One thing about living in Southeast Texas is that you never have to worry about having the same type of weather pattern between October and April.  It can be sunny and 80 degrees one day and 45 degrees with a nasty north wind the next day.  You never really know what you can expect, so you need to rely on the weatherman or weather sites to help you prepare for the coming days.

The Proverbial Boy Scout

A few days ago, I heard that we were going to have a great deal of fog the following morning and that drive-times would more than double for most commuters.  Being the proverbial Boy Scout, and always being prepared, I set my alarm early and decided to head in before traffic even existed.

Man, was the fog thick that morning.  Living close to the coast didn’t help either.  Pulling out of the driveway I couldn’t even see the stop sign less than 150 yards down the street (and under a stop light).  You’ve got to love Mother Nature.

Well, getting to the freeway, and on to it, wasn’t too bad.  Really, who the heck is going to be up at 5:30 a.m. and on the road other than the idiots and Boy Scouts?  I felt good and knew that I would miss the masses and their inability to drive in anything but sunny conditions (well, they really cannot drive there either).  I would be in the office and enjoying a great cup of coffee in no time.

One Guy Didn’t Notice The Fog

I had gone no more than four miles, and was going about 40 mph, when out of the blue this white Mercedes comes flying by me traveling at least 90 mph.  I mean, I think it was a white Mercedes.  I had maybe 3 seconds to look at it before it disappeared into the fog, so I doubt my testimony is admissible in a court of law.  Anyway, I was in the slow lane (yes, it is true folks, I do drive in the slow lane sometimes) and never saw this guy coming.  He made my heart skip a beat before he was a distant memory.

Was this guy Steve McQueen?  Tony Stewart?  Speed Racer?  Does it really matter?

The next thing that crossed my mind was even more frightening … did this guy even see me?  What if he had hit me?  I thanked God right then for driving a nearly 7,000 lbs Suburban.  It might have been the only thing that would have saved my life if he had plowed into me.

For the next 10 miles, I was expecting to see a huge accident with this guy stuck in the backside of some 18-wheeler; upside-down in the median somewhere; or, in a million pieces after hitting a wall.  Yet, I never saw anything or anyone.  Luck was on his side that day, and mine as well.

When I sat down at my computer, I really started thinking about what I just experienced and wondered how many other cars where operating as if the weather was picture-perfect.  This guy couldn’t have been the only one driving like a maniac, disregarding the weather and putting everyone he passed in danger.  I am sure there were plenty on each freeway and it is only a matter of time before someone or many folks get taken out.  You read stories about this all the time from all over the world.  One day, it will happen here in Houston.

Companies Driving In The Fog

Then, I started thinking about some of the stories that I’ve heard from companies and business leaders from all across the country.  How many of them are operating in the exact same way and expecting to never hit anyone or destroy their company.  Damn the torpedos, full steam ahead … right?  Let me give you an example.

A few months ago I was speaking with a company that was a true domain expert.  They knew their industry and had a niche cornered.  They grew their company from $1.5M in year one to $8.5 in year three, and became the shining star to their competitors.  Life was good and they were exploding.

In our discussions, I spoke to them about how AcctTwo could simplify their back-office, handling all their financial processes and presenting them with real-time information anywhere they had access to the Internet.  We would free them of the burden of managing this area, which wasn’t their expertise, and allow them to focus on growth and capturing as much market share as possible.

After several conversations and meetings, they decided to let their “financial partner” maintain the books and processes.  The road ahead was free and clear and the future was bright, so why fix what wasn’t really broken.  Yes, it wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t broken.

At this time, they had well into six figures in their accounts, plenty of receivables and everything was OK.  Nothing to worry about, really.  Really?

Well, about three months later I got a call from this prospect.  They had major issues.  Not just issues, these were major problems.  You see, their financial partner (note, he really was a partner in the company) had screwed things up … majorly.  The books didn’t make sense, vendors weren’t getting paid, people were overpaid, and they literally didn’t have enough money to make the next payroll.  The worst part about it was that the other partners knew nothing about this until it was too late … and there was nothing I could do to help them.

Needless to say, they were operating their company at 100 mph, in the fog, and never saw that concrete was coming.   The outcome was major damage to all members of the company, vendors, credit ratings and reputations.  All because they didn’t realize the environment they were operating in and the possible outcomes.

