Professional growth
Professional growth is not like going up a smooth hill. If you expect a smooth hill, you will be troubled. Rather it is like going up a hill with multiple cliffs and easy paths. You face a cliff, you climb up the cliff and find a nice path waiting in front of you. You can walk the nice path for a while till you face the next cliff, and you will need to climb that to reach the next easy path.
The first cliff may be the understanding of accounting and how it is used in actual business circumstances. Unless you can climb this first cliff, nothing will make sense. But after you climb the cliff, a lot of things will make sense. The secret for climbing a cliff compared to walking a path is that it will force you to use a lot of energy in a short time. You cannot climb a cliff too slowly, because it will exhaust your energy and other issues will come in your way. You cannot spend years in climbing the cliff. You want to climb it in a rather short time.
On the other hand, conquering cliffs are what brings joy to work. Without cliffs, our job will be not very interesting. Also, we are called professionals because of the existence of the cliffs. Are you experiencing a cliff in front of you? Is it a giant cliff? Are you enjoying the challenge?
Iso
The first cliff may be the understanding of accounting and how it is used in actual business circumstances. Unless you can climb this first cliff, nothing will make sense. But after you climb the cliff, a lot of things will make sense. The secret for climbing a cliff compared to walking a path is that it will force you to use a lot of energy in a short time. You cannot climb a cliff too slowly, because it will exhaust your energy and other issues will come in your way. You cannot spend years in climbing the cliff. You want to climb it in a rather short time.
On the other hand, conquering cliffs are what brings joy to work. Without cliffs, our job will be not very interesting. Also, we are called professionals because of the existence of the cliffs. Are you experiencing a cliff in front of you? Is it a giant cliff? Are you enjoying the challenge?
Iso
waiting room
Waiting room
Do you feel like you are growing? It will be so nice if we can feel that we are growing everyday. Growing everyday is our motto. We try to make each day a day you gave 100%, and a day that we have made at least one improvement in an area.
In reality, this is very difficult. There are days when we don’t feel like we are improving. It may not be days, but maybe months. We become worried and feel anxious about our performance, and spend much energy on fruitless worries.
Bible is filled with examples of people who were put in a “waiting room” before they became super successful. Not for days, but years. Something like 40 years!
I have experienced waiting rooms in my career. I was certainly not very good at copying with those days, but I know what I could have done. Staying positive and making the best of the circumstances I was in.
We cannot control our circumstances but can control our attitudes. Make the best out of your day!
Iso
Do you feel like you are growing? It will be so nice if we can feel that we are growing everyday. Growing everyday is our motto. We try to make each day a day you gave 100%, and a day that we have made at least one improvement in an area.
In reality, this is very difficult. There are days when we don’t feel like we are improving. It may not be days, but maybe months. We become worried and feel anxious about our performance, and spend much energy on fruitless worries.
Bible is filled with examples of people who were put in a “waiting room” before they became super successful. Not for days, but years. Something like 40 years!
I have experienced waiting rooms in my career. I was certainly not very good at copying with those days, but I know what I could have done. Staying positive and making the best of the circumstances I was in.
We cannot control our circumstances but can control our attitudes. Make the best out of your day!
Iso
Being prepared
In the movie, “Facing the Giants,” there is a conversation between a struggling high school football coach and a pastor that goes like this.
“I have been praying for God’s help but nothing happens,” says the coach.
The pastor replies, “There were two farmers. Both prayed for the rain, but one actually was cultivating the ground during the dry days. When the rain finally came, which farmer do you think was ready?”
I think this is so true. Opportunities do not come knocking so often. But we need to be ready for that opportunity. Some of what we are doing is like the farmer cultivating the land in dry days. We can look forward to the rain only if we are ready. Are we being ready for blessings?
Iso
“I have been praying for God’s help but nothing happens,” says the coach.
The pastor replies, “There were two farmers. Both prayed for the rain, but one actually was cultivating the ground during the dry days. When the rain finally came, which farmer do you think was ready?”
I think this is so true. Opportunities do not come knocking so often. But we need to be ready for that opportunity. Some of what we are doing is like the farmer cultivating the land in dry days. We can look forward to the rain only if we are ready. Are we being ready for blessings?
Iso
Playing safe
We have a tendency to play safe. The accounting industry is mostly about “playing safe.” This is called "being conservative." Yes there are things we want to play safe, but when it comes to marketing and relationship building, I don’t think that is the right way to play the game.
It is easy to just wait for referrals. It is a different thing to work on getting referrals. That is what we are working on. Telemarketing, and advertising is an effective tool to compensate for referrals. Once a system is set up, it is not too hard to let it work. We are in a process of setting up the system.
Working on referrals is not easy. We need to be aggressive in building relationships with clients. Making them feel excited enough about the services they receive from us that they want to talk about it to their friends. We can never play safe on this. We need to be proactive.
Iso
It is easy to just wait for referrals. It is a different thing to work on getting referrals. That is what we are working on. Telemarketing, and advertising is an effective tool to compensate for referrals. Once a system is set up, it is not too hard to let it work. We are in a process of setting up the system.
Working on referrals is not easy. We need to be aggressive in building relationships with clients. Making them feel excited enough about the services they receive from us that they want to talk about it to their friends. We can never play safe on this. We need to be proactive.
Iso
Taking clients for granted
If we are not careful, we take our existing clients for granted. We need to make sure they are continuously feeling like they are given personal attention and that they are getting the best service. Getting a new client is only the first step.
Getting different engagements from them is the next step. We need to make them trust us enough to ask us to take care of more things. Do they need help in reducing costs? Are they having a hard time in producing timely financial snap shots? There are a lot of things the clients are concerned about that we can help.
There is one more step. It is the step of making them raving fans. 80% of our new business comes from referrals of existing clients. If we can make all of the clients we have, raving fans, number of new business we can get should explode.
How many clients are you in charge of? Are they raving fans? What can you do for them?
Iso
Getting different engagements from them is the next step. We need to make them trust us enough to ask us to take care of more things. Do they need help in reducing costs? Are they having a hard time in producing timely financial snap shots? There are a lot of things the clients are concerned about that we can help.
There is one more step. It is the step of making them raving fans. 80% of our new business comes from referrals of existing clients. If we can make all of the clients we have, raving fans, number of new business we can get should explode.
How many clients are you in charge of? Are they raving fans? What can you do for them?
Iso
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