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Maximum Impact - Leadership that Inspires
Friday, May 8, 2009
The Old Mill Inn
Toronto
Imagine joining 60,000 attendees in 500 satellite locations throughout North America with a single vision:
Inspiring Change
Featuring 10 speakers, including Tony Blair, former Prime Minister, UK, Al Weiss, President of Worldwide Operations, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Dr. John C Maxwell, author and speaker.
This seminar is open only to 2020 members along with their invited key clients with limited space available.
Details will follow in February
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We have talked about portal services in the past and we at 2020 Canada have tried several of the services available. We have been using Sharefile, a portal service that stands out due to its interface and high level of service and support - a winner of the 2008 Webware award from CNET.
When you require fast, professional,
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- Place a ShareFile login box on your company web site
- Invite unlimited clients and partners to your secure file sharing site
- The 128-bit encryption protects your valuable data
- ShareFile is up to twice as fast as FTP
For as little as $30/mth for 5GB of storage and unlimited clients, with a free trial period, we recommend that you contact ShareFile and mention that your are with 2020 Canada. |
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2020 International Conference |
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Red Rock Resort and Casino,
Conference Summary
125 Managing Partners and practice leaders converged on Las Vegas on the 8th
& 9th January for a 2 day management symposium led by Jeff Pawlow and
Charles Hylan of the Growth Partnership.
The Management Summit brings
together the best thought leaders in the profession to provide practical advice
on improving firm profitability. 2009 was certainly one of the best received
and 2020 Members were able to take advantage of the management symposium and
networking with fellow Members from around the world.
Click here for the full summary of Speakers and their presentations.
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 The
Canadian Innovator |
Greetings!
We are currently in the process our planning our 2020 Professional Development courses for 2009. There will be more webinars with expanded topic areas, regional seminars, Member's Days and our national conference. The full guide will be on our website shortly and sent out to each of you in May
If there are any specific topics you would like us to include, please let us know as we can find expert speakers on most topics.
One of the themes we will be pursuing this year is Leadership and its importance to your firm, your clients and your relationships. Each month we will have an article about Leadership
One seminar we are excited to be offering happens on May 8, 2009 and it is entitled Maximum Impact - Leadership that Inspires. It is a full day of speakers on leadership including Tony Blair, John Maxwell and Jack Nicklaus. Check out the article and links below.
As always, we have a new inspirational movie for you. This month it is entitled:
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Chris Frederiksen wins
the Everest Award
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At the Management Summit Meeting, Chris Frederiksen, Chairman of the 2020 Group Worldwide, was presented with the 2009 Everest Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Accounting Profession. Last year's Winner was Bob Bunting former Chair of the AICPA.
Congratulations, Chris, on your well-deserved recognition.
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Leadership -
5 Truths Leaders Understand about Problems
- Dr. John C. Maxwell (Leadership Wired)
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In the comic strip, Peanuts, a hapless Charlie Brown occasionally would be
stalked by ominous rainclouds. Although the rest of the sky would shine bright
and blue, poor Chuck would be stuck under a dark cloud, getting doused by its
showers. While his friends and neighbors enjoyed the beauty of the day, a
drenched Charlie Brown would be a scowling onlooker.
The lingering raincloud seemed to suggest Charlie Brown's inability to break
clear from his problems. A melancholy character, he was prone to fits of worry
and self-doubt. He concocted problems where none existed and fretted about those
which were real.
While we do not have to contend with perpetual drizzle like Charlie Brown,
many of us live under the gloomy shadow of self-induced rainclouds. When life's
twists and turns work against us, we retreat into a rotten attitude or heap
blame on our surroundings. By doing so, we neglect to deal with our problems and
only add to our misery.
The 5 Truths about Problems
1. They're unavoidable.
For the aspiring leader, problems may be the most faithful companions of all.
The road to success is seldom paved smoothly, and is oftentimes under
construction. Potholes and barricades abound. At every bend in the journey, a
leader's vision must peer around obstacles and through formidable walls to
foresee a positive future. Leaders who sidestep problems stunt their growth -
they end up shallow and debilitated. The successful leader stares down problems
and resourcefully addresses them.
Fot the complete article, please download the article.
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11 Low Cost Ways to Build
Better Client Relationships in a Recession |
1. Always return phone calls and emails promptly.
- Failure to do this is one of the most
common client complaints and the easiest way to lose a client during a
recession.
2. Change phone and email messages when leaving the office.
- Provide the name of an alternative
contact in your absence and make sure someone can contact you during reasonable
office hours. Have an emergency number available for clients. Share the
rotation for the emergency number amongst fee earners.
3. Provide clients with your contact details
- Include office and mobile numbers and
email addresses for everyone who works on their accounts or tax affairs.
4. Arrange meetings with new clients for partners and fee
earners.
- Find out about their business goals
and the expectations they have about your service. Go and visit new
clients. Make sure you become an OUTBOUND business.
5. Never assume that clients are happy.
- Get regular feedback from all your
current clients. Call them at least monthly and probably twice monthly
during the first half of 2009. Ask "What's important to you right
now?" Keep detailed notes to refer to at the time of the next call.
6. Meet all deadlines.
- If work is late, your clients will
think they are a low priority. Under promise and over deliver on all
jobs. Call clients before, during and at the end of the job to keep them
updated.
7. Become friendly with clients' staff and secretaries.
- These are the 'gatekeepers' and you
will always need their help. Keep their details on your system.
Always ask "How are you doing today?" before asking for your client.
8. Read trade and industry publications.
- Keep up with the industry trends that
affect your top clients. Get both quantitative and qualitative information.
Before you visit clients, do some background research.
9. Keep an eye on your clients' websites for news and changes
that affect their service needs. Also look at their competitors' websites.
10. Introduce contacts to your clients and help them to build
their business network.
11. Offer
free of charge webinars, seminars or meetings to
generate invaluable goodwill. Consider running Focus Groups to help
discuss issues during the downturn. Invite clients to share issues
and ideas.
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Charity Initiative
2009 Tax Season
Accountants Who Care
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The new charity initiative for Accountants in Canada has been formally released and registrations are coming in from across the country.
In this 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 and support to poor entrepreneurs in Third World countries.
Click here for Registration or go to our website to download the registration form plus other material including desktop signage and a local community press release.
For more information please contact Peggy or call 905-891-8546
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Get out there and enjoy our Canadian winter - there's great snow for skiing, sledding, snow-shoeing - anything outdoors. Or, there's always a book by the fireplace.
I am excited about the initiatives we are planning for this year as well as the opportunities to work with more of you throughout 2009.
Sincerely,
Peggy Tyers
2020 Canada
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