Blog Archives
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Sage Brand Discussed at Thought-Leader Summit
By Scott Cytron, ABC; President, Cytron and Co. - Monday January 11, 2010Last week, I was very fortunate to be one of about 20 professionals who were invited to part of a Thought-Leader Summit in Las Vegas. Most of us in the room provide information to the accounting marketplace through content, social media or consulting services. Sage sponsored the meeting because it wanted feedback and advice on how to effectively reach out to the accounting profession - but what I think the company really wanted to validation on its brand. A few of us in the room who work in public relations and marketing realized this right away. The consensus was that Sage needed to simplify its brand by focusing on core messages about its products to the accounting profession. With so many brands (MIP, Peachtree, MAS and several new... -
Unlicensed Tax Preparers to Face Changes, Registration
By Isaac M. O'Bannon, Editor - Sunday January 10, 2010The IRS announced last week that, starting with next year's filing season (TY 2010), all paid tax preparers who are not already recognized by the IRS will have to follow new guidelines. The proposal essentially creates a new category of professional preparer (acronym as yet unknown) who will be required to register, receive a preparer ID, take a competency test, take CPE courses and follow ethical guidelines. The changes will not apply to credentialed CPAs, EAs and tax attorneys who already have recognition with the agency. You can read more about the changes and specific details at www.cpata.com/go/2709. As the leading technology information resource for the professional tax and accounting community, The CPA... -
Small Business Tech Tips
By Isaac M. O'Bannon, Editor - Monday December 14, 2009We've got a great webcast tomorrow (Tuesday, 12/15 at 2pm ET). Darren Root and I will discuss several technology concepts and tips for small businesses - not just professional accountants, but their clients, too. Plus, 2-hours of free CPE! Register at http://www.cpata.com/webcast_tw. Intuit has also put out a Top 10 List of technology-focused small business resolutions: 1: Spruce up your website… or get one. 2: Get to know your dollars and cents 3: Become your customers’ best friend 4: SEO your Web site. Huh? 5: Never say no to getting paid You can see the rest and extended info on them at http://bit.ly/8IGxkN. Remember our webcast tomorrow- Free CPE and we will give away a free BlackBerry to one of the webcast attendees... -
5 Small Biz Trends for 2010: Offline Mining, Cloud Computing Stand Out
By Scott Cytron, ABC; President, Cytron and Co. - Wednesday December 9, 2009I've recently began following the teachings of John Jantsch and Duct Tape Marketing, his take on best practices in marketing and sales. I like the way he presents information for small businesses; it's practical, less costly in technique than other marketing gurus, and kind of fun. My eye was drawn this morning to an American Express Open Forum story authored by Jantsch on Five Small Business Trends for 2010. LIke many readers of the CPATechViews blog, I, too, own a small business and am constantly searching for ways of doing business that will help me stand apart from my competition. Although all five are noteworthy, two of his predictions have direct parallels to accounting: #4 - Kitchen Sink on a Cloud, and #5 - Fusion Boosts... -
Viral Networking Works - Try it!
By Scott Cytron, ABC; President, Cytron and Co. - Wednesday December 2, 2009This morning, I met with a transplant from Houston who just joined an IT organization; we were networked through a mutual friend and associate who thought we would be able to exchange some great referrals. Turns out that was exactly the case - but the meeting also reminded me that the person you meet or network with isn't necessarily the person who can most help you; it's who he or she knows, and even friends of these second-tier referrals who might help the most. It's known as "viral networking" and is very effective. Instead of seeking help from the individual you are meeting with at the time, ask the person for other referrals in his or her network. Remember the old adage - it's not what you know, it's "who" you know! What are some of... -
Thanks for the Giving - Community Relations Works
By Scott Cytron, ABC; President, Cytron and Co. - Monday November 23, 2009It's Thanksgiving Week, a time when we gather together to give thanks for what we have. This is a critical time of the year for many nonprofits and agencies who rely on year-end donations to survive. While donations are great - and many accounting firms will want to support their local nonprofits with donations - marketing professionals in CPA firms know the secret to a solid community relations program is to do more than just support a charity effort through a corporate contribution. Sure, that helps the less fortunate or a social service agency, but what does it do for the accounting firm? Not much, other than a 6 pt-type mention in the agency's annual report. Don't get me wrong. A "philanthropic" firm is great. I wish firms gave... -
Congrats to this year's Awesome Add-ons for QuickBooks
By Isaac M. O'Bannon, Editor - Tuesday November 10, 2009The Sleeter Group will be announcing the 2010 winners of the "Awesome Add-ons for QuickBooks" honors this afternoon in Orlando, but he's given us a heads-up on this year's winners. So congratulations to the following tech companies who are doing a great job of providing small businesses with additional tools and features specific to their industry. More on the 2010 Awesome Add-ons for QuickBooks is at: www.cpata.com/go/2692 2010 Awesome Add-on for QuickBooks Winners: Alocet Incorporated, for Method Integration, a web-based platform for QuickBooks that allows users to create customized, online business management systems with real-time syncing to their QuickBooks data. MethodIntegration.com ExpenseWatch.com, for its... -
AICPA Announces 2009 Top Technology Initiatives
By Isaac M. O'Bannon, Editor - Friday November 6, 2009Speaking at the 29th Annual Thomson Reuters Users' Conference for Professional Tax Accounting Firms, Roman Kepczyk, CPA.CITP, announced the AICPA's 2009 Top Technology Initiatives. The conference was held November 4-7 at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando, Florida. Kepczyk is a member of the AICPA's Special Committee on Enhanced Business Reporting and a prior chairman of the AICPA's Information Technology Executive Committee. The list is the result of the organization's annual Top Technology Initiatives survey, which helps identify significant issues likely to pose challenges or that deserve special focus by practitioners. The AICPA's 2009 Top Technology Initiatives are: 1. Information Security Management 2. Privacy Management 3. Secure... -
How Balloon Boy is Like Marketing an Accounting Firm
By Scott Cytron, ABC; President, Cytron and Co. - Wednesday October 21, 2009Following up on my posting, "How is Susan Boyle Like an Accounting Firm?," we entered the Ripley's realm of Reality TV once again during last week's Balloon Boy hoax. This got my mind to make parallels on how pop culture is similar to marketing an accounting firm ... OK - bear with me on this one. Putting aside the fact that the Balloon Boy family committed all kinds of crimes (and this one blogger hopes they'll be dutifully charged for them), the stunt attracted more attention than Dancing With the Stars, Survivor and all other televised events combined. Why? It not only made for good TV - it provided a fascinating view into the horrors of a small child floating in air in a device that could seemingly crash and burn at any... -
Death by Premium Text Messages
By Dave McClure, Contributing Writer/Columnist - Thursday October 15, 2009I do a lot of writing for the accounting community -- blog postings, "Tech2Go" podcasts, a monthly column, reviews and epiphanies. And I make it a point not to talk about the same topic in any two, just to keep the ideas flowing and my columns fresh. This is an exception. I was shocked last month to discover that one of my kids on the "Family Plan" had managed to rack up $1,100 in cell phone charges in just a few weeks. Since it is not possible to talk that much, even for young people, I investigated and found the culprit was something called "Premium" text messages. Sure, I have unlimited text messaging on all our phones. But these services are not covered by that fee. Instead, these "Premium" services charge $1 to $2 per...
