Publications

Partnering with Accountants

Your definitive guide to the ultimate referral destination

Released: September 2014

This book presents a comprehensive coverage of an area of lead generation for financial advisers and others wanting to work with accountants. 

It includes numerous suggestions based upon Scott Charlton’s 30 plus years of experience about what works in practice:

  • accountants’ concerns and how to secure a first meeting 
  • whether to share your revenue with accountants
  • the pitfalls of being employed by an accountant
  • what to look for when buying an accounting firm 
  • the keys to success for a multi-divisional professional practice.
  • how the Future of Financial Advice (FOFA) reforms provide significant opportunities to engage with accountants
  • answers to the 30 most frequently asked questions about referral relationships

Filled with checklists, tips and actual case studies, Partnering with Accountants uses an enjoyable travel analogy to assist you through the challenges associated with accounting collaborations.


Comments from colleagues
 

Essential reading for any professional seeking
referrals from accountants.

Jim Stackpool, author of Delivering Certainty.

Partnering with Financial Planners

A guide for accounting firms

Released: September 2012

No matter how small or large your accounting firm there is an appropriate solution for you and your clients. This book however provides much more than merely explaining the pros and cons of the various options available – employ a planner, become licenced yourself, enter into a joint venture etc. A fundamental theme throughout is achieving a productive collaboration between accountants and financial planners. The author explains how to create a meaningful collaborative environment such that clients receive full benefit from their primary financial advisers working closely together.

Your Professional Headspace

Achieving career success and personal fulfillment as a professional in practice.

For many professionals, career success does not bring satisfaction. Wealth alone does not bring happiness. Prestige does not bring respect. Why? Many successful professionals are too busy looking after clients to lead fulfilling lives themselves. Life as a practitioner frequently resembles being caught in a washing machine, with little left for self or family at the end of the spin cycle. Scott Charlton has assisted hundreds of professionals to run better businesses, do more of the work they like to do and live more fulfilled lives. In doing so, he has counseled those who are professionally lost, seeking career change and carrying the firm on their shoulders. With the Your Professional Headspace on your bookshelf you too can enjoy more great days at the office. 
 

1. The most value that gets added to a professional services firm is when the owner is “In the Zone”. What a shame so little time is invested there.
 
 
2. The more days you as a major revenue earner of the firm invest with clients the more revenue the firm will earn.


3. You can't be in the sweet spot by trying to be all things to all comers. Focus on work you enjoy and are good at.


4. Don't try to be something you're not. For example, if keeping up to date with the latest tax changes is crushingly onerous or incredibly tedious then don’t masquerade as a taxation specialist.





 
5. Get real – do you have genuine management talent or would you be happier and more productive working with clients?



6. Let go. Jot down six tasks/professional responsibilities that you don’t enjoy. Come up with a plan to minimise your involvement with these areas and yet still get the job done. Better yet, find ways to engineer these out of your life. Do this today and repeat at regular intervals.


7. Specialise. Find a service niche which enables you to work more and more in areas that fascinate you. Aim to be the best in the world in this niche. Seek out other experts in this field. Subscribe and contribute to relevant publications focusing on this area.

8. Be passionate. It’s great to be really enthused about a subject. For some, this has proved to be a lifelong cause. Your passion will attract others and sustain you.


9. Articulate. Tell others about your talent. There are lots of great ways to do this - presentations, websites, blogs, articles, newsletters, e-mail, personal referral, business networks etc.


10. Look for opportunities to utilise your skills. Interestingly, the more you focus on developing your professional interests, the more opportunities open up to you in these areas.


11. Delegate, delegate, delegate. Work with others who have complementary talents to your own. This will enable you to focus on what you are good at. 


12. Become more effective. Find ways to get more done in less time. The more you can achieve whilst you are "in the zone", the more discretionary time you will have.


 

13. People who are physically fit create a much better first impression. Prospects become clients, candidates become team members and audiences pay more attention when you exude the Zing! which comes from feeling terrific.


14. Periodically review your career, present role and current level of satisfaction. Are you on track or is action required?


15. Rarely are there winners in deteriorating partnership dissolutions. Cut the best deal possible under the circumstances quickly, gather up every bit of positive energy you can muster and move on. 
 

16. It’s hard to be in the right professional headspace if your personal financial affairs are in a mess.





 
17. No one else has your unique combination of core purpose, skills and experiences. No one else is responsible for what you to choose to do with these. No one else is putting limitations on what you can achieve.

18. It's easier to maintain your current level of fitness than to regain it after a period of inactivity. Aim to do something active every day.

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PO Box 6020 | Fairfield Gardens QLD 4103