Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can Build Your Firm (BYF) help me generate more leads for my accounting practice?
A: Absolutely. We advocate and teach accounting firms how to use a systematic approach for marketing to small businesses. Our systematic approach uses a diversified marketing approach so your practice is not overly reliant on one method and will deliver a steady flow of leads. For example, BYF’s lead generation system is not solely reliant on telemarketing for lead generation.

Q: How is your program different from others on the market?
A: Our program is very different. • Instruction from a CPA practitioner • Diversified marketing system, not cold call telemarketing • Rain making instruction – you don’t have to hire a salesperson • Higher hourly fees, thus resulting in a more profitable practice Our program will provide you with a “diversified” marketing program that features direct mail, telemarketing, internet marketing, and referral marketing. Other programs on the market are primarily “cold call” telemarketing based. Second, our program will teach you how to improve the profitability of your practice and secure hourly rates above $250 per hour. This is achieved by improving the efficiency of your firm and more than doubling your hourly billable rate. Other programs are strictly write-up focused, which does not deliver an attractive profit margin. For example, our President’s CPA firm, Ratafia & Company, has over 350 business clients that are managed by a firm of 3 1/2 people. Because they are so efficient, they are not open on Saturday’s or Sunday’s, not even during tax season, and they are realizing over $300 per hour for accounting work. In a nutshell, you will find our Accounting Marketing program to be broader in scope and cutting edge.

Q: What marketing programs and services do you offer for accountants?
A: Build Your Firm (BYF) provides a variety of services to help small accounting firms acquire more clients, operate more efficiently and improve firm profitability. Some services are a la carte, others are provided for the do-it-yourselfer, and the Quarter Million Dollar Program is a comprehensive practice development program. Accounting Marketing Workshop – A live one day workshop focused on practice marketing, pricing and selling. Instruction is provided by an accounting practitioner. Website Development and Internet Marketing – We develop websites around your practice. We write the content for you and walk you thru the process. Our websites are search engine optimized and we manage pay-per-click advertising campaigns so you acquire new business from the internet. Quarter Million Dollar Program ($250,000+) – A comprehensive practice development program for practitioners that want to acquire $300,000 - $500,000 of new business over three years. BYF provides the instruction, coaching and manages the lead generation for your practice. Practice Management Program (coming soon) – For established practitioners that want to operate the practice more efficiently, realize higher hourly fees, and transition their practice from a job into a business.

Q: Does your program work best for new or established firms?
A: Our program works well for both new and established firms. The age of the practice does not matter.

Q: Will your program work in my market?
A: Absolutely. Our marketing system is working for accountants from Alaska to Florida, Puerto Rico to Canada. Large cities and rural areas. And yes, we also get requests from Australia and New Zealand. Our marketing platform uses tried and true marketing principles that will work in your area. These principles will work for accounting firms operating a practice in a bedroom community to major metropolitan areas. Our program is provided in plain English and not bi-lingual. If you need to provide bi-lingual marketing, you will need to augment the secondary language locally.

Q: What types of firms does BYF work with?
A: Most of the firms that we work with are small accounting firms generating less than $2 million in fees. Many tend to be sole practitioners that want to acquire more small business clients. Some are multiple partners. Very few have more than five partners. Our program works very well for new and existing firms. Occasionally, we work with professional service firms that focus primarily on another service and accounting is a secondary service but a nice source of new clients. These other professional service firms range from insurance to financial planning and legal services.

Q: Why should I attend a workshop to learn about marketing and sales?
A: Nearly all of us would like to use marketing more effectively for lead generation and improve our rain making skills. Whether you have an established practice that wants to acquire a steady flow of new business clients, or are brand new, our marketing system will help you acquire new business clients with less effort. BYF’s marketing system is broader in scope than other programs on the market and is taught by an accounting practitioner that has used this system to develop his own successful practice. If you are serious about developing your practice and would like to learn from industry experts, the BYF Accounting Marketing Workshop is well worth your time and investment. In fact, the program provides 10 CPE credits and comes with two money back guarantees.

