ProConnection® Newsletter | June 2006 | Vol. V, No. 6  |
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Score Better with Clients
The Most Important Question. Intuit's Steve Blundell, CPA, tells why asking the right question to identify your Net Promoter Score is the one best thing you can do to grow your practice.
For You: Steve provides sample survey language and client letters you can use to support the effort.
Dealing with an Employee's Mistake
If one of your employees makes a mistake, how can you salvage the client, the employee, and the day? Sandi Smith, CPA, provides tips on what to do when an employee makes a really big mistake.
Sandi maps out three steps to help you deal with the problem, minimize fear, and retain the clients' trust.
When Fraud Knocks on Your Door
Why the Audit Trail Is So Important. Victoria Marechal, Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor® shares how she approaches fraud cases and what you can do to help your clients fend off this small business peril.
For You: A client handout on avoiding fraud that you can personalize as needed.
New Tax Increase Prevention Act
Premium Content. You probably saw that President Bush signed the new law into effect, extending previous tax cuts. But less-publicized new provisions can affect some of your clients. Tax specialists Terry Myers and Dee DeScherer explain the provisions that haven't been covered in the media.
For You: A client letter you can modify as needed. More
Rootkits: One Tough Security Challenge
The Biggest Security Threat Yet? From The Norwich Group, Anne Stanton helps unravel one of the meaner threats out there, rootkits -- which are worse than viruses and harder to detect. PREMIUM CONTENT.
For You: Her list of defensive steps you can send to your clients.
Use PR for Free Advertising:
How to Get Started
The whirlwind behind Duct Tape Marketing, John Jantsch, shows you how to do more for less in promoting your firm. Here is his tip on creating press releases for free publicity.
BONUS: John shares his list of idea starters so you can discover all of the potential opportunities in your firm.
Latest QuickBooks Tip from CPA911
Using Hidden Accounts. Ever wanted to hide the Draw or Miscellaneous Expenses or other account to avoid misuse or errors? Kathy Ivens from www.CPA911.com shows you how to use inactive accounts to achieve this result.
Your Best Tips in June
Here are helpful tips from your fellow bookkeepers, accountants, tax preparers, and other practitioners in June:
- Multiple Checks, One Vendor
- Changing CAPITALIZATION in QuickBooks Files
- Creating a Company Shell for New Users
- Tips on Pricing Your Services
- Help Protect Clients from Identity Theft
Send Us Your Best Tip. We want to hear from you.
QuickBooks 2006:
Release 7 (R7) Auto Update Now Available
Release 7 was recently enabled on the Intuit site for both auto update and manual download. The new release, R7, enables QuickBooks Time Tracker (see related story).
The update also addresses issues that affect performance. Look for improvements in
See the release notes here.
QuickBooks Merchant Service
Now for the Web, Too
Have clients eager to set up a Web store? Investigate QuickBooks Merchant Service for the Web. Intuit has identified some major Web store companies whose Web sites integrate easily with the QuickBooks Merchant payment processing service.
Stores Already Enabled. Included to date are GoDaddy, Homestead, ProStores on Ebay, and Website Pros, with more to follow.
See an overview of individual stores and their capabilities here.
NEW QuickBooks Enterprise Solution Provider Program
Pilot open to Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors. Announced at the recent QuickBooks Enterprise User Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, this new program provides a network of QuickBooks Enterprise Solution Providers who offer the personalized and professional services growing businesses need.
Industry press recognized the concept of providing value-add partners to help mid-market customers find, implement, and optimize their use with the right business management solution. (See CRN Tech Builder, SmallBizTechnology, or WebCPA.
QuickBooks Time Tracker Now Live
Once QuickBooks 2006 is updated to Release 7 (see related story), users can check out QuickBooks Time Tracker. This new Web-based time tracking service is designed to help you and your clients save time, reduce timesheet hassles and avoid errors caused when users manually re-enter timesheet information into QuickBooks.
It’s easy to get started and simple to use. Employees or contractors enter timesheets online and you or your clients download them into QuickBooks in one click. Email reminders can be set up to automatically alert employees or contractors when timesheets are due.
Trials at No Charge. For a limited time, users of QuickBooks Pro and Premier 2006, or Enterprise 6.0, can try the time-tracking software for 60 days at no additional charge. More
Learn More about QuickBooks at Intuit Academy, Other Shows
Make Plans Now for August or November. The popular Intuit Academy offers introductory and high-level courses for accounting professionals, typically with CPE credits available.
The 2005 Sleeter event sold out early; register soon to secure a spot.
More Opportunities with The Sleeter Group. The Sleeter Group hosts several one-day events planned Nov. 10 in Las Vegas:
Training Session in July
August thru November
Look for us at these other tradeshows, most of which include training events.
Keep track of upcoming trade shows here.
Small Business Computing Welcomes QuickBooks Easy Estimate
"QuickBooks Easy Estimate is an entry-level estimating program designed to help construction contractors create professional estimates quickly," writes Lauren Simonds of Small Business Computing. "The theory is that polished, professional proposals will net more jobs and thus grow the business." Lauren writes that the product won't just manage an existing business but actually "help it grow."
William English: Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, Certified QuickBooks POS ProAdvisor
How to Stand Out. Differentiation and specialized knowledge can go a long way in building your practice. That’s the lesson William English says he learned early in his career. Find out how he's used the strategy twice now, to build a one-person practice into a growing, multi-person firm in San Diego, California.
Will now specializes in serving the retail market with QuickBooks Point of Sale, and he gets new business by way of the Certified QuickBooks Referral Database and his own Web site.
Keeping You in Charge
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STAFF
Brandon Wilson, Publisher
Bill Teague, Managing Editor
Matt Gisonno, Web Production
COMING IN JULY: RETAIL EXPRESS LANE
Our special issue on the retail niche will come with unique insights from your colleagues on how to make inroads into this industry segment. Note: Our special issue on Flexibility Everywhere is being rescheduled for later this year, with more options for working with clients, by Remote Access from WebEx, file transfers, and more.
DID YOU KNOW? NOTICE: DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY
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