Blog

10 Questions That Create Success by Geoffrey James

Posted in: Blog by Mallory Malloy on May 16, 2012 | No Comments

Want help focusing on what really matters? Ask yourself these on a daily basis.

Think that success means making lots of money?  Think again.

Pictures of dead presidents have never made anybody happy. And how can you be successful if you’re not happy? And buying things with that all money isn’t much better. A new car, for instance, might tickle your fancy for a day or two–but pride of ownership is temporary.

Real success comes from the quality of your relationships and the emotions that you experience each day. That’s where these 10 questions come in.

Ask them at the end of each day and I absolutely guarantee that you’ll become more successful. Here they are:

1. Have I made certain that those I love feel loved?

2. Have I done something today that improved the world?

3. Have I conditioned my body to be more strong flexible and resilient?

4. Have I reviewed and honed my plans for the future?

5. Have I acted in private with the same integrity I exhibit in public?

6. Have I avoided unkind words and deeds?

7. Have I accomplished something worthwhile?

8. Have I helped someone less fortunate?

9. Have I collected some wonderful memories?

10. Have I felt grateful for the incredible gift of being alive?

Here’s the thing.  The questions you ask yourself on a daily basis determine your focus, and your focus determines your results.

These questions force you to focus on what’s really important. Take heed of them and rest of your life—especially your work—will quickly fall into place.

Create Greater Success with Effective Goal Setting by Anne Bachrach

Posted in: Blog by Mallory Malloy on | No Comments

Whether your big dream is to start your own business, earn more money in your job, or simply have more time to spend with your family, it all starts out with setting a goal. You can improve the odds that you’ll achieve your goals by following these steps.

It’s relatively easy to set your goals, even if you have never done it or not done it much before. You start by breaking down a broad mission a dream into workable smaller parts.  You begin by writing down your broad mission and dream goals so you can create goals today that will put you on the path of achieving these long-range goals.  Put a specific date by each goal that represents when you would like to have it achieved.  The more short-term goals you create, the better, because it will fill you with more confidence as you achieve them on your road to even greater success.

Keep in mind that just writing all your professional and personal goals out on paper is not exactly a great accomplishment, in itself.  True, by thinking your plan through this far you have already done more than the average dreamer out there.  Thinking is not exactly doing though, is it?

What really matters, and what will make you ultimately successful in life, is taking action.

This is why it’s important to write down your goals with specific target dates for completion.  When you do this, it will help you actually accomplish your goals.  When you accomplish your short-term goals you know that you are on the path to achieving your long-range goals.  How would you feel to know this?  How would it feel to know that you are more consistently achieving your goals?

Let’s say you want to open a new office in another part of town.  You will want to put the exact date (month, day and year) you would like to have it open for business as the first step.  Then you will write down all the activities required for you to achieve this goal along with specific dates for completion.  As you check each activity off the list you know you are coming closer to opening the door of a new office on the date you specified.  You can always change any of your goals along the way, if you need to.  If you think one of your goals is especially intimidating, then try pushing it back to a later late.  You are not abandoning this goal, but perhaps moving it from the one-year mark to the two-year mark.

Remember to write each goal in a positive light and approach each new step with excitement.  It will help to put in exact dates and amount of money you need to help you visualize the plan and measure your achievements.

Fulfilling Your Goals

How can you write a plan when you don’t know the future?  Make no mistake about it: life isn’t always fair, and you can rest assured that things will probably not go your way at least once or twice. I simply call this, ‘life happens.’ Why does this happen?  It may not be due to any mistake on your part.  Sometimes you have to plan for the unpredictable element.

You cannot predict the future, so attempting to determine the outcome of your every endeavor might leave you feeling disappointed.  Instead, focus on what you wish to accomplish with the experience.  You can certainly determine your own performance.  Try and set goals that you have more direct control over.  This way, even a financial or personal setback will not interfere with the achievement itself.  There could be any number of obstacles that could prevent an outcome-oriented goal from being accomplished:Government law could inhibit your professional goals. Weather or climate could ruin an important event.  A bad economy could prevent you from achieving high numbers for the year.

You must also beware that others should not influence you to set unrealistic goals based on outcome or performance.  Your views on what success means could be influenced by the media, by employers or even by one’s own family.  The problem is, when others try and set the standard for success, they do so in ignorance of your personal desires and ambitions.  What makes one person successful does not necessarily make you happy.  What one person sees as high performance in a short period of time, you may well consider exhausting or you don’t view it as high performance, based on your own circumstances, desires, and ambition.