Q: What will I learn at BYF’s Accounting Marketing workshop?
A: At our Accounting Marketing Workshop, you will learn how to use marketing more effectively for lead generation and how to acquire new business clients with ease, and at higher fees. Here’s some of the things you will learn: • How to use a marketing system for lead generation and client acquisition • How to market your services using the internet, direct mail, telemarketing and referral marketing for lead generation • How to generate higher pricing for your services and close with ease • How to overcome common objections when you meet with prospective clients

Q: Can I really acquire new business clients from the internet?
A: Absolutely. And it’s easy if you know how to capitalize on the internet to acquire new clients. Our program will instruct you on website development techniques that will improve your internet presentation, show you how to draw total strangers to your website, and how to close prospects from the internet. If you are not acquiring new clients from the internet now, you are missing a major opportunity.

Q: Can BYF do the marketing and lead generation for me?
A: For our clients that want to acquire over $250,000 in new business and are accepted into our Quarter Million Dollar Program (QMDP), we do manage the marketing and lead generation for you. However, we can no longer provide these services to the general marketplace.

Q: Should I market my practice or buy an existing practice?
A: Marketing your own firm is far less expensive than buying another practice. In most cases, marketing your own practice will enable you to acquire new clients at 1/3rd to 1/2 of the market price for buying a practice. In addition to being less expensive, in-house marketing will enable you to acquire a better mix of clients and retain them longer. For example, do-it-yourself marketing systems should enable you to acquire new business clients at a cost of 40% to 60% of your annual fee realization. If you acquire an existing practice, the acquisition cost is 125% of the annual fees. In our opinion, ALL business owners should know how to market their own services ongoing and view it as an integral part of owning a business.

Q: Does BYF guarantee the program results?
A: Yes, we provide two money back guarantees with our Accounting Marketing Workshop. The first guarantee enables you to audit half the program and if you are not satisfied, for any reason, we will refund your fee. The second guarantee ensures that you will acquire at least $40,000 in new business within one year if you follow our system, or your money back. For our Quarter Million Dollar Program, we guarantee that you will acquire over $250,000 in three years.

Q: Do I get CPE credit with your program?
A: Yes, our Accounting Marketing Workshop provides you with 10 CPE credits. Build Your Firm is a NASBA approved provider of CPE credits.

Q: Can Build Your Firm teach me how to operate the practice more efficiently so we can improve our profit margins?
A: Yes. BYF is in the process of developing a Practice Management program so you can learn how to operate your practice more efficiently. This program will be targeted towards established firms that have at least $200,000 of business. The focus of this program will be to help the practitioner transition the practice from a job into a business, generate higher hourly fee realization, and increase the fee revenues per headcount in the practice. This program will be available after tax season in 2008 and provided in a Home Study format.

Q: Can BYF help me with the pricing of my services and show me how to realize higher fees?
A: Yes. The Accounting Marketing Workshop will cover pricing and show you how to realize higher hourly fees (above $250 per hour without hourly billing).

Q: Can I learn Build Your Firm’s marketing system for accountants without attending a live workshop?
A: Yes. We offer a Home Study Accounting Marketing program. It is a taped version of a live program and provides the same materials as the live program. However, the live program provides a much better learning environment. If you can not attend our live program but want to get started now, many accountants will order the Home Study program now and attend the live program when it is more convenient.

Q: How long has Build Your Firm been operating? Has your program stood the test of time?
A: BYF has been operating since 2003 and we have many successful alumni around the country. So yes, our program has stood the test of time and is on the cutting edge for accounting marketing. The foundation of our program has helped Allan Ratafia develop a million dollar practice, which he started in 1993. Today, Allan oversees his accounting practice and has time to teach 7-8 workshops for Build Your Firm each year. The Chief Marketing Officer for Build Your Firm is Hugh Duffy, who has over twenty years of marketing experience.

Q: Who teaches BYF’s Accounting Practice Marketing Workshop?
A: Build Your Firm’s Accounting Marketing Workshop is instructed by the owners of Build Your Firm, Allan Ratafia and Hugh Duffy. We do not hire professionals to instruct our program. Allan Ratafia is a practicing CPA and licensed financial advisor. He began his career at Price Waterhouse and has a Masters in Taxation. Hugh Duffy is a marketing professional with an MBA in Marketing. The foundation of his background is consumer packaged goods marketing working for companies like Nabisco, Schick, Clorox and Coca-Cola.

Q: How many people attend your live Workshops?
A: Our Accounting Marketing Workshops are attended by 15-30 professionals at each session.

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