AZ CPA Oct 2011

AZ

CPA October 2011

The Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants

Tablet Uses for CPA Firms Search Engine Strategies

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AZ

CPA OCTOber 2011

Volume 27 Number 8

Search Engine Conversion Strategies

15

Search engine optimization is becoming more crucial to businesses. But now that you’ve optimized your site, what should you do next?

by Brian Swanson

Features

Technology for CPAs: Don’t Get Left Behind—What’s New from Microsoft?

Whether You Realize it or Not, Your Future is Cloudy

What operating systems are in the works and which ones should you invest in?

by K2 Enterprises

9

17

The more responsive we need to be to our customers, the more we need the speed and adaptability of cloud computing.

by Michael S. Nyman, CPA

Five Reasons to Become a Contract Investigator for the Accountancy Board

Tablet Uses for CPA Firms

Find out the benefits for you—and the entire profession— of becoming a contract investigator.

by Larry Field, CPA

11

Does a tablet have a place in your CPA firm or business?

While not a full laptop replacement, it can be a useful addition to your tech tool arsenal.

by Ed Zollars, CPA

Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants 4801 E. Washington St., Suite 225-B Phoenix, Arizona 85034-2021 www.ascpa.com

Columns & Departments 6

Chair’s Message by Mark Anderson, CPA

7

Focus on Members

22 Classifieds

www.ascpa.com

4 AZ CPA y OCTOBER 2011

21

AZ

CPA

The Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants

President & CEO

Cindie Hubiak

Editor

Patricia Gannon

Bigger is Better

Copy & Advertising Deadline The first of the month one month prior to publication date.

Board of Directors Chair Chair-Elect Secretary/Treasurer Directors

Mark Anderson Armando Roman Karen Abraham Anita Baker Rob Dubberly Megan Faust Barb Muller Julie Norton David Richardson Craig Robb Elva Vivas David Walser Corrine Wilson Neal Young Kevin Yeanoplos

Call 1.800.584.4595 Ext. 05 www.accountingpracticesales.com

Gary Hankins, CPA Member Arizona Society of CPAs

Immediate Past Chair Julie Klewer AICPA Council Members George Cohen Layne Simmons Chapter Presidents Southern Chapter Northern Chapter Southwest Chapter North-Central Chapter

Flo Zenblu CW Payne Jayne Wright Alyx Cohan

AZ CPA is published by the Arizona Society of Certified Public

Accountants (ASCPA) to provide information, news and trends in the profession of accounting. It is distributed 10 times a year as a regular service to members of the Society. The ASCPA, its members, board of directors and administrative staff assume no responsibility for advertisements herein. The ASCPA and the above people also assume no liability for business decisions made by readers in reference to statements and/or claims in advertisements within this publication.

Opinions expressed by correspondents and contributors are not necessarily those of the ASCPA.

Arizona Society of CPAs 4801 E. Washington St., Suite 225-B Phoenix, AZ 85034-2021 Telephone (602) 252-4144 AZ Toll-Free (888) 237-0700 Fax (602) 252-1511

www.ascpa.com

Join the ASCPA as our members go

Behind The Scenes with…

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Only 50 spaces are available, so register today at www.ascpa.com to secure your spot.

OCTOBER 2011 y AZ CPA

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Chair’s Message

by Mark Anderson, CPA

Just a Click Away As I navigated around our new website for the first time, I soon realized what a great tool we have available to us as members and future members of the ASCPA. Some of you may be thinking that my only objective in going to the website was to complete the scavenger hunt and be entered into the drawing for an iPad, but I can assure you that wasn’t my only motivation!

In a recent B2C (business to consumer) strategy session I attended with other leaders within the Delta Dental system, I quickly realized the importance of constructing an efficient website that provided a simple and easy way for consumers to conduct the business at hand. To prove a point, we pulled up the website of one of our companies and counted the number of “mouse clicks” it took to purchase an individual dental insurance policy. After navigating to several screens using a combination of about 15 clicks, we still had not accomplished our goal and stopped to reflect on the challenges this causes for our potential customers.

We need to realize that one negative experience on a website will discourage many users from ever visiting again.

