Patil's CASwaysTM - #01: From Insights to Impact

Firms can fall into the trap of defining CAS success by:

• How efficiently they process tasks.

• How effectively they analyze client data trends and

• Including insights when they deliver periodic reports.

Yes. Insights are not enough anymore.

Clients don't stick with you because of what you do and when you do it. They stay because of what happens because of your work. E.g.:

• Better decisions

• Fewer mistakes

• More momentum

Which means, providing insights is not enough. Helping clients achieve outcomes based on those insights is the new necessity for your CAS success.

Want to move from service provider to strategic TRUE ADVISOR®?

Let's start.

Redefine "Done"

"Done" isn't when the report is sent.

"Partly Done" is when the client uses that report to take meaningful action.

"Fully Done" is when the client's actions lead to the outcome you envisaged when you created the advice.

The Impact Model

What's the one word that can make you successful?

That word is: impact.

It’s not what you do that makes you successful.

It’s the impact of what you do that can make you successful.

It’s all about the impact you have on people's lives.

Example: You delivered a monthly financial statement to your client. What’s the impact of that document on your client’s life? Are you helping your client achieve personal goals by sending a financial statement? Would you want to uncover actionable intelligence from that financial statement so that your client can use that insight to better her chances of achieving her personal goals?

Each component of your CAS package has a defined deliverable. But that is just the foundation.

For every CAS deliverable, ask:

Did this help the client…

• Make a decision?

• Avoid a mistake?

• Find a momentum point?

If yes, you ARE delivering impact and, hence, value.

If not, you are just checking boxes and delivering just outputs, not outcomes.

Try This:

Pick ONE client this week.

Instead of emailing a report, book a 15-minute call.

Ask them:

1. What decision(s) are you working through right now?

2. Let us identify and analyze the numbers to help with that.

That is advisory, with no new tools or tech needed. Just a new stance.

You will know it's working when:

The client says, "This is exactly what I needed," or starts involving you before making key decisions.

What next?

This is part of Patil's CASways™, my new series for CAS leaders who want to evolve from accounting to advisory services.

Through Patil's CASways™, I am sharing everything I have learned from working alongside CAS leaders who have successfully made that leap. As the author of the research-backed, only CAS book on the market (bought by accountants from 18 countries across five continents), I have insights into what works and doesn't when it comes to CAS. To jumpstart your CAS success, if you'd like to get your copy of the CAS book at a special 25% discount, click here. Use coupon code hp25p to secure your discounted price.

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