AcctTwo – Clearing The Way

With AcctTwo, we keep our clients informed about the coming walls and allow them to easily navigate around them with ease.  Our technology platform, Intacct, allows us to provide them with real-time information, incredible and accurate reports and reporting tools, allowing them to put the hammer down and push their company to the max. We also lighten the load in the car by removing the fighting and screaming kids (accounting department) from the back seats, giving the business leaders the full opportunity to focus on the road ahead rather than worrying about misbehavior in the back.

Since that trip in, I’ve decided to stay away from the fog.  I’d rather work from home than worry about the bozos behind the wheel of the car driving off into oblivion without worrying about those around them.  I suggest you operate your company in the same way.

As a business owner or member of the senior management team, you know that it's a good practice to evaluate multiple alternatives to a particular requirement or solution. If you are considering buying products or services from potential vendors, you probably get 2-3 quotes from different vendors, and evaluate them on the merits of their cost as well as the nature and quality of the services they can bring to the table. But if you've done this a few times, you know that it's not always easy to compare "apples to apples", as different vendors provide different products and services and may charge you different amounts. Lining up the components of each vendor's offering on a comparable basis, including their cost, can be a challenge but is important to ensure you are making the best decision.

Total Cost of Ownership Defined

If you are planning to buy complex products or services over a multi-year period of time, it's important to be able to quantify the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of each of the potential solutions. That means understanding not only how much it will cost you to buy the initial base solution, but also what other costs you might have to incur to be able to utilize the solution, and how much it will cost you to own and operate it over time. TCO is a widely-accepted metric for evaluating software solutions that helps you understand all the ongoing and sometimes hidden costs of owning and operating them over their useful life.

Components of TCO for Accounting Software

Many people make the common mistake of thinking about the cost of their accounting software purely in terms of how much it initially costs to buy the perpetual software licenses. (For purposes of this article, I'm using the traditional model of purchasing perpetual software licenses for on-premises software that you would run on your own computer system. There are other models, such as Software-as-a-Service, but this is the most-commonly understood scenario.) Some people understand there is an additional cost to configure, implement and deploy the software, charged by either the software vendor or their integration partner. Including this cost is obviously a more complete picture, but still doesn't come close to identifying the total cost of ownership. Here is a more complete list of the major components of the TCO of accounting software in a traditional on-premises model, including the aforementioned costs:

• Perpetual software licenses
• Implementation cost
• Computer hardware, including operating system
• Database management system, such as Microsoft SQL (in the case of systems more sophisticated than desktop software)
• Ongoing annual software vendor maintenance fee, usually 18-22%
• Computer hardware maintenance cost
• Cost to upgrade the software when new versions come out
• Cost of IT support personnel to support and maintain the hardware and software

Perpetual Software Licenses

In the traditional model of buying software to own and operate on your own servers, you typically buy perpetual licenses giving you the right to own and use the software as long as you want. The cost of accounting software licenses can be based on a number of factors, including:

• Version or edition of the software purchased
• Number and types of users
• Modules of the software purchased
• Number of locations or legal entities

Version or Edition of the Software Purchased

Some vendors have different versions or editions of the software that include different features or capabilities. Higher-level versions with more features cost more.

Number and Types of Users

User count is usually an important factor in determining the price of the software. Some vendors price different user types at different levels, such as read/write users vs. read-only users. Make sure you've identified all the different types of user access you will require. Some companies overlook the read-only users and end up paying more when all is said and done. It is also important to understand the distinction between concurrent users and named users. Vendors who price based on a concurrent user model limit the total number of users who can be logged in to the system at any given time, even if the total number of named users is much higher. Vendors who price on a named user basis charge for each active user ID in the system, regardless of when or how often they log in. Neither model is better or worse; you just have to understand how your needs will affect the final price.

Modules of the Software Purchased

Some accounting software includes multiple modules, such as general ledger, purchasing, consolidations, etc. Most software includes a base module that contains the core features, as well as add-on modules which typically cost more to purchase. You'll need to have a good understanding of your functional requirements in all business processes supported by the software, so that you know which modules you might need to buy.

Number of Locations or Legal Entities

Some vendors will charge extra for the use of more than one legal entity or location in the system. You will need to determine if this is the case with your vendor and how many entities or locations you will need in order to determine the impact on cost.

