| Crosley + Company |

Speaker and Lecturer

Ms. Crosley is a speaker at partner retreats, CPA association meetings, AICPA events, and state society conferences.

According to DFK International Executive Director Jay Hauck, "The managing partners of our association of CPA firms are a demanding audience. Gale fit the bill perfectly - a dynamic speaker who challenged our members to develop strategies for growing their practices and gave them the tools to do it."

Speaking Topics

2010: A Growth Odyssey — New in 2010

od • ys • sey
Pronunciation: \'ä-d?-se\
1 : a long voyage usually marked by many changes of fortune
2 : an intellectual wandering or quest

The last decade was surely marked by changes in fortunes as accounting firm growth waxed and waned. But trends were starting to emerge which give us a glimpse of the next decade. This topic explores those foundational shifts which set the stage for growth imperatives in 2010 and beyond.

Who Moved My Market? — New in 2010

Significant shifts in market conditions often render current offerings obsolete, while providing an opportunity to design and provide new offerings to new buyers. However, the challenges of realizing your market has shifted, identifying new “market holes,” and successfully launching new offerings are significant. How do you find new market opportunities? How do you get new services and niches off the ground? How do you insure that more mature services and industry niches continue to contribute optimal margin? This topic centers on the process of bringing new offerings to market, as well as innovating your entire portfolio.

From Accountant to Consultant — Making the Leap — New in 2010

Why is there more focus than ever on serving our current clients? In the recent past, business conditions were so good we could barely keep up with the demand, let alone focus on clients’ additional needs. But with softened demand, and clients calling us for advice beyond our standard offerings, client service has taken a front and center position. And with this comes new potential for consulting services. What is the difference in delivering accounting versus consulting? How does one become the best trusted advisor? What about the consulting services? How do you scope them? Price them? Deliver them? The differences between accounting and consulting can be significant. This topic explores how to morph beyond accountant into a world-class consultant.

Bringing IFRS to Market — New in 2010

With the start-stop nature of IFRS adoption, deciding the firm’s strategy can be complicated and at times frustrating. However, proactive firms are starting to discover non-traditional early markets and early adopters. They stand the best chance of achieving the enviable first-to-market position similar to firms which leveraged SOX 404. Traditional early adopters such as US subsidiaries of foreign parents are only one of several buyer groups. This topic explores how to find early buyer groups, develop first-to-market offerings, discover powerful channels of distribution, and be strategically positioned to become the go-to firm for IFRS services.

Lean Times and Growth Imperatives (Most requested for Managing Partner meetings)

Growing your firm during excellent market conditions is easy compared to today’s tough environment. Investments in growth still need to be made, but how much and what kind? Growth strategies are different in difficult times. Initiatives such as branding provide long-term benefits. But short term initiatives, such as better opportunity development, are the order of the day. This series of 4 optional sessions explores the do’s and don’ts of growth during lean times, including organizing your partner group, getting tactical and practical, and considering strategies such as developing new services and hiring business developers.

At the Crossroads – Efficient and Effective Growth (Most requested for Managing Partner meetings)

Today, growth is not necessarily about more, but about being efficient and effective – utilizing scarce resources wisely, and ending up with a preferred client base. Focusing the firm on growing for tomorrow can challenge the leadership. Strategic, cultural and political issues present obstacles to implementing initiatives. At the Crossroads covers the Practice Growth Model from Crosley’s newest book. It represents a smorgasbord of the best concepts, strategies, tactics and implementation approaches to lead your firm out of a “book of business” model, to one that is positioned to take advantage of opportunities in today’s market.

Landing the Big Fish (Most requested for Managing Partner meetings) [Article]

Today more opportunities are surfacing than ever before– from clients considering a move from a Big Four, to clients of firms no longer servicing a market niche. These opportunities are unlike any others because they are often larger, more competitive, and more difficult to win. This session highlights the challenges in landing larger pieces of business, and demonstrates specific concepts and techniques to turn larger opportunities into sources of revenue and growth.

Winning Multi-Firm Opportunities

Landing large competitive opportunities is difficult. And when multiple firms are involved, opportunity pursuit is especially challenging. This session highlights the obstacles in landing larger pieces of business when multiple firms within an association are involved. It covers how to select a multi-firm pursuit team, develop a pursuit strategy, utilize the strength of the association, articulate the value of the association to potential buyers, identify roles that other firms can play in developing and closing the business, and practical considerations in working as a multi-firm team.

Keeping Your Niches Out of the Ditches (Most requested for Managing Partner meetings) [Article]

Launching service and industry niches and developing existing niches into boutiques, have never been more important to CPAs than in today’s rapidly changing environment. However, the challenges often cause firms to question the viability and profitability of providing new services in niche environments. How do you insure that more mature services and industry niches continue to contribute maximum margin? How do you get new services and niches off the ground? This offering delves into the traditional discipline of product management, draws on the applicability to professional services, and centers on the process of bringing new offerings to market, as well as managing your entire portfolio.

Hiring a Business Developer and Making it Work (Most requested for Managing Partner meetings)

Today more firms are considering hiring a business developer. Several firms have tried it and few succeeded. The landscape is littered with the wounded bodies of business development people who took the risk of entering the CPA firm environment, only to end up out the door after it didn’t work out. When they leave, the partners often believe they took the risk, spent money, and received little in return. This topic discusses the reasons for the failures and how to achieve success with hiring business developers.

