The Client Advisory Services Workshop with L. Gary Boomer [Podcast]

L. Gary Boomer, Visionary & Strategist of Boomer Consulting, Inc., is recognized in the accounting profession as the leading authority on technology and firm management. He consults and speaks around the globe on several topics including strategic and technology planning.

I recently had the opportunity to interview L. Gary Boomer for the Sage Advice podcast. You can listen here or read an edited version of the interview below.

What do you mean when you say you are a dot connector?

I’m trying to bring all the resources in the profession together for the opportunities that are available. Everyone has to have access to expertise, peers, and others in order to survive and be successful. Throughout my career I’ve been involved with the AICPA, I’ve been able to travel a lot, I’ve made a lot of friends and acquaintances, and those people are very sharp and provide a lot of resources, along with the vendors in our profession. Often times it is just a matter of getting the right minds together in order to solve a problem or issue.

Next week at Accountex in Boston you’re going to be doing a workshop for us at Sage called the Client Advisory Services Workshop. Why is that so important?

It’s really a quick start on how firms can either get started in the client accounting services or scale their client accounting services business. As you know it is a journey, not an event. But an event like this can accelerate or get people’s thinking on the right path. Introduce them to concepts and tools, that perhaps they weren’t aware of, and get them in a positive environment for learning, growing, and gaining confidence for what they’re doing at their firms.

What are a few things that you are most excited about sharing at the workshop?

• Helping firms identify what the game for the future is. When you have new technology and new services and transformation of a profession, you get to write your own rules for the game. One of the sessions is called “What’s your game and what’s your story?” The story that you tell really determines how your clients and customers are going to accept your innovation in a transformative world. You have to say more than you’re lucky. You have to say how you came about the opportunity, what you’re doing to differentiate yourself in the market, and what you’re doing to meet the wants in addition to the needs of the client.
• We’re going to provide some tools and a menu of services which most firms don’t have.
• We’re teaching attendees how to package and price, not only their current commoditized or compliance services but also advisory and consulting services.

It’s going to be a lot of fun! I’ve got a lot of tools to introduce. Everyone should walk out with a roadmap or a plan to help them grow and scale their client advisory services business.

You brought up the notion of differentiation. On the one hand, we are talking about how a firm can become a client advisory service. How can firms make it their own and come up with the differentiator that sets them apart?

A lot of that is being proactive rather than being a follower. Firms must anticipate what is happening with technology and the global environment today and think differently than how CPAs have thought in the past.

Think from the clients perspective:

• What do they need?
• What do they want?

Clients are being impacted in their business and you’re their most trusted advisor. It might be a technical advisor, but if you’re proactive, they’re going to come to you because they trust you and there are a lot of opportunities.

The challenge is a lot of the skills go beyond accounting. Therefore, it’s going to require a collaborative team, not just a group of accountants, to get the job done; such as data analytics, sales, marketing, project management, to name a few of the skills we’re going to need in the future.

Join us in Boston for the free Client Advisory Services – QuickStart Workshop with Boomer Consulting.