Implementation Cost

For any accounting software that is more sophisticated than something like Quickbooks or Peachtree, you may wish to hire the software vendor or professional consulting partner to design and implement the system for you. A professional consultant can help you deal with gathering complex requirements and customizing the system to meet your needs. There have been many horror stories of accounting software implementations that failed miserably because the system was not properly configured or the end users were not adequately trained. Using a good implementation consultant can help avoid these types of issues. There will be a cost for these services, though, which you will need to understand. Some consultants will charge you on a time and materials basis, while others may give you a fixed fee quote to install the software. You may believe you can save money by doing the implementation yourself, or wish to minimize the implementation cost by going for the cheapest price. Just remember, you get what you pay for, and this will be the system you are going to run your business on, so make sure it will meet your needs.

Computer Hardware, Including Operating System

If you purchase Quickbooks, you can probably run the system inexpensively on a local desktop computer or something similar. However, for more complex systems, you will need to buy a server that has an operating system that can run your accounting software. Servers are not cheap, and can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 for entry level up to $100,000 for Tier 1 installations. If your software has complex infrastructure requirements, you will probably want to rely on the vendor or professional implementation consultant to help purchase and configure your server to ensure it at least meets the software vendor’s minimum requirements.

Database Management System

Database management systems (DBMSs) are software systems that house the data used by the accounting system and manage the access to the data as it is being used and modified. Examples of well-known database management systems include Microsoft SQL or Oracle Database. The accounting software vendor will specify which DBMS systems are acceptable for use with their software. These systems are not cheap, and cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 for entry level up to $75,000 for Tier 1 installations. To be clear, this cost is on top of the cost of the server hardware and related operating system. This is an often overlooked component of cost that can come as a surprise when the final bill comes due.

Annual Software Vendor Maintenance Fee

Another often overlooked cost that is nevertheless part of the TCO of accounting software is the annual maintenance fee that must be paid to the software vendor. These annual fees must be paid in order to have rights to future software updates and upgrades (rights only – the upgrades themselves often cost extra), and support of the application by the software vendor. The industry standard for these annual fees is between 18% and 22% of the perpetual license cost. Contrary to what one might expect given the maturation of the software industry, these percentages are actually on the rise. Many buyers don’t think about these costs when evaluating the cost of software, nor do the software vendors or resellers point it out. But if you are looking at the TCO of your software that includes a 20% annual maintenance fee, failing to include these costs means the software alone will actually cost you twice as much as you think over a 5-year period.

Computer Hardware Maintenance Cost

After you buy a server, there is periodic maintenance that has to be done in order to keep it running smoothly, ensuring that all security and operating system patches are up-to-date, hard drives are in good shape and not in danger of failing, backups are working successfully, and all other hardware components are operating correctly. The cost of maintaining your server depends on your requirements as well as on the complexity of the hardware involved. A good rule of thumb is to budget between 20% and 30% of the initial server hardware cost for annual server hardware maintenance.

Software Upgrade Cost

As you continue to use your software and the vendor comes out with new release upgrades, you will want to periodically upgrade your version of the software. Most vendors come out with upgrades about every 24-36 months. You don’t need to upgrade immediately, or even every time a new release is available, but just be aware that you generally can’t fully avoid the costs of upgrading to each version by delaying your upgrade for a few releases and then skipping to the latest version. Generally, the bigger the delta between your version and the version you are upgrading to, the more complex and costly the upgrade is going to be. The cost of upgrading your software depends on the type of software you use and the complexity of your environment. Upgrade costs for a package like Microsoft Dynamics GP, a typical “tier 2” application that many small and medium-sized companies graduate to after Quickbooks, are estimated to be between $5,000 and $15,000. The major drivers of this cost are the complexity and footprint of the software you have implemented (e.g., which modules are deployed, how many users, etc.) as well as the number of customizations you have written for your environment. Customizations to the software are not guaranteed by the vendor to survive any upgrades, so you may have to re-write those each time. To determine the impact of upgrades on your TCO, you need to make an assumption about the frequency of the upgrades over time, as well as the estimated cost.