We’re all consumers of and users of websites for all kinds of e-commerce such as booking airline tickets, buying household goods, or downloading a new book. We’ve all dealt with the agony of navigating deeply into the abyss of some websites and experienced the joy of finding everything on the home page through various quick links on other websites. For instance, on our new website, with one click of the mouse I can see my account information, my CPA profile, my dues “pay through” date, and the number of CPE credits I’ve completed for my current

6 AZ CPA y OCTOBER 2011

reporting period. With one click of the mouse I can navigate to the screen to make a PAC or Education Foundation contribution (I could never find that on the old website). With one click of the mouse I can navigate to our Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or blog sites.

The bottom line is—our websites are an extension of our businesses and our brands. Clients and customers are often turning to our websites first for information before they call us. What impression is your website making to your prospective clients? Are they finding answers to their questions and are you helping them solve their problems? The most useful and visited sites on our new website can be navigated to in one to two clicks of the mouse.

To me (as a middle-aged professional who impatiently wants things here and now) this is extremely valuable. To our new and upcoming members, this is a new standard that is expected in all website and e-commerce transactions.

As you consider your own company’s interface with the public through the Internet, put yourself in your customers’ shoes and try to transact business or research something on your own website. I guarantee you that you will find ways to improve your sites and possibly your relationship with your visitors and future clients and customers.

The bottom line is—our websites are an extension of our businesses and our brands.

I also encourage all of you to check out the new website at www.ascpa. com and share your feedback with Cindie Hubiak and her team at the ASCPA. You will be impressed at the amount of information on the home page and what you can accomplish in a very short time. After months of effort to design and implement this new website, I want to congratulate our ASCPA staff on this monumental AZ CPA accomplishment.

Focus on Members Ronda L. Jamieson, CPA, has been promoted to senior auditor of the Maricopa County Internal Audit Division.

Susan M. Vos, CPA, joined Regier Carr & Monroe as audit manager.

Alanna Mack, CPA, managing partner of Mack & Rohwedder, P.C., has joined the Board of Trustees of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to preserving Wright’s works and design philosophy.

Paul Evans, CPA, was promoted to senior manager—audit, Pam Eggert, CPA, was promoted to manager—audit, Eric Kegler, CPA, promoted to manager—audit, Mandy Udelhoven, CPA was promoted to senior associate—tax at Eide Bailly LLP. Recently retired Blue Cross Blue Shield senior vice president, CFO & chief business development officer, Tony Astorga, CPA, and his wife Milena, have agreed to chair the Catholic Community Foundation’s annual fundraiser, the Crozier Gala.

Nancy Meech, CPA, founding partner of the accounting firm of Heinfeld Meech & Co., was selected as one of 10 women named as a finalist for the Southern Arizona Athena Award.

The ASU Alumni Association elected Theresa Esparza, CPA, director of tax for P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, to its Board of Directors.

The Phoenix office of Grant Thornton LLP, and Keats, Connelly & Assoc. have been selected by BestCompaniesAZ as two of the winners in the annual Arizona’s Most Admired Companies Awards. Honorees were chosen based on its excellence in workplace culture, leadership excellence, social responsibility and customer opinion.

Among other banking/finance/accounting honorees were American Express, Clifton Gunderson LLP, JP Morgan Chase, M&I Bank, National Bank of Arizona and Vanguard.

Society CFO Rappels Building to Raise Funds for Special Olympics Adela Jiménez, ASCPA chief operating officer and CFO, recently went to Washington to help raise funds for the Special Olympics by rappeling off Ranier Tower.

“Some people may say that I am brave for agreeing to rappel off of a 514-foot-tall building, when in reality it is the thousands of people with physical and mental disabilities who live their lives with such dignity, and challenge themselves beyond perceived limitations, that are the brave ones,” says Jiménez. “The way they live their lives is an inspiration for all of us to reach and achieve greater goals.”

ASCPA CEO Publishes Book Cindie Hubiak, CPA, and ASCPA

president & CEO, self-published her first book, A Woman’s Guide to Thriving After Prostate Cancer— You Got Him Through, Now What About You? Hubiak’s husband, Steve Frohman, was diagnosed with prostate cancer, but has been cancer-free for four years.

Over the last several years, Cindie has written four books.

