Blog
Clocks Go Back For HMRC
Experts say the problems have been caused with the new tax free allowances for Dividends and savings and how these interact with the zero rate savings band.
This has become such a big issue that HMRC has updated it's list of those who can file paper...
Are you REALLY listening
One thing that really frustrates me, though, is when something simple is suggested and met with the response "No one's ever complained about that before!" I could scream at the TV. Most of us don't really like confrontation. We generally don't complain when we get poor service. We...
At a crossroads: Choosing technology or outsourcing for your practice
Technology is transforming the way that accounting firms do business. The emergence of cloud-based computing, the growth of mobile, and advances in intelligent data management mean that accounting firms have a new set of tools available that can automate and streamline tasks. Industry leaders expect the shift to mobile and cloud-based accounting to not only continue, but to accelerate, and for good reason. The results are in and technology has come up trumps. More than ever, it is essential...
Increase Your Prices
Every bookkeeper knows that from time to time we must increase our prices. So why does this simple but essential task fill us with fear? When I started my bookkeeping practice so terrified was I to increase my prices that I never did it for the first few years. What if all my clients abandoned me at once? What if I wasn't worth the increased price? Looking back on it these fears were irrational but felt so real at the time. By not regularly increasing my prices I was...
My area is really price sensitive
Quite often, when I talk about pricing, bookkeepers tell me “my area is quite price sensitive. I can't charge that much.”
In the last few years I've heard this about Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, Midlands and almost every other part of the UK. I'm never really sure where this idea comes from, but it's demonstrably untrue. Clients are not price sensitive, they're value sensitive.
If we look at the reality of this comment we can see how untrue it is. Go...
Selling is a Rollercoaster
Sometimes the best inspiration comes from somewhere totally different from our profession. By looking at what other sectors do well, we can take their ideas and adapt them to suit our business.
One of the businesses I've been noticing recently that can teach us a lot about pricing is Merlin. Their pricing strategies are amazing and employ every trick in the book.
If you've not heard of Merlin, they are the people who own the attractions like Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and the London Eye.
Want...
Absolute or Relative
As humans, we’re not good at absolutes. We can’t look at a colour and tell the exact hue. We can’t life a bag and say exactly how heavy it is. We can’t hear a sound and tell how loud it is. Our brains are just not programmed to allow us to do that. We are experts at comparisons though. We can see two colours and say which is the most red. We can lift two bags and say easily which is the heaviest. We can hear two sounds and...