Our Top Seven Ideas for Accounting and Financial Services The author discusses findings from a Hinge Research Institute (HRI) conducted with 523 professional services firms regarding why firms do not get more referrals. One interesting finding was why firms do not get more referrals. HRI found that in 72% of cases, the answer is simple: no one asked them. HRI also learned that 81.5% of service providers hav ...

and Why It Matters! Referral marketing has dramatically evolved over recent years and, if your firm has not adopted new tactics and strategies, you may be leaving significant business on the table. In this post, Dr. Frederiksen shares some of Hinge Marketing’s thinking about how referral marketing has changed. In the coming months, Dr. Frederiksen will continue exploring this topic, looking first at the pro ...

Top 5 Business Challenges The author discusses the top five business challenges identified by professional accounting and financial services firms, and proposes ways professionals can readily address those issues. ...

Tips for Marketing Your Skills and Services Whether you are just starting your career, considering going out on your own, or expanding your business, there are three steps that will make your journey easier: conduct a self-assessment, develop a business plan, and design a marketing strategy. Sounds simple enough, but most businesses fail within the first year simply because people skip one or more of these ...

Perform a File Autopsy! We live and die in/by our engagements. Bet you never thought of it that way. But really, tell me life isn’t just peachy when you’re working on a fun/interesting/profitable case. And that life doesn’t just suck when you’re not. Wouldn’t it be nice to have more peaches? In this article, Rod Burkert shares his After Action Review process that enables practitioners to (re)focus on cases ...

For Accounting and Financial Services Firms In this article, Hinge presents its newest study of how professional services firms go to market—and for accounting and financial services firms, there is good news…and some not-so-good news. ...

And How to Create one The author discusses why one needs an elevator speech and how to prepare the elevator speech. If you have such a speech, how is that working? ...

Remaster the Employee Mindset The author discusses ways to engage staff and develop the inner-entrepreneurial spirit. ...

Refocus and Prioritize The author contends that almost every business owner or manager is an absentee owner or manager, regardless the amount of time they spend at their business. ...

What it is, How it Can Help You, How to Get Started The author discusses the purpose and value of signature content. ...

The Business Valuation Bench Book by William J. Morrison and Jay E. Fishman In this article, Ed Mendlowitz provides readers a review of William J. Morrison and Jay E. Fishman’s The Business Valuation Bench Book; a book geared to judges. ...

To Market When You’re Busy Marketing requires a continuous effort and presence. In this article, the author shares a marketing alternative that appraisal practitioners should pursue when they are unable to network in person. ...

In Closing New Business Deals Client education can have a huge impact in accounting and professional service firms’ content marketing efforts. By providing prospects with increasingly valuable pieces of educational content, you can not only attract them to your firm, but also nurture them as they move into and through your sales funnel. ...

Research Says “No” In any business sector, one of the biggest challenges is to differentiate oneself. For a variety of reasons, this is especially difficult in the accounting and valuation and appraisal field, where many firms struggle to find ways to stand out. In fact, most firms end up making essentially the same claims about what makes them different. In this article, Dr. Frederiksen discusses his findi ...

What’s Yours? Valuation professionals are a conservative lot that resist change. The author of this article embarked in a change that has transformed him and his practice. Upon reflection, he shares the lesson he learned is that “feeling afraid is my next level of growth coming to get me”. In this article, he encourages readers to take a chance, change, and take control of their lives since life is too shor ...

Five Measures Leadership Should Consider to Address Vilification Is there room to negotiate with workplace dictators? In this article, the author discusses how to approach seemingly impossible workplace conflicts. The aim of every organization should be to provide a workplace where respect enables staff and key employees to serve customers, and the mission and vision are realized. ...

Know What You are Doing Creating or renovating a firm’s website is often a major undertaking. Because years can pass before a website is redone, it is easy to overlook key steps or strategies—and to underestimate the amount of time and effort it will require. ...

Should You? In this article, Dr. Frederiksen discusses why firms are outsourcing and answers five questions regarding when it makes sense to outsource this service. ...

NACVA Member Survey Findings on Employee Recruitment and Retention Hinge Marketing recently completed a NACVA member survey. In this survey, Dr. Frederiksen learned that NACVA members sought to improve recruiting and retention in their firms. These were the two highest. In addition, gathering insights about how firms approach these challenges, we also asked employee-candidates how they search for and evalua ...

Creating Visibility and Personal Brand Recognition In this article, Dr. Frederiksen provides seven branding tips for aspiring experts. ...