The Outstanding Professional is a 12 month one-to-one, tailored accountancy mentoring programme to help you achieve:
|
Greater levels of career satisfaction
Increased visibility, and
Measurable improvements in effectiveness and productivity
The Outstanding Professional programme gives you regular 'time-out' to focus on your short, medium and long-term plans for personal and practice development.
|
|
|
What's involved?
Three one-day conferences a year (held in London)
An opportunity to come together with practitioners from across the country to discuss common issues, network with your peers and explore particular aspects of personal or practice growth.
Monthly discussion seminars by phone (tele-fora)
An opportunity to discuss common problems and bounce ideas around with practitioners from similar sized firms in other parts of the country. It’s comforting to know you’re not alone and empowering to come away with sensible solutions that have been examined by others in the same boat.
One-to-one monthly mentoring sessions (by phone)
These accountancy mentoring sessions will help you to focus on moving from where you are, to where you want to be. Your widely experienced (but objective) coach will pose questions that allow you to probe your own hopes and uncertainties, helping you devise a plan to start the journey to where you want to be. Giving your coach “permission to nag” is a powerful prompt to action.
Support tools and resources via our website, plus a bi-monthly email newswire
Helping you stay in touch with developments, explore issues that hold you back and helping you to overcome them.
Who should attend?
The programme is aimed at current and aspiring partners or principals in accountancy firms. The Outstanding Professional programme is a natural progression for those who have attended SWATUK’s Professional Skills Development Programme.
When can you start?
The Outstanding Professional programme is a twelve-month rolling programme and you can start at any time during the year. Having completed the full programme, you may wish to continue with individual mentoring in order to bring about the changes you want to see.
Costs
The whole programme costs £4250+VAT per person.
Alternatively, you can just pay for the elements you want from the list below:
| Day conferences x3 per year @£500 each |
£1500 |
| Monthly telefora x12 per year (1 hr per session) |
£1200 |
| Monthly mentoring x12 per year (1/2 hr per session) |
£1800 |
|
NB. Delegates must sign up to the full 12 months of telefora or mentoring sessions, but may go on indiviudal TOP conference days, as opposed to all 3 days, if they wish.
|
Day conferences
SWATUK Full Members can enjoy 10% off the above prices.
How the Outstanding Professional works - an overview
In order for you to achieve sustained success, as an individual and/or within your practice, there are two important factors you need to embrace:
Capability encompasses skills and tactics. Confidence includes self-belief and motivation.
The relationship between capability and confidence can be summed up by the following diagram:
By attending the Outstanding Professional programme, we aim to move you towards the top right hand quadrant, providing you with the necessary skills to experience personal satisfaction that is aligned with business success.
The Outstanding Professional accountancy mentoring programme focuses on twelve strategies that are a “refined blend” of both capability and confidence. These strategies together create sustained success and distinguish accountancy practices and professionals from their competitors and peers:
The Six Capability Strategies:
The Outstanding Professional programme includes monthly teleconference forums, known as ‘telefora’, which examine and discuss six capability strategies on how to develop your practice. These strategies include:
1. Developing a niche reputation
Being a generalist is hard. It’s a lot easier to be at the top of a sector within the profession than in the middle. Specialist accountants with top reputations are highly sought-after. They capture the attention of others and inspire confidence.
2. Living at the core of the client world
Outstanding Accountants don’t search random highways and byways such as networking events for prospects. They have a clear definition and understanding of their ideal clients and are positioned at the crossroads through which these clients travel.
3. Perfecting the client journey
On average, it takes 10-15 interactions for a stranger to become a client. To cross the river from stranger to client, potential clients need stepping-stones. Too few, and potential clients fall through the gaps. Too many, and they get distracted and confused. Defining the ideal number and journey is key.
4. Accelerating trust
Applying skills first requires a situation of trust, where problems can be shared. This strategy involves examining the three dimensions of trust: credibility, reliability and the personal touch, and the skills and time required to develop each.
5. Inspiring others to generate your referrals
Earning more fees in less time requires spending at least 80% of available energy on high quality clients (or potentials). This is impossible if half of the week is spent prospecting. This strategy involves delegating referral generation to the best advocates: clients and strategic alliance partners.
6. Creating a system to stay in touch
Is it possible to stay in touch with all your clients without spamming them? This strategy involves assessing the alternatives and identifying the ideal method for managing contacts to achieve maximum benefit.