“I write mostly from 3 to 5 a.m. and I’m thrilled to finally publish one, particularly one that assists people who have been impacted by prostate cancer.” Hubiak and Frohman were also recently featured on the Fox morning news program in San Diego.

Her book can be found at www.SolutionsForIntimacy.com and major on-line book sellers.

OCTOBER 2011 y AZ CPA

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John Grunkemeyer, CPA, center, arranged a meeting with Congressman David Schweikert, far left. They were joined by Cindie Hubiak, CPA, ASCPA President & CEO, and from right, Jim Vandeventer, CPA, and Tony Hakes, CPA.

The staff at Hunter Hagan & Company, Ltd., as part of their strategic plan, wanted to “raise the bar” on their professional image. In an effort to provide guidance for their younger staff, they contacted Dress Barn who provides dress for success programs on a regular basis. Not only did they present a two-hour presentation on business dress issues, but also arranged for a Mary Kay representative to provide make-up tips.

s

Arizona State Board of Accountancy Annual Meeting

s

Mark Landy, CPA, and Arizona State Board of Accountancy board member, presents a plaque to Debbi Fitzgerald, CPA, honoring her five years of service to the Accountancy Board, including serving as its president last year.

8 AZ CPA y OCTOBER 2011

Brian Lee, CPA, was recognized for serving on the Accountancy Board’s Auditing and Accounting Standards Committee for 10 years. ASCPA President & CEO Cindie Hubiak shared in the excitement.

Whether You Realize it or Not, Your Future is Cloudy It had been a great conference. I was just boarding the plane home thinking about the “data dump� of information I had just received about cloud computing.

I now understood the types of deployment models, like public, community, hybrid, and private clouds. I knew the various service models, like Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). I also knew the essential and common characteristics of the cloud computing framework. I was ready to answer any question thrown my way.

But I was not ready for what happened next.

by Michael S. Nyman, CPA, CISA, CISSP, CITP, CRISC

OCTOBER 2011 y AZ CPA

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The more mobile we get, the more we need the flexibility and access of cloud applications.

The more responsive we need to be to our customers and the marketplace, the more we need the speed and adaptability of the cloud.

I sat down and started up a conversation with the gentleman next to me.

We went through the routine questions, and I found out he was a fellow CPA. I started asking about his firm, the type of work he does, and the technology he uses in his work and personal life.

He asked me why I was in Las Vegas.

I explained about the conference I had just attended and the cloud computing portion of the conference. Then he said something that astonished: “I have never and will never be on the cloud!”

I wondered which definition and/or explanation I could give him to help him understanding the cloud without being too technical.

Thoughts of the Windows 7 “To the Cloud” commercials flashed in my mind, the one with the family sitting at the airport waiting for a delayed flight.

They open their new Windows 7 laptop and started watching shows from their DVR at home through the cloud. There was also the IBM Smart Cloud commercial that explains all the benefits that major organizations experience on IBM’s cloud.

The media have done such a fantastic job of advertising the cloud that it’s difficult to really explain what it is. Companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, IBM, Sun, Cisco, Dell, HP, Intel, Novell and Oracle are all providing cloud computing applications and services. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

10 AZ CPA y OCTOBER 2011

I started thinking about real examples in this CPA’s life that could demonstrate how he is already on the cloud.

I saw his smartphone lying on the tray in front of him. I asked what service he was using for email. He said he uses Google Gmail for his personal emails, and a web-based Microsoft email solution for his business emails. He said he loves having his messages accessible so he can get messages just about anywhere. I explained that web-based email like Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, and Gmail are some of the biggest cloud computing service providers.

