How to Become a Trusted Advisor

Source: Flowtivity

In this blog entry, Dustin Hostetler shares his experience presenting to manufacturing-focused CPAs at the MSA (CPA Manufacturing Services Association) conference. Hostetler was pleased to discover that the CPAs in attendance were willing and able to grasp the value of offering their manufacturing clients a broader spectrum of business services, rather than being satisfied with meeting minimum compliance requirements. They truly understood the concept of becoming trusted advisors to their clients.

Hostetler encouraged attendees to set themselves apart by gaining a greater understanding of their clients' industries and the issues they face in order to genuinely offer those clients additional value and guidance -- not just more hours of service.

Hostetler challenges his CPA readers to consider how they can raise the level of service they offer their own clients. He utilizes "lean" concepts to help CPAs guide their clients toward more successful business and, in the process, make themselves trusted advisors. Hostetler says CPAs should ask themselves how they can apply lean thinking to help clients become more efficient, offer better and faster customer service, improve working relationships with suppliers, strengthen their own workers, and edge out the competition.

For the complete blog entry, read "Are You A Trusted Advisor to Your Clients?"

From Flowtivity, the blog of Dustin Hostetler, October 26, 2012, http://flowtivity.com.