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Fixed Price Agreements
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In our experience, we have found that clients place the
highest value on your service before you have performed it and it then declines.
Therefore, you want to make sure that you set the fee for what you are going to
do ahead of time. The Fixed Price Agreement is a document that can be used to
negotiate the fee with the client before you start the work and also allow you to more frequent billing periods. Download Here. |
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2008 PD Brochure is Out!
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| Updated Events
December Webinars
Dec. 2 - Adding Value to Client Work
Dec. 9 - How much do you need to retire?
Dec. 11 - Outsourcing with Xpitax
2020 International Conference
Red Rock Resort and Casino,
Las Vegas, NV
January 7-9, 2009
The 2nd Annual International Conference is being held in conjunction with the Management Summit Group,
the leading professional development conference for
small and midsized practitioners. Year in year out, they put together a
challenging program focusing on solving the key issues our profession faces.
2009 is no exception and their line-up of speakers and agenda items is once
again impressive.
Register Today to take a break to energize your practice before the Winter and Tax Season closes in.
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Technology Tip - 
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MSGTAG (Message Tags) take the
uncertainty out of email by allowing you to deliver messages, instead of just
sending them. MSGTAG is a new desktop application that tells you when your
emails have been received and opened. It works alongside your existing mail
program, sending you an email the moment your message is viewed - just to let
you know. MSGTAG simply lets you know they've got the message. So now you don't
have to wonder, because you'll know.
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We hope to see you online at our webinars or at one of our seminars.
Sincerely,
Peggy Tyers
2020 Canada
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 The
Canadian Innovator |
Greetings!
As promised, the first of our 2020 Group Audio Series has been sent out to each member firm. The title of the first CD is Tough Times Practice Management Part 1 with Chris Frederiksen and Gordon Gilchrist presenting ideas on how to weather the economic storm with your clients. We have also placed the Tough Times Checklist or our website for downloading.
Our webinar series for the fall is coming to a close shortly. Our entire series of webinars will be available in the new year with slides, audio presentation and discussion with the participants. These will be available through the Products section of our website.
As always, we have a new inspirational movie for you. This month it is entitled:
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Charity Initiative
2009 Tax Season
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At the 2020 Conference, we launched a new charity initiative for Accountants in Canada. Todd and Carrie Jones of TCJones Chartered Accountants Inc. of Port Williams, Nova Scotia, came to us with this idea early in the summer. Based on a similar organization, Chiropractors with Compassion, (Todd's brother is a member of this organization), TCJones donated $10 for every 2007 tax return prepared in their office and donated $4260 to a local charity.
In our initiative, firms can set up their own contribution per return or a lump sum which will be donated half to a local charity of your choice and the other half to 2020's charity of choice Opportunity International . OI provides micro-financing to poor entrepreneurs in Third World countries.
In the next few weeks we will have all of the information on our website with full details and registration info, the charity established in trust, as well as a complete communication package to advise your clients' about this endeavor. It's a great way to help you stand out from the crowd in your community and help charities.
For more information please contact Peggy or call 905-891-8546
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Leadership -
Difficult Conversations
- Justin Pinkerman (Leadership Wired)
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 If you've ever
had to fire someone, reject a request for a raise, or give a negative
performance review, then you have firsthand knowledge of the stresses
surrounding difficult conversations. These conversations are filled with
tension, tend to be emotional, and threaten to blow up if the wrong words are
chosen. Anticipating the unpleasantness, we are tempted to handle them
indirectly or avoid them altogether. However, as author Holly Weeks writes,
"dodging issues, appeasing difficult people, and ignoring antagonisms is
costly for managers and companies alike." In her article, "Taking the
Stress Out of Stressful Conversations," Ms. Weeks gives instruction on
navigating difficult conversations. Her advice is immensely valuable for
leaders facing tough talks.
KEYS TO NAVIGATING TOUGH TALKS
1) Clarity
In an effort to
soften the blow, some leaders mislead difficult conversations and
unintentionally create confusion. For instance, to avoid seeming overly stern,
a leader may adopt a friendly, non-confrontational tone while attempting to
deliver a sharp and serious message. The mismatch between the leader's posture
and the leader's talking points leaves the listener feeling confused.
2) Neutrality
Difficult
conversations serve as emotional pressure cookers. When personal grudges and
past injuries exist, a tough talk may unleash a torrent of anger and hurt. A
leader must stay neutral and refuse to allow negative emotions to derail a
difficult conversation.
3) Temperance
Avoid escalating
a difficult conversation by moderating the use of extreme language. When
speaking, phrase your ideas with words that convey your intent with respect.
Heed the words of Wendell Johnson: "Always and never are two words you
should always remember never to use."
Fot the complete article along with Preparation Tips, please download the article.
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Here Comes Windows 7!
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The Windows 7 prototype (formerly named Blackcomb or Vienna) is up and running and was shown at a recent
Microsoft developer and hardware conference in Los Angeles.
Unlike its
predecessor Vista, Windows 7 is looking like it's going to arrive quickly with
commercial release due for early 2010 - just three years after Vista's launch.
Vista was delayed by a rewrite to tighten the operating system's
security but it has failed to impress users.
Windows 7 will build on the
fundamental improvements to security, reliability and performance made in
Windows Vista, Microsoft said. The changes to Windows 7 will be much less
profound, so there should be fewer compatibility problems with device drivers
and applications that users experienced with Vista.
The most innovative
element of Windows 7 are touch-sensitive screens. This means users can sweep
their fingers across the screen to move items, or resize them by squeezing their
fingers together on the surface (a Mac element).
Lets hope it's better than Vista!
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