You Are the Value

Book description

Learn how to stand out from other CPAs by showing clients that YOU are the value of your CPA firm.

You Are the Value: Define Your Worth, Differentiate Your CPA Firm, Own Your Market provides you with practical strategies to build meaningful and lasting relationships with clients. Written specifically for CPAs, this new book guides you to discover what makes you valuable and different from other CPAs. While exploring the meaning of the word value and how it applies to you and your firm, you will examine the following seven questions about yourself to tap in to your personal value:

  • Who Are You?
  • What Do You Do?
  • Why Do You Do What You Do?
  • How Do You Do What You Do?
  • Who Have You Done It For?
  • What Makes You Different?
  • Why Should I Do Business With You? (Real Value)

Exploring these important questions prepares you to no longer “wing” client meetings, but knowledgably and confidently present yourself to clients in a unique way.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Contents
  5. Introduction
  6. Chapter 1—No More Winging It
    1. Whom Do You Admire?
    2. The Key Behaviors
  7. Chapter 2—Discovering the Value Ladder™
    1. Spelling It Out
    2. The First Step on the Ladder
    3. The Next Logical Steps
    4. A Complete Message
    5. The Virtual File Cabinet™—Custom Answers in a Drawer
  8. Chapter 3—Who Are You?
    1. First and Lasting Impressions
    2. Respond to the Situation
    3. How Do You Rate?
    4. Getting Off to a Strong Start
      1. Professional Considerations
      2. Personal Considerations
      3. Get Visual
      4. On the Spot
      5. Strategic Questions to Consider
      6. A Case in Point
      7. Tell a Compelling Story
    5. Final Thoughts
  9. Chapter 4—What Do You Do?
    1. Defining Your UVP™
    2. What Do You Actually Do?
    3. Making It Come Alive
    4. Go on Through
    5. Five Steps to Your UVP™
    6. The UVP™: Yours, Mine, and Ours
    7. Referrals and Existing Clients
    8. Staying on Task
    9. Strategic Questions to Consider
    10. Final Thoughts
  10. Chapter 5—Why Do You Do What You Do?
    1. Why?
    2. What’s the Foundation for Your Business Beliefs?
    3. The Question Unfolds
    4. Getting at the Core Beliefs
      1. CPAs and Business Beliefs
      2. Team Up
    5. After Who, What, Why—Are You a Fit?
    6. Strategic Questions to Consider
    7. Final Thoughts
  11. Chapter 6—How Do You Do What You Do?
    1. Buying the Process
    2. A Key Element of Differentiation
    3. Your Process: What Does It Look Like?
    4. A Case in Point
      1. Align
      2. Discover
      3. Articulate
      4. Capitalize
      5. Realize
    5. Putting It to Work in a CPA Firm
    6. Think about the Future
    7. What’s in a Name?
    8. Strategic Questions to Consider
    9. Final Thoughts
  12. Chapter 7—Who Have You Done It For?
    1. Telling the Story
    2. Tools to Help You Analyze Your Clients and Markets
    3. The Key Emotional Issues
    4. Delivering Solutions
    5. Impressing a Prospect
    6. Acres of Diamonds
    7. Clients for a Lifetime
    8. Strategic Questions to Consider
    9. Final Thoughts
  13. Chapter 8—What Makes You Different?
    1. Setting Yourself Apart
    2. Three Ways to Distinguish Yourself (Or, Bring Your Umbrella to the Party)
    3. Who Are Your Real Competitors?
    4. Organizational Differentiation
    5. Key Competitive Differentiation Concepts
      1. Organization Differentiation
      2. Solution Differentiation
    6. What Do You Stand For?
    7. Distinguish Yourself
    8. Opening Your Umbrella
    9. Differentiation 3x5
    10. Strategic Questions to Consider
    11. Final Thoughts
  14. Chapter 9—Why Should I Do Business With You? (Real Value)
    1. Value Versus Real Value
    2. Getting Out of the Vendor Parking Lot
    3. The Qualitative and Quantitative
      1. Qualitative
      2. Quantitative
    4. What’s the Bottom Line?
    5. Jumping the Gun
    6. Making the Connection
    7. Strategic Questions to Consider
    8. Final Thoughts
  15. Chapter 10—The Value Ladder™ in Review
    1. Communication: An Art and a Science
  16. Chapter 11—Advanced Applications for Your Value Ladder™
    1. Getting to Real Value
    2. The First Application: The Value Ladder™ Comes to Life
    3. The Second Application: A Shorter Dialogue
    4. Third Application: Using the Value Ladder™ to Add the Right Services
    5. Fourth Application: The Value Ladder™ Questioning Model
    6. Fifth Application: Use the First Three Questions to Determine Compatibility
    7. Sixth Application: Competitive Evaluation Tool for High-Level Prospects
    8. Strategic Questions
    9. Final Thoughts
  17. Chapter 12—Creating a Culture of Value
    1. One Message
    2. C-U-L-T-U-R-E
      1. Challenge Yourself and Your Organization to Greatness
      2. Understand the Value Gaps and Act
      3. Listen Aggressively to Your Clients
      4. Total Commitment to the Initiative
      5. Unify Your Organization
      6. Respectful Dialogue With All Involved
      7. Enjoy the Ride and Measure Your Success
    3. Be Value Ready
    4. Strategic Questions to Consider
    5. Final Thoughts
  18. Chapter 13: Competing on Value Begins with a Strategy
    1. Vision
    2. Clients
    3. Services
    4. Marketing Strategy
      1. Reputational Value
      2. Value Proposition
    5. Financial Metrics
    6. Professional Development
    7. Competition
    8. Final Thoughts
  19. Chapter 14—What Are You Going to Act On?
    1. The 7 Keys to Successful Action
    2. A Final Thought to Consider

Product information

  • Title: You Are the Value
  • Author(s): Leo J. Pusateri
  • Release date: May 2017
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9780870518744