The Six Confidence Strategies:
Six further topics are covered within the ‘telefora’ structure, which help you to consider your personal development. These confidence strategies cover:
1. Creating a compelling vision
A compelling vision not only unites a team, but also acts as an anchor for personal motivation. Such a vision may be missing, forgotten, out-grown or ego-driven. Uncovering or refining strong visions is essential for future prosperity and growth.
2. Managing attention
It is impossible to manage “time”, but it is possible to manage “attention”. By looking at the five laws of attention and applying them to the everyday problems of distraction, dread, disorganisation, isolation and overwhelm, new attention habits can be created and the six capability strategies implemented.
3. Practising high self-esteem
What is the key difference between an accountant who charges £600 per day and one who charges £2,000? While there may be a difference of skill, or market, there will certainly be a difference of confidence. Paradoxically, self-esteem and confidence grow by taking action.
4. Pricing in line with value
The hourly or daily rate creates a prison for many accountants. Pricing according to value means knowing how (and when) to place fees in the context of the value that is being offered rather than in the context of time.
5. Enjoying time for life
Who wants to work with someone who is tired, inattentive and boring? Do topquality people want to work for someone who is overwrought and over-anxious? It is critical to understand how work fits inside the larger priority of life itself and to take action accordingly.
6. Being a model among peers
Outstanding Accountants want more fees in less time. But they also want more than money; their values are driven by service and excellence. Professional life is about more than financial gain – it is a realisation of a deeper inner necessity. Recognition and respect from one’s peers is therefore not just a sop for the ego. It is a crucial strategy for the growth of motivation, vision, and purpose. The appreciative attention of peers is a reflection of that recognition for which all professionals inwardly yearn… and which is increasingly absent in an attention deficit world.
How you and your firm will benefit
By signing up to the Outstanding Professional programme, you can start to move from
| Wasting time on poor prospects |
|
Target clients coming directly to you |
| Long sales cycles |
|
Increasing fees through building trust |
| Overwhelm and stress |
|
Controlling your work and fulfilment |
| Under-pricing |
|
Higher fees in line with value |
| Average communication skills |
|
Effective meetings and confident presentations |
| Long hours at work |
|
Career and life satisfaction |
Further information
For more information or to discuss your requirements in more detail, call us on 0800 2800 433 or email info@swat.co.uk
The Outstanding Professional is a 12 month one-to-one, tailored accountancy mentoring programme to help you achieve:
|
Greater levels of career satisfaction
Increased visibility, and
Measurable improvements in effectiveness and productivity
The Outstanding Professional programme gives you regular 'time-out' to focus on your short, medium and long-term plans for personal and practice development.
|
|
|
What's involved?
Three one-day conferences a year (held in London)
An opportunity to come together with practitioners from across the country to discuss common issues, network with your peers and explore particular aspects of personal or practice growth.
Monthly discussion seminars by phone (tele-fora)
An opportunity to discuss common problems and bounce ideas around with practitioners from similar sized firms in other parts of the country. It’s comforting to know you’re not alone and empowering to come away with sensible solutions that have been examined by others in the same boat.
One-to-one monthly mentoring sessions (by phone)
These accountancy mentoring sessions will help you to focus on moving from where you are, to where you want to be. Your widely experienced (but objective) coach will pose questions that allow you to probe your own hopes and uncertainties, helping you devise a plan to start the journey to where you want to be. Giving your coach “permission to nag” is a powerful prompt to action.
Support tools and resources via our website, plus a bi-monthly email newswire
Helping you stay in touch with developments, explore issues that hold you back and helping you to overcome them.
Who should attend?
The programme is aimed at current and aspiring partners or principals in accountancy firms. The Outstanding Professional programme is a natural progression for those who have attended SWATUK’s Professional Skills Development Programme.
When can you start?
The Outstanding Professional programme is a twelve-month rolling programme and you can start at any time during the year. Having completed the full programme, you may wish to continue with individual mentoring in order to bring about the changes you want to see.
Costs
The whole programme costs £4250+VAT per person.
Alternatively, you can just pay for the elements you want from the list below:
| Day conferences x3 per year @£500 each |
£1500 |
| Monthly telefora x12 per year (1 hr per session) |
£1200 |
| Monthly mentoring x12 per year (1/2 hr per session) |
£1800 |
|
NB. Delegates must sign up to the full 12 months of telefora or mentoring sessions, but may go on indiviudal TOP conference days, as opposed to all 3 days, if they wish.
|
Day conferences
SWATUK Full Members can enjoy 10% off the above prices.