Setting Smart Goals

If you are looking for a system of goal setting that is easy to remember then consider the word “SMART.”  This acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timed.  Your goals should be specific, measurable, and at the same time relevant to your vision and measurable in physical terms.  Some people think their goals have to be ‘realistic.’  Realistic is somewhat relative.  I believe that setting a goal that may seem a bit out of reach or a challenge works to motivate me more.  If I don’t achieve this goal I still feel better that it was a stretch over what I would have set it I set a realistic goal.  You need to set your goals the way it motivates you the most.  Lastly, by attaching timing to your performance-oriented goals, you can induce yourself to take action.

Remember that you can and should modify your goals as time passes.  As you gain valuable life experience, you may find that some goals are just too easy.  If this is the case then you may want to rewrite those goals to be more personally challenging.  On the contrary, you may find that some goals are beyond your capacity, at least within a short period of time.

You may decide that it’s best to rework some of your goals into a more manageable solution.  This is acceptable.  I call this course correcting at any time.  What’s important is that you are continuing to pursue your objective and prospering at your own pace.  This is far more effective than setting very unrealistic goals and then falling by the wayside because of discouragement.  As long as you have a plan, then you are heading in the right direction.

You must write your plan with a view to taking action.  Goal setting means nothing unless you actually follow through with your plans to finish each step.  Do not sabotage your future by creating goals that are not in-synch with your abilities or time frame.  Start slowly and work your way towards the top of the mountain.  See the difference that goal setting makes in your life and as the quality of your life starts to improve.  Begin today.

Using Classified Ads And Free Reports

Posted in: Blog by Mallory Malloy on May 7, 2012 | No Comments

The only good reason to run these ads is to get prospects to contact you. You’ll be pleased at how effective these little ads can be with a good web site that will get people to identify themselves.

Offer prospects information about something they want (e.g. tips on deductions, tax laws, or special services). Remember that your website can provide services that you couldn’t easily provide in other places.

Examples of Good Classified Ads:

**Note: You may be legally required to include your company name at the end of any classified ad that you run. You should check the requirements in your area, before running any classified advertisements.

FREE Report Reveals 5 Biggest Mistakes most Taxpayers make when Filing their tax returns. Visit www.pro-tax.com

Is the IRS Targeting Your Small Business. Find Out, Visit www.pro-tax.com

Find Out the 7 Secrets Every Tax payer Needs to Know. Visit www.pro-tax.com

Let Your Community Know About Your Website

Posted in: Blog by Mallory Malloy on | No Comments

If you currently use Newspaper Ads, Radio Ads, Telemarketing, or Direct Mail to build your practice, then make sure you integrate your website into your marketing message. Providing your website address in your current marketing programs will increase your response rate by 20% and increase your conversion rate by 30% or more.

Your website will also allow you to reduce your current marketing expenses by simplifying your message. Your new marketing goal can be to simply drive people to your site. Once on your site you can explain your services in greater detail. For example, if you are conducting a public seminar and you promote it by buying 3 quarter-page ads in your newspaper and paying for ten 30-second radio spots, now you can take out smaller ads and have people go to your website for details.

When you integrate your website with your existing marketing campaigns you will acquire more clients while reducing your marketing expenses.

Set Up Links With The Chamber of Commerce And Other Local Businesses

Posted in: Blog by Mallory Malloy on April 30, 2012 | No Comments

Your local Chamber of Commerce, Radio Stations, Newspapers, Law Offices, Realtors, Car Dealerships and other business clubs often have “local links” sections on their web site. Simply call them and ask them if they would add a link to your web site in exchange for adding a link back to them on your site.

Most businesses and clubs will happily agree because a link from your site is a way for them to get a personal referral from you.

How many business clubs, law offices, realtors, radio stations, or car dealerships would like to get your personal recommendation? They all would! And in return you are getting their personal recommendation. If you haven’t already setup links with these businesses, do it now!

How To Generate More Referrals With Your Interactive Financial Calculators

Posted in: Blog by Mallory Malloy on | No Comments

The easiest and most professional way to grow your firm is by increasing your word-of-mouth referrals. There are 2 great sources of referrals: your clients and centers of influence. You already know how your clients will generate referrals for you with the interactive financial calculators. Now let’s talk about the other powerful source of referrals: centers of influence.

A center of influence is anyone who has already developed a trusting relationship with people you would like as clients. Great centers of influence include local attorneys, real estate agents, insurance agents, stockbrokers, and believe it or not car dealers.

Referrals From Real Estate Agents
Real estate agents are great centers of influence because they are always talking to people and businesses moving into the area. Many of these people need to setup a new accounting and tax relationship.

When you talk to real estate agents, ask them to take a look at the handy mortgage calculators on your web site. Their clients will be able to use the mortgage qualifier calculator to determine how much house they can afford to buy. Their clients can compare the monthly payments between a 15 year or 30 year mortgage. They can even evaluate what’s the best deal with the mortgage points decision calculator.

These calculators really help the real estate agent and they are often happy to tell their clients about your web site. You will find that Realtors are also very willing to setup a link on their web site to your web site.

