You CAN Pick Our Brain

Over the years, I have studied "accounting marketing"; there is even an association dedicated to this trade. Each year we get together for a conference and share ideas and talents with one another. Having just returned from this year's conference, I brushed up on my blog reading. Michelle Golden is an expert on professional services marketing. I value her insights and opinion. Recently she wrote a blog "Should You Let People Pick Your Brain for Free?" critiquing an article she read in Forbes. You can find the blog and article here.

I agree there is a fine line that many do not want to cross, however as trusted business advisors we enjoy brainstorming with clients and potential clients to help them improve their bottom line. We demonstrate our expertise this way and are rewarded with new work for our efforts. Does your CPA allow you to pick their brain for free from time to time? How do you handle this with your own clients? Where is your line? It's a hot topic and I would love to hear your thoughts. Email me at rplankey@smecpa.com. I'll post the anonymous results to SME CPAs Facebook page. Better go on and "LIKE" us!

Summertime equals vacation time!   Everyone needs a break to relax and recharge; but before you leave, you might want to take a few minutes to prepare your PC. Microsoft offers the following suggestions.

1. Decline or cancel any meetings that are scheduled while you are gone.
2. Block off time in your calendar so co-workers will know that you are away. This way, they will see you are not available and won't schedule meetings with you.
3. Update your voice mail greeting to let people know you are going to be out of the office for an extended amount of time. Provide the name of the person to contact for immediate assistance and let people know when you plan to return.
4. Turn on Automatic Replies (Out of Office). This is an option in Outlook which allows you to set an automated reply to messages sent to you while you are away. In the reply, let people know who to contact while you are away from the office and when you will return.
5. Make sure your mailbox doesn't exceed size limits. Use the Mailbox Cleanup Tool in Outlook to check and manage the size of your mailbox.
6. Keep your password from expiring. Your IT department may limit how long with password will be valid before you need to change it. If your vacation will overlap with the scheduled password change, go ahead and change it before you leave so it won't expire while you are gone.
7. Check in work files. If you use software that requires you to check out documents in order to work on them, make sure that you check all files back in prior to leaving so they will be available if others in the office need to work on them.

Now, pack your bags and go have fun knowing that your computer is as ready for your vacation as you are.