IT Support Cost

If you purchase any accounting system that is more complex than Quickbooks or Peachtree, you will probably need someone to provide IT support of the application and infrastructure. This support will include everything from basic end-user support for things like password resets and new user setup, to more complex support of the application in the form of database administration, application updates and security patches, and other support. The cost of this support once again depends on the software and its complexity. You can estimate this cost by determining how many IT personnel or full time equivalents will be needed and what their fully-loaded annual cost is, or getting a quote from a third-party IT support firm to do it.

So What is the Total Cost of Ownership of My Accounting Software?

Now that you have a good understanding of the many cost drivers of owning and operating accounting software, it is fairly straightforward to calculate your total cost of ownership. The TCO can vary significantly depending on the nature and complexity of your software, as well as your ongoing requirements for system availability, performance and reliability. Having done a few TCO calculations for clients myself, I can tell you the pitfalls of failing to understand total cost can be expensive. Here are some data points to keep in mind:

• Purely looking at the initial cost of the perpetual licenses in year 1 grossly underestimates TCO. My calculations of total cost of ownership over a 5-year period have ranged from 5X the initial perpetual license cost to 16X, with an average of 9X. Only looking at the perpetual license cost can be extremely misleading, especially when comparing an on-premises solution to cloud-based or SaaS solutions where the TCO is rolled up into a single annual subscription fee.

• Even adding up the full costs in year 1 still grossly underestimates TCO. My 5-year TCO calculations have ranged from 2X the total year 1 costs to 3X, averaging 2.5X year 1 costs.

TCO may be less important when evaluating similar solutions. For example, two similar on-premises solutions may have comparable software maintenance, hardware and IT support costs over time. However, when comparing on-premises solutions to cloud-based or on-demand software solutions, TCO becomes critical in comparing the cost of the two. Stay tuned for follow-on articles about the total cost of ownership of on-premises accounting solutions vs. on-demand or SaaS-based solutions, as well as the TCO of the finance and accounting function. If you would like to find out how AcctTwo can help your company calculate the TCO of your current or prospective accounting software, click the link below.

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Here's a quick read with some tips to build your "dream team"!

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Here's an interesting quick read from Fast Company......link.

At the Columbus Forum a re-occurring theme of customer service popped up throughout the day. What's your "go to" customer service tip? Any superior experiences lately?

Where does the return on investment come from for branding? It’s a question we get frequently, and not always an easy one for companies to answer. We believe the formula for calculating marketing investment is driven by 10 top-level factors (or as we like to say the Power of 10). Our philosophy is based on compounding factors and incremental lift in all categories. Even a small lift in each factor as little as 2-4 percent has a geometric affect on subsequent factors and the bottom line profitability.

The factors to measuring brand ROI include:

1. Increasing the quantity of leads
2. Increasing the quality of leads
3. Increasing the size of the deal or basket (number of units sold)
4. Increasing the price point (the perceived value of the product or service)
5. Increasing the close/win ratio
6. Increasing repeat customer business

while at the same time

1. Reducing the cost per acquisition and close
2. Reducing the sales cycle
3. Reducing customer attrition
4. And reducing employee attrition (bet you weren’t expecting that one)

Branding, when done properly, impacts each of these factors.  Advertising and marketing tactics on the other hand often only focus just a few of these factors. Focusing on just a few of these factors does not generate a geometric return on investment and company growth.

Increasing leads

Lets discuss a few of these factors starting with increasing the quantity of leads. Simply filling a sales pipeline with more leads does not guarantee more sales. In fact, this factor by can have a negative effect on the bottom line.  Sales departments may be distracted chasing unqualified leads, which can increase sales cycles on qualified candidates, and typically drives up the over all cost of acquisition.

Conversely, screening leads can have a negative impact on the number of leads. Raising the quality of leads can be accomplished by improving the target universes, focusing the message points, narrowing the marketing channels, and improving the brand proposition, to name a few tactics.

Qualified buyers tend to buy more services and products, which increases the deal size and or basket when properly motivated with the right incentives. Bundled offerings, bulk unit offerings, valued-added service packages, cross-selling services, all work to up sell the prospect.

Driving price points

Driving price is achieved through increasing perceived differentiators: faster product delivery, enhanced reputation, product design and visual appeal, and a host of other methods. Countless market tests have proven strong brands command higher price points, which can be influenced by increased demand and wait list or back orders. Naturally, wait list and delayed starts can cost you sales as well, but generally speaking the hottest products or services can command more patience from the market and people will often pay more to move to the front of the line while supply is limited. The integrated approach and relational influences are the power behind branding.