Setting up real estate agents as centers of influence will help you generate a lot of new referrals and clients. Give it a try, it’s easy.

Referrals From Car Dealerships
The car dealerships in your town are another source of great referrals. Like realtors auto dealers can provide their customers tremendous value by recommending your web site. When someone is ready to buy a new car they have to make some very important financial decisions and your financial calculators can help them.

They can use your auto loan analyzer to determine how much car they can afford to buy. They can determine if it is better for them to lease or buy the vehicle. And they can even find out if it makes more sense to take out a second mortgage on their house to pay for the car.

Auto dealers and their sales team will recommend your site to prospective car buyer if you let them know about it. And many car dealerships now have web sites where you can setup a link from their site directly to your site.

This will funnel in more new people into your site and the more people you can impress with your site, the more new clients you’ll get.

Referrals From Stockbrokers
You can also team up with a bunch of stockbrokers in town. Your site can help their clients as well. Many brokers like to show their clients just how much they need to save/invest each month in order to meet their retirement goals. The fact that the information comes from a local accountant gives the numbers even more creditability.

Stockbrokers also like to use your site to show their clients how much they can save with an IRA or Roth IRA. They even use the site to show their clients how much they can expect to get from Social Security.

You’ll find that stockbrokers are very willing to tell their clients about your web site because your financial calculators help them add more value.

Referrals From Life Insurance Agents
Insurance agents are another great source of referrals. Insurance agents like to have their prospective clients use the Insurance Needs Estimator on the site. This interactive calculator estimates exactly how much life insurance a person needs to protect their family.

Insurance agents also like to recommend the variable annuity calculator because it helps them sell more services. The fact that these calculators are on an accountant’s web site lends credibility to the need for more insurance.

You will end up with a lot more referrals from insurance agents because these calculators make it easier for agents to sell insurance.

Just Do It!
Imagine the secure and marvelous feeling stemming from the knowledge that every day you will have a steady flow of prospects and clients coming to see you. That’s what this website will do for you, if you setup enough of these centers of influence. It’s not hard and it doesn’t take much time, so “just do it”!

PBS News

Posted in: Blog by Mallory Malloy on March 21, 2012 | No Comments

With tax season in full force business has been booming here at PBS.  Our staff has been diligently working to ensure satisfaction from our customers and future clients.  This spring we are happy to announce that our annual open house will be April 27, 2012 from 1:30-8:00 pm here at PBS.  We invite anyone to come and enjoy free food, drinks(including adult beverages), and games.  We hope you are enjoying the glorious weather and look forward to seeing you this April.

BOSS Boot Camp

Posted in: Blog by Whitney Recker on November 20, 2011 | No Comments

Held by the Excelsior Insitute of Business and Finance

The Business Optimization Success System (BOSS) Boot Camp is a 12 week course and is the most comprehensive business boot camp ever.  If you are wanting to start a business or have recently started a business this boot camp is for you!  You may have the opportunity to receive free services, free consulting and a chance of receiving a loan.

DATE:  Tuesday January 31st, 20212 (First Class)
TIME:   6:00-8:00 (with time after for tutorials or one-on-one consulting)
*Date and time subject to change

LOCATION:   BenchMark Financial Services
                        8423 Beechmont Ave.
                        Cincinnati, OH 45255

Class topics include:

• Entrepreneur Self Assessment
• Business Plan Overview
• Exit Strategies
• Entity Selection
• Marketing Overview
• Accounting
• Sales Process
• Financing Your Dream
• Internet Marketing
• Credit Overview
• Manuals, Documents and Systems
• Compliance/Contracts/Legal
• Social Media
• Tax
• Intellectual Property
• Technology
• Insurance
• Women Owned Businesses (WBE)
• Minority
• The Science of Business
• Team Building

Fall Greetings from PBS

Posted in: Blog by Mallory Malloy on October 21, 2011 | No Comments

It’s official the fall tax season is finally over!  Here at PBS we are ready to celebrate the end of the tax season and Mary’s upcoming birthday.  On Friday October 28, 2011 at 1:30pm-8:00pm we are holding our annual fall open house.  We invite you and your friends and family to join us in the festivities. 

In addition to the upcoming party we have had great success with our Anderson Business Roundtable networking meetings.  There have been a lot of business professionals in attendance at the Rountable meetings this month and valuable business connections are being made.  We would like to thank all of our loyal members and new members and we invite you to visit us at a roundtable sometime soon!

The Blue Book Event

Posted in: Blog by Mallory Malloy on October 10, 2011 | No Comments

Contracting companies from all over the tri-state will gather together and exhibit their services on October 18, 2011 at the Sharonville Convention Center in Cincinnati from 3pm-6pm.  Contractors have the opportunity to network with each other and make connections in the contracting industry.  This networking event is a great resourse for contractors to take advantage of in order to make business relationships that lead to referrals.