Every day there are more and more places where this gentlemen, and just about everyone else, is encountering cloud applications: • Word processing spreadsheet applications: Google Docs (google.com) and Office 365 Zoho Office (zoho.com) • Photo storage, editing and sharing: Flickr (flickr.com), Google Picasa (google.com) • Data back up: SugarSync (sugarsync. com), Carbonite (carbonite.com) • Social networking: Facebook (facebook.com), LinkedIn (linkedin. com), MySpace (myspace.com), Twitter (twitter.com) • Customer relationship management (CRM): Salesforce (salesforce.com), InfusionCRM (infusioncrm.com), Aplicor (aplicor.com), Aprimo (aprimo.com), SalesNexus (salesnexus.com)

• Payroll: Paycom (paycomonline. com), Workday (workday.com), ADP (adp.com) • Accounting: NetSuite (netsuite.com), Intacct (us.intacct.com), EPicor (discover. epicor.com), Dynamics (microsoft.com), SAP Business One (sap.com) • Tax and accounting research: CCH (cch.com), BNA Thomson Rueters (thomsonreuters.com) • Electronic tax filing: ProSeries (proseries.intuit.com), CCH ProSystems (cchgroup.com), Thomson Reuters GoSystem Tax RS (cs.thomsonreuters.com).

When we landed and passengers started to leave the plane, I told the gentleman it was great to meet him and talk with him. After a long pause, he turned to me and quietly said, “Wow! I am in shock to see how much of my life and my business is in the cloud.

Thanks for changing the way I look at cloud computing.”

From this exchange of ideas high above the real clouds, I was able to show how cloud computing applications and services are everywhere in our personal and professional lives. The more mobile we get, the more we need the flexibility and access of cloud applications. The more responsive we need to be to our customers and the marketplace, the more we need the speed and adaptability of the cloud. And the more pressure we feel on our profitability, the more we need the efficiency, low capital investment and cost-effective benefits of the cloud.

Let me be among the first to assure you that the cloud isn’t coming. It’s already here. You can see it everywhere you interact with technology. And the forecast calls for even more clouds in AZ CPA your future.

Michael Nyman, CPA, CISA,CISSP, CITP, CRISC, is a senior manager in the Information Technology Assurance practice for Clifton Gunderson LLP in Phoenix.

He has worked with numerous organizations auditing and reviewing applications and IT controls for more than 14 years.

You can reach him at Michael.Nyman@ cliftoncpa.com.

Tablet Uses for CPA Firms

by Ed Zollars, CPA The Apple iPad has shown that a tablet-based device can gain a wide market and, to date, has been the only device to do so. But we may reasonably ask if a tablet has a place in a CPA firm. While not a laptop replacement, it nevertheless can prove to be a useful addition.

The iPad is primarily an information consumption rather than document creating device. When viewed from that perspective there are some important uses for the device when the CPA is in an environment where the principal need is for the CPA to obtain information or have access to information. In tax practice, that often means during meetings with clients when immediate access to information can solve problems.

Advantages and Disadvantages The iPad offers the following advantages over a laptop computer for the CPA on the road: Instant on—no two- to three-minute wait for the machine to be ready to be used. This difference, one that may not seem important to many CPAs right away when considering the device, is a major advantage for the iPad. It makes the device usable to quickly check a fact during a meeting without disrupting the flow of the meeting—doing the same on a laptop requires unfolding the laptop, sitting through bootup (often with various distracting sounds), loading the appropriate program and then finally getting an answer (which may be five minutes after the whole process got started).

Extremely long battery life—even with constant use (display on, using radios to communicate, playing video and audio) the battery will last about eight hours. In normal use it will go well beyond that time period. Most laptops have rated lives far below that level, and real world lives that are much shorter than their rated lives.

Extreme portability—much lighter than a laptop to carry, less conspicuous when brought into a meeting. A user with a laptop generally ends up sitting with the screen between him/herself and the client. A user with a tablet has a device that lays flat in front of him or her. As well, like a piece of paper, the tablet can simply be handed to another person in a meeting to show him/her some detail.

Airport security—the device does not have to removed from your baggage during airport screening.

Thus, the device also does not have to be left “in the open” going through security so that potential

OCTOBER 2011 y AZ CPA

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thieves don’t have to know you have the device The iPad has the following disadvantages when compared to a laptop: Enterprise Applications—generally the machine is not going to run legacy applications except if used as an RDP device to a terminal server back at the office. And even then, the lack of a keyboard and mouse makes it a less than optimal remote access device.

Lack of Easy Input—a full-sized keyboard is a much better device for entering data than the onscreen keyboard of the iPad. While an external keyboard can be added, it increases the size of the device, adds more to carry and a touchscreen in many cases is more cumbersome to use than a mouse