Focus on an integrated brand strategy

At this point in the conversation you have probably grasp the relationship between many of these factors, and have begun to understand why focusing on just a few can yield less than optimal results.  Focusing on an integrated brand strategy will develop geometric returns, even with only modest lifts in any individual factor.

Far to often we are asked to provide a silver bullet: something that will turn around the bottom line. Something that will drive sales quickly. We find that while there are short-term fixes, a carefully planned and strategic position to brand management is the only one, true solution to achieve maximum impact. So if you’re looking for a strong return on your investment, consider a program focused on your brand leveraging the Power of 10.

Comments are welcome, especially if you’d like me to expand on any of the points in the Power of 10 and their impact on the bottom line.

 

Forming an advisory board is a great way to generate new ideas, new business, and community connections. Click here  to learn more.

New FAQs for You!

It wasn’t all about the Summary of Coverage documents last Thursday. The Departments of Labor, HHS and Treasury also issued new guidance on frequently asked questions by employers and health plans concerning the auto-enrollment, employer requirements and waiting periods in PPACA. The agencies have asked for comments on the new guidance, which is due by April 9. NAHU plans to submit a letter on behalf of the whole association, and we also anticipate that our Employers for Flexibility In Health Care coalition will submit detailed comments as well.  If you have any thoughts you would like to share with NAHU about the new guidance, please e-mail them to Jessica Waltman. For those of you who like who prefer the Cliff Notes version rather than reading the seven detailed questions and their answers, here is a run down of some of the key points made in the document. Don’t worry about auto-enrollment any time soon. "The Department of Labor has concluded that its automatic enrollment guidance will not be ready to take effect by 2014."   What do employers have to do to determining if their coverage is “affordable” or not (a.k.a. whether or not the employee is allowed to drop employer coverage and go seek individual subsidized coverage through a state exchange)? The document states that "Treasury and the IRS intend to issue proposed regulations or other guidance permitting employers to use an employee’s Form W-2 wages (as reported in Box 1) as a safe harbor in determining the affordability of employer coverage."     What about a look-back/stability period safe harbor for employers? "It is anticipated that the guidance will allow look-back and stability periods not exceeding 12 months."     If you were wondering how and when you are supposed to decide if an employee is full-time or not: "Treasury and the IRS intend to propose an approach under which the period of time that an employer will have to determine whether a newly-hired employee is a full-time employee (within the meaning of section 4980H) will depend upon whether, based on the facts and circumstances, (a) the employee is reasonably expected as of the time of hire to work an average of 30 or more hours per week on an annual basis and (b) the employee’s first three months of employment are reasonably viewed, as of the end of that period, as representative of the average hours the employee is expected to work on an annual basis."     Employers are not required to offer coverage to part-time employees.     When does the benefit waiting period clock begin to tick? "The 90-day waiting period begins when an employee is otherwise eligible for coverage under the terms of the group health plan."     What is the interaction between 90-day wait periods and employer penalties? "The upcoming guidance is expected to provide that, at least for the first three months following an employee’s date of hire, an employer that sponsors a group health plan will not, by reason of failing to offer coverage to the employee under its plan during that three-month period, be subject to the employer responsibility payment under Code section 4980H."

http://static.sgcdn.net/cache/197577/assets/files/4f3bd0f061dc4-197577-3(38)%20Fact%20Sheet%2012012.pdf

December's issue of Smart Business Columbus features GREENCREST Chief Creative Officer, Kelly Borth, who shares with readers her insight on how to provide the information that customers search for.



Your potential customers are searching online for information to solve their problems. They're looking for relevant content - and more often than not, they find it. The question for you is whether or not they'll find answers from your business. Columnist Kelly Borth of GREENCREST, helps you answer this.

"In the digital era, content is king. No matter what type of product or service your business represents, your potential customers are searching for information to solve a problem or fulfill a desire online. These are savvy shoppers. They look for content that is meaningful and relevant. And more times than not, they find what they are looking for — at least enough information to select who they will contact as a result of what they found in their search."

Click to read the rest of the article on the Smart Business website.