your firm by attracting new clients and increasing loyalty among your existing ones.