How the Outstanding Professional works - an overview
In order for you to achieve sustained success, as an individual and/or within your practice, there are two important factors you need to embrace:
Capability encompasses skills and tactics. Confidence includes self-belief and motivation.
The relationship between capability and confidence can be summed up by the following diagram:
By attending the Outstanding Professional programme, we aim to move you towards the top right hand quadrant, providing you with the necessary skills to experience personal satisfaction that is aligned with business success.
The Outstanding Professional accountancy mentoring programme focuses on twelve strategies that are a “refined blend” of both capability and confidence. These strategies together create sustained success and distinguish accountancy practices and professionals from their competitors and peers:
The Six Capability Strategies:
The Outstanding Professional programme includes monthly teleconference forums, known as ‘telefora’, which examine and discuss six capability strategies on how to develop your practice. These strategies include:
1. Developing a niche reputation
Being a generalist is hard. It’s a lot easier to be at the top of a sector within the profession than in the middle. Specialist accountants with top reputations are highly sought-after. They capture the attention of others and inspire confidence.
2. Living at the core of the client world
Outstanding Accountants don’t search random highways and byways such as networking events for prospects. They have a clear definition and understanding of their ideal clients and are positioned at the crossroads through which these clients travel.
3. Perfecting the client journey
On average, it takes 10-15 interactions for a stranger to become a client. To cross the river from stranger to client, potential clients need stepping-stones. Too few, and potential clients fall through the gaps. Too many, and they get distracted and confused. Defining the ideal number and journey is key.
4. Accelerating trust
Applying skills first requires a situation of trust, where problems can be shared. This strategy involves examining the three dimensions of trust: credibility, reliability and the personal touch, and the skills and time required to develop each.
5. Inspiring others to generate your referrals
Earning more fees in less time requires spending at least 80% of available energy on high quality clients (or potentials). This is impossible if half of the week is spent prospecting. This strategy involves delegating referral generation to the best advocates: clients and strategic alliance partners.
6. Creating a system to stay in touch
Is it possible to stay in touch with all your clients without spamming them? This strategy involves assessing the alternatives and identifying the ideal method for managing contacts to achieve maximum benefit.
The Six Confidence Strategies:
Six further topics are covered within the ‘telefora’ structure, which help you to consider your personal development. These confidence strategies cover:
1. Creating a compelling vision
A compelling vision not only unites a team, but also acts as an anchor for personal motivation. Such a vision may be missing, forgotten, out-grown or ego-driven. Uncovering or refining strong visions is essential for future prosperity and growth.
2. Managing attention
It is impossible to manage “time”, but it is possible to manage “attention”. By looking at the five laws of attention and applying them to the everyday problems of distraction, dread, disorganisation, isolation and overwhelm, new attention habits can be created and the six capability strategies implemented.
3. Practising high self-esteem
What is the key difference between an accountant who charges £600 per day and one who charges £2,000? While there may be a difference of skill, or market, there will certainly be a difference of confidence. Paradoxically, self-esteem and confidence grow by taking action.
4. Pricing in line with value
The hourly or daily rate creates a prison for many accountants. Pricing according to value means knowing how (and when) to place fees in the context of the value that is being offered rather than in the context of time.
5. Enjoying time for life
Who wants to work with someone who is tired, inattentive and boring? Do topquality people want to work for someone who is overwrought and over-anxious? It is critical to understand how work fits inside the larger priority of life itself and to take action accordingly.
6. Being a model among peers
Outstanding Accountants want more fees in less time. But they also want more than money; their values are driven by service and excellence. Professional life is about more than financial gain – it is a realisation of a deeper inner necessity. Recognition and respect from one’s peers is therefore not just a sop for the ego. It is a crucial strategy for the growth of motivation, vision, and purpose. The appreciative attention of peers is a reflection of that recognition for which all professionals inwardly yearn… and which is increasingly absent in an attention deficit world.
How you and your firm will benefit
By signing up to the Outstanding Professional programme, you can start to move from
| Wasting time on poor prospects |
|
Target clients coming directly to you |
| Long sales cycles |
|
Increasing fees through building trust |
| Overwhelm and stress |
|
Controlling your work and fulfilment |
| Under-pricing |
|
Higher fees in line with value |
| Average communication skills |
|
Effective meetings and confident presentations |
| Long hours at work |
|
Career and life satisfaction |
Further information
For more information or to discuss your requirements in more detail, call us on 0800 2800 433 or email info@swat.co.uk