Building Value

Creating a value proposition is your best defense against competitive pricing pressures. The session covers how to identify value propositions based upon client needs, how to articulate value to the client, and the correlation between business development skills and pricing.

Innovating for Competitive Advantage

Many of our core offerings in the CPA profession have been described as “commodity” items. When services are mature, competition is intense, and pricing is scrutinized, innovation becomes critical to differentiating and winning business. This topic explores how you and your firm can continue to infuse innovation into mature offerings and turn prospects into lucrative revenue growth.

Turbo-Charging Lead Generation

Professionals constantly struggle with efficiently producing enough leads to grow the practice, while delivering quality work. The issues surrounding converting a network of contacts into a client revenue stream are universal – where to find the best contacts, what to do with a business card once you get it, and how to turn exploratory meetings into an abundance of leads and lucrative revenue. This topic explores effective processes and tactics to tackle these challenges, converting contacts into a network that produces optimal revenue.

Making the Most of Conferences and Events

Studies have shown that 80% or more of new business is done through referrals or networking. This presentation includes how to make more of every outside event or meeting. It describes how participants can overcome obstacles and the anxiety of meeting new people in a social setting. It offers suggestions on targeting the right individuals, what to say, how to mingle, exchange of business cards, following up, and maximizing each individual’s business development efforts in any social or business setting.

Relationship Building Skills

Successful business development relies upon a series of fundamental skills. This session concentrates on the basic skills required to develop business including developing elevator statements, questioning techniques and lead generation approaches.

Effective Client Management

The cornerstone of growing a practice is the effective management of the current client base. Often the growth in a client relationship languishes from lack of care and feeding. How can a professional turn a reactive approach to a proactive process which not only maintains client relationships, but identifies additional opportunities? With such limited time, how can this be done efficiently? This topic explores managing and developing your current client base.

Integrating the Sales and Marketing Functions

As more firms hire business developers, the roles, responsibilities and seamless interfaces between the sales and marketing functions are critical to the success of each. But all too often, sales and marketing are on different pages and don’t work together. This session covers the responsibilities and handoffs, navigating pitfalls, managing the functions, metrics, priorities and compensation plans.

Product Management – The Final Frontier

Firms over the last several years have invested in marketing. In addition, they’ve embraced sales – whether through traditional rainmakers or professional business developers. Product management, however, is a little known function in CPA firms – yet so critical to the success of your services and industry niches. The result can be a better strategy with your offerings and strengthening of your niches. This session covers the objectives and responsibilities of product management, competencies of product managers and foundational concepts for success.

Taking Your Niche National

In an increasingly competitive environment, CPAs are concluding that niche specialization is the optimal approach to building revenue. However, some of the local “fishing ponds” are not large enough to sustain a sufficient pool of buyers. This offering delves into strategies and tactics to increase your geographical focus, prospect pool and national presence.

New Services – New Markets: Getting Them Successfully Off the Ground

Launching new services challenges most CPA firms. Identifying early adopters, and following a time tested and proven recipe for driving success, will save you countless wasted dollars and headaches. Learn the secrets of successful niche-builders, and avoid those common mistakes which lead to distraction, de-railing and disappointing results.

Download Speaker Sheet (PDF format, 99Kb)

Recent and Planned Public Speaking Engagements

August, 2010 – CPA Leadership Institute Webinar
July, 2010 – PKF North America National Partners Conference – Coeur D’Alene, Idaho
June, 2010 – CPA Leadership Institute Webinar
May, 2010 – HLB USA Managing Partners Conference – Atlantis, Bahamas
May, 2010 – Alabama Society of CPAs – Birmingham, AL
February, 2010 – NYC Large/Medium Firm Group – NYC, NY
November, 2009 – PKF North America Managing Partners Meeting – Atlanta, GA
October, 2009 through February, 2010 – 2020 Canada Webinar Growth Series
October, 2009 – MSI Global Alliance Annual Conference – Toronto, Canada
October, 2009 – CCH Users Conference – Washington, DC
October, 2009 – CPA Leadership Institute – Webinar
October 2009 – Polaris Managing Partner Meeting – Los Angeles, CA
September, 2009 – DFK International Managing Partners Meeting – Phoenix, AZ
August, 2009 – CPA Leadership Institute – Webinar
August, 2009 – Forum for Women in Accounting – Las Vegas, NV
July 2009 – Financial Planning Summit – Chicago, IL
July, 2009 – Morison International Annual Conference – Philadelphia, PA
June, 2009 – Leading Edge Alliance Managing Partners Meeting – Chicago, IL
June, 2009 – Association for Accounting Marketing – Austin, TX
June, 2009 – CPA Leadership Institute – Webinar
May, 2009 – Indiana Society of CPAs Solutions Summit – Indianapolis, IN
May, 2009 – AGN Managing Partner Meeting – Denver, CO
April, 2009 – CPA Leadership Institute – Webinar
January, 2009 – Management Summit – Las Vegas, NV
November, 2008 – University of Akron Tax Conference – Akron, OH
October, 2008 – CCH User’s Conference – Palm Desert, CA
July, 2008 – Source Media Financial Planning Conference - Chicago, Ill
July, 2008 – Western CPE – Cape Cod, Mass
June, 2008 – The 2008 Forum for Women in Accounting – Las Vegas
June, 2008 – Association for Accounting Marketing – San Diego
May, 2008 – Moore Stephens North America Partner Meeting – Colorado
May, 2008 – AICPA Practitioner’s Symposium
March, 2008 – AAM/LMA Meeting - Minneapolis