Sage Accountants Network
Partner Pulse Product news, support, and benefits in each issue Follow Us on Twitter
Join Sage Accountants Network on LinkedIn Sage Accountants Network Connect Mobile App
January 2013
Inside This Issue Features Update from Jennifer Warawa Pay-per-use Payroll pricing is coming to Sage 50 Accounting Business intelligence—The importance of user ideas and feedback Product How to handle year-end file copies from clients Excel© Tips and Tricks: custom view Get your complimentary “50 Excel Tips and Tricks” e-book! Training Opportunities Sage Accountants Network complimentary webcasts Sage 50 Business Intelligence complimentary webcasts Presentation skills workshop—Live in Irvine, CA Newsworthy Watch the video—Game changers for the accounting profession Sage E-marketing—The economics of email marketing Sage Canadian Small Business Financial Literacy Survey—Most Canadian small businesses are doing their own accounting Take a Break Social media for accountants—How do I get followers on Twitter? Sage is giving away $30,000 in prizes to help new startup businesses! The best careers for your zodiac sign Want to be a guest columnist in the Partner Pulse?
Update from Jennifer Warawa Welcome to 2013—A new year and a fresh opportunity to take your firm to the next level and achieve your business ambition! While your firm may be in year-end mode, helping your clients prepare for tax filing, you should also take time to give serious thought regarding what you want to do differently in 2013. Below are some New Year’s resolutions we believe every firm should consider to take their firm to the next level and attract new clients in 2013. • Build your brand—Your firm’s brand is more than your logo. It is everything you do, and it must be consistent. Start this year by drafting a brand promise, vision, and principles that drive everything you do, from the font you use in emails to the look and feel of your Facebook page. • Time management and prioritization—Be responsive and timely with clients without overworking yourself or your employees and determine a definition for “urgent.” • Evaluate your current clients—Identify your best clients by creating a grading system to qualify A and B clients. For any clients that don’t make the A or B grade, think about how you could elevate them to become a top client or mull over firing them altogether. • Increase prices—If you haven’t implemented a price increase in a while, consider doing so in 2013. Remember that how you communicate this to your clients is everything, and you should put a plan in place to handle push back. • Engage with your clients—Interact with your clients on a regular basis and not just during tax season; check in on them periodically and determine how you can best help them be successful. You are a valued business partner to your clients, and they will appreciate your proactive approach. • Sell an experience—Focus on creating a flawless client experience, no matter the time of year or level of interaction. Be there for your clients, show your value as a business partner, and they will reward you. • Ensure your business can be found online—Invest in search engine optimization for your website. This will go a long way in helping potential clients find you. Now more than ever, smartphones and tablets are being used to access the web, so make sure your site is optimized for these devices. More information on how Sage can help you make progress with all of these resolutions will be available early this year, in the new Sage Accountants Network “Fundamentals of High-Performing Firms” curriculum, which I look forward to sharing the details in the coming months. At Sage, we look forward to working with you in 2013 to help you take your firm to the next level and we’ll be reaching out to you later this month to get your feedback on where you think we can best help. Make it a great year and set your sights goals high! Happy New Year,
Jennifer Warawa Vice President, Partner Programs & Channel Sales Sage North America Jennifer.Warawa@Sage.com, Twitter: @jenniferwarawa Page 4
Pay-per-use Payroll pricing is coming to Sage 50 Accounting If you missed the communication we sent in December, we want you to be among the first to know that during 2013, Sage plans to offer Payroll customers a pay-per-use pricing model. This new offering will complement our current Payroll pricing model. Specifically, we have received feedback from some customers that they would prefer to pay for Payroll based on how much they use rather than pay a standard annual fee. Sage recognizes that Payroll can sometimes be too expensive for businesses with few employees and seasonal business, and therefore, the annual Payroll fee model does not fit all Canadian small businesses. Our goal is to establish an accessible Payroll model at a fair price for businesses with fewer employees or fewer pay periods. A new pay structure will allow any size of business to be able to pay for only what it uses instead of a standard annual fee. We would like you to be involved in the rollout of this initiative so you are well informed and in a position to provide solid advice to your customers. We plan to host a webcast in January to provide more details about this usage-based pricing model and the recommended pricing structure, so please watch for an invitation. In the meantime, we would appreciate your forwarding any questions to Sage50SANCanada@Sage.com so we can ensure we address them as part of the webcast and other communication activities. Thank you again for choosing Sage 50 Accounting—Canadian Edition as the preferred business accounting solution for your practice. We value your support and look forward to continuing to offer products and services to enhance you and your clients’ businesses.
Business intelligence —The importance of user ideas and feedback One of the most important priorities in my role as a product manager is continually ensuring our company understands what our global community of customers and partners need and want in business intelligence software. Our software is deployed alongside ERP and accounting systems in many different countries around the world; each of these markets can be very different in terms of what is important when discussing business intelligence needs. If our goal is to always provide the most value to our customers, we need to be carefully listening to and understanding the unique dynamics of each market. We’ve learned very early on that there is no secret formula for providing a single great business intelligence product for every market in the world; if you want to be the best provider of BI software, you need to be the best listener, too. User feedback is our chance to listen to our users’ opinions, which are used to improve our existing products in numerous ways; even though we have specialists in the field of BI continuously providing great advice into our product development cycles, we are always prepared for the reality that an internal design concept just might not be what our customers actually need. This is exactly why we make great efforts to stay close to voice of our users and keep them involved from as early on in our product life-cycles as possible.
SAN Partner Pulse January 2013
Business intelligence—The importance of user ideas and feedback (continued)
Excel© Tips and Tricks: Custom View (continued)
We don’t like to set an inflexible concrete plan way ahead of time about what we are going to deliver to market because we know very well our market’s needs change, so we have developed the ability and agility to respond to this change as it occurs. Through increased customer collaboration at many points during the development of new product releases, we are able to effect change in our business and software to avoid delivering lower value releases and thus avoid making costly mistakes. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the Ideas portals for Sage 50 Accounting—this a great way for anyone to contribute ideas and feedback to our Sage Intelligence line of business products. Follow Michael on Twitter @Sage_MichaelB
How to handle year-end file copies from clients Many accountants will be receiving files from their clients for year-end entries. When receiving copies, there are a few key items to remember to avoid any possible errors or file issues: 1. You must restore or open the customer file in the same version that the customer is using. This means if the customer sends you the file using Sage Simply Accounting Pro 2012, use your 2012 accountants copy and open the file using Sage Simply Accounting Pro. Otherwise, this will convert the file to a newer version, and the file will no longer open in the client’s older version. 2. If a client provides you with a backup copy (one file with the extension .CAB) on a USB, CD, or by email, copy the file off the media and on to the local hard drive, then select to “restore backup” and browse to the file saved on the local drive. Continue through the wizard to fully restore the file. The file should not be extracted using other programs or by double-clicking to open then simply copying the files out of the CAB—restoring is the proper method. 3. If a client sends you the full file, you will have both the SAI (logo) file and the SAJ folder on media such as USB, CD, or email. As with the backup, copy the files (both) to your local machine and select to open an existing company file then browse to the file on the local machine to open.
Applies to: MS Excel 2003, 2007, and 2010 1. Select as per screen shot below:
2. Select the Add button. 3. Enter the name of the Custom View as Default. 4. Select OK. 5. Select Filter under the Data tab. 6. Filter the data by the East Coast branch. 7. Repeat steps one to three but enter the name of the custom view as East Coast. 8. Select OK. 9. Filter the data by the West Coast branch. 10. Repeat steps one to three but enter the name of the custom view as West Coast. 11. Select OK.
Excel Tips and Tricks: custom view ©
12. Filter the data by the North Coast branch. 13. Repeat steps one to three but enter the name of the custom view as North Coast.
Do you intend setting up different views on how you would like your worksheet to appear? Then the custom view is the solution to your problem. You can use a custom view to save specific display settings (such as column widths, row heights, hidden rows and columns, cell selections, filter settings, and window settings) and print settings (such as page settings, margins, headers and footers, and sheet settings) for a worksheet so that you can quickly apply these settings to that worksheet when needed. In the following example we are going to apply filters for each branch and then save each branch filter as a custom view.
14. Select OK. 15. Filter the data by the South Coast branch. 16. Repeat steps one to three but enter the name of the custom view as South Coast. (continued on next page)
Excel© Tips and Tricks: Custom View (continued)
Sage Accountants Network complimentary webcasts (continued)
17. Select OK.
Why upgrade from Premier Advisor to Certified Consultant?
18. Repeat step one. The screen shot below is displayed:
This webcast will provide insights to the benefits of being a Certified Consultant.
To display a custom view, select from the list and select the show button.
Date
Time
Register
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
1 p.m.– 2 p.m. PT
Register Now
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 (French version)
1 p.m.– 2 p.m. PT
Register Now
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
10 a.m. –11 a.m. PT
Register Now
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
10 a.m. –11 a.m. PT
Register Now
Sage 50 Business Intelligence complimentary webcasts
For weekly Excel Tips and Tricks, subscribe here.
Get your complimentary 50 Excel Tips and Tricks e-book! The useful e-book provides 50 Microsoft Excel tips and tricks to improve your Excel report writing and help you use Excel to its full potential. It’s a handy reference guide to all the Excel Tips and Tricks.
These webcasts will provide information you can use now! With Business Intelligence you have customized reports, on demand, without having to manually update any spreadsheets. In these sessions the presenter will be showcasing the features and benefits of this powerful reporting tool. Date
Description
Start Time
Recorded Webcast
Sage 50 Business Intelligence—What’s new? Sage 50 Business Intelligence gives you customized reports, on demand, without having to manually update any spreadsheets.
Anytime recording View Now
Get your e-book today!
Sage Accountants Network complimentary webcasts Sage 50 Accounting: Closing and preparing for year-end In this live webcast, you will learn how to:
Presentation skills workshop—Live in Irvine, CA
• Prepare and proceed with the year-end activities. • Use some tips and tricks for starting a new year. • Find Internet links to extra information on Revenue Canada and other resources. Date
Time
Register
Monday, January 21, 2013
1 p.m.– 2 p.m. PT
Register Now
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
10 a.m.–11 a.m. PT
Register Now
Thursday, January 24, 2013 (French version)
10 a.m. –11 a.m. PT
Register Now
Page 6
Are you responsible for training colleagues or customers? Do you conduct presentations to peers or management? Attend this two-day in-person workshop to enhance your presentation skills. You will learn how to deliver effectively in various environments and what taboos to avoid that most presenters are unaware they do. The course is very interactive, enabling you to build confidence whenever and wherever you are presenting. This course is a prerequisite for Sage Partners enrolling in the Certified Trainer Program. Tuesday, February 5, 2013, and Wednesday, February 6, 2013, 8:30 a.m.– 4:30 p.m. PT
SAN Partner Pulse January 2013
Game changers for the accounting profession At their annual Meet the Editors dinner in New York, industry experts share their thoughts on what change will have the biggest effect on the accounting profession over the next five years.
The economics of email marketing
Start Now
The economics of email marketing (continued) 5. Investment Return Potential: Other marketing mediums such as direct mail simply can’t become part of our mobile and social world. When was the last time you carried a postcard with you to work, took a picture of it, and shared it with your social networks? Email marketing easily breaks the traditional marketing barriers and goes far beyond the walls of an inbox. By using social sharing within email campaigns, emails can quickly become part of social network conversations. Recipients can check their emails on the go with their mobile devices. In fact, 27% of all emails are being opened on mobile devices according to Knotice (source). Email marketing is central to current and future marketing efforts as social and mobile marketing continue their steady climb. The state of the email marketing economy is excellent. The bottom line is that email marketing works. It has been proven time and again and will continue to be proven effective. Email Marketing Reports says email marketing works because: • It allows targeting.
The economic climate today might lead you to wonder if email marketing is truly still worth the time and expense. We’ve been doing a little research and have some insight for you on the economics of email marketing. 1. Opportunity Cost: The Direct Marketing Association shows an ROI of $40.56 for every $1 invested in 2011. It projects that the figure will drop to $39.40 this year, when email will account for $67.8 billion in sales (source). Email marketing proves itself year after year with incredible returns on investment. If email marketing has been on the chopping block for your organization, we suggest you rethink your budget allocation or risk missing out on your cut of this year’s $67. 8 billion pie. If you need some help calculating your ROI, check out this ROI calculator from Bplans. 2. Law of Demand: Email is the preferred method of commercial communication by 74% of all online adults according to a study done by Merkle (source). A survey conducted by Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council and Lithium discovered that 65% of consumers send an email when they want to communicate with a brand (source). This fell above website forms and customer service calls. Your customers want to hear from you by email, and they want to talk to you by email. In study after study, consumers reveal that basic fact. If they want email, give them email. 3. Law of Supply: 68% of small businesses surveyed in mid-2011 by Pitney Bowes listed email as their preferred marketing channel (source). 60% of business leaders plan to increase their email marketing budget this year according to a survey conducted by StrongMail and Zoomerang (source). Your competitors have listened to the people, are increasing their email marketing budgets, and are delivering emails to their inboxes. Now is not the time to abandon the email marketing ship. 4. Long-Term Economic Growth: Email marketing is experiencing a tremendous amount of growth. A recent report from Epsilon found that email volumes increased 41% in the last quarter of 2011. Some of this can be attributed to holiday mailing, but the growth was still quite significant. In its 2010 Digital Marketing Fact Book, MarketingProfs reported that email has been used by nearly 90% of consumers since 2005 (source). Email is the main channel of communication for a majority of consumers; therefore, we should be using email to reach our customer bases.
• It’s data driven. • It drives direct sales. • It builds relationships, loyalty, and trust. • It supports sales through other channels (source). Now is not the time to pull out of the email marketing economy. Now is the time to invest and invest big.
Most Canadian small businesses are doing their own accounting The majority of small business owners surveyed in the Sage Financial Literacy Survey said they perform their business' financial management tasks themselves, including invoicing (78%), payroll (58%), inventory management (55%), and accounting (52%). And when it comes to learning to manage business finances, 73% of respondents are self-taught; 41% learned from an accountant, a consultant, or a bookkeeper; 29% received formal full-time education. Quebec business owners are less likely to have learned from a professional (29%). No wonder then, that so many small business owners surveyed recognized the need to know more about financial planning (67%), tax payments (65%), and cash flow (58%)! The survey also took a look at how small business owners are taking care of business. While laptops (67%) and smartphones (58%) are the devices most often used to manage business-related activities, 18% of small business owners are using tablets. And 52% of respondents said they use their mobile devices to handle email, and 30% are using them to bank online. (continued on next page)
Most Canadian small businesses are doing their own accounting (continued) Sage Accountant Network—Networking Interested in connecting with Sage Accountant Network members in your area? One of the most beneficial relationships you can have is connecting with peers through local regularly scheduled meetings. We are committed to supporting these connections and want to involve as many community members as possible. If you are interested in organizing or attending a local meeting in your community, contact Mark.Hubbard@Sage.com for details.
Read the entire Sage Canadian Small Business Financial Literacy Survey. I don't find any of this information surprising. Having an accountant or using a payroll solution costs money, and small businesses are notoriously cost-conscious. And a small business owner may not feel that his accounting needs are complex enough to justify the cost of an accountant; doing a job, invoicing a job, and depositing the income when it comes in are not exactly rocket science, for instance. My two cents on this is that you don't pay an accountant just to do your accounts; you pay for his expert advice. Accounting and income tax software are great tools, but they don't provide you with direction for your small business’ future or foresee potential pitfalls. So even if you are using software or online applications to do your books, it's a good thing to have an accountant as well.
Being social How do I get followers on Twitter? Like Facebook, it helps to get followers by telling people you are on Twitter. Make sure your website has your Twitter name @YourAccountingFirm clearly stated, as well as the link to your Twitter profile. Include this information on newsletters, marketing materials, invoices; anywhere your clients or prospects may view it. Then you need to tweet. You should tweet about tips or information you’d like to share. You can ask questions and brainstorm ideas. Share a joke. Tweet as often as you’d like, but don’t overdo it. Some professional surveys have found about six tweets per day is recommended for businesses with less than 100 followers. Increase as you see fit. Tip: Watch your followers count. If you notice you are losing followers (in other words, you had 80 and now you have 70), try adjusting how much you tweet or what the content you are tweeting is. Tweeting can be a challenge initially as you learn to navigate your way through sharing information in less than 140 characters. You’ll figure out pretty quickly that providing links is key, as is speaking in a shorthand Twitter jargon. Here are a few things to know to help you post and read tweets.
Page 8
Being social (continued) What’s with all the symbols? @ Symbol—On Twitter, the @ symbol represents a person’s/business’ Twitter name or “handle.” Example: the Sage Accountants Network is on Twitter. This is viewed in a tweet or referred to as “@SageAccountants.” # Hashtag—On Twitter, the hashtag represents a keyword or trending topic. Hashtags are not to be abused or used too often, but it can be a good way in a tweet to highlight what the tweet is about and to share it with people who share that interest. Example: Join @SageAccountants on Thursday in Chicago. We’re giving away free #Excel books. Ask us how to get one! A few additional tips for being active on Twitter: • When people follow you, follow them back if appropriate. You don’t have to, but it’s a courtesy and makes sense when building relationships. You want to share your content, and in return you want to see your followers’ tweets as well. • Post links to your website for “more information.” • Remember your tone. It’s okay to share a joke. • It’s not all about you! Remember, Twitter is about networking and learning. If all you do is talk about your firm and your services, you’re going to lose followers pretty quickly. Share information and tips. Retweet thought leaders. • Ask questions. Twitter can be interactive. Ask a question and wait to see what your followers respond. For more social media information go to the Sage Social Media Guide for Accountants.
Sage is giving away $30,000 in prizes to help new startup businesses! There are a lot of challenges that face new businesses—from accounting and HR to marketing and sales. For over 25 years, Sage has been helping startup owners meet those challenges. Right now, Sage is giving away over $30,000 in prizes to help startup businesses get the help they need. From now through April, Sage is giving away a $1,250 Business startup package each week. Winners will receive: • Five consultation sessions with experts from Small Business BC on legal matters, branding, social media, accounting, and human resources. • Their own business website, hosted for a year, from CityMax.com. • Sage 50 Pro Accounting 2013—Canadian Edition (formerly Sage Simply Accounting Pro) set up on their computer by a member of the Sage Accountants Network. If you know someone who is thinking of setting up a new small business or has just started a new small business, they can enter for a chance to win a Business startup package!
SAN Partner Pulse January 2013
The best careers for your zodiac sign
Key contacts
(This article is for entertainment purposes only)
Prioritized Technical Support:
Capricorn (December 22 – January 19)
Call: 1-866-665-2559 Option 2, Option 1 (English), Option 2 (Technical Support). All Sage Accountants Network members are entitled to free, unlimited priority technical support with a second-level support representative.
Key traits: Ambitious, resourceful, patient, and authoritarian. Driven and competitive, any project you take on, you’ll do whatever it takes to be the best. Best careers: Finance, business development/management, doctor, trainer. Careers to avoid: A financially risky job or a career where there is no room for advancement. Aquarius (January 20 – February 18) Key traits: Analytical, clever, inventive, and obstinate. Friendly and autonomous, you get along with most people, yet you have no problems voicing a divergent opinion. Best careers: Apps developer, veterinarian, scientist, engineer, alternative care practitioner. Careers to avoid: Any conventional job that discourages independent thinking or differing opinions.
Account Management: Call: 1-866-665-2559 Option 2, Option 1 (English), Option 4 (Account Management). Key Web Resources: www.Sage50Accounting.ca http://Partners.SageNorthAmerica.com www.SageU.com
Want to be a guest columnist in the Partner Pulse? You can submit your 500-word article or send us your article idea or feedback: Editor.PartnerPulse@Sage.com Submissions may be published at the discretion of Sage. Any ideas or feedback submitted may be used by Sage at its discretion.
Calendar of events Looking for training? Regional partner meetings? Conferences? Webcasts? Check out the Sage Accountants Network Calendar of Events If you are hosting a Regional Partner Meeting, we can add your event to the SAN Calendar of Events. Just email your request to Editor.PartnerPulse@Sage.com
©2013 Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage, the Sage logos, and the Sage product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software, Inc., or its affiliated entities. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. SPK 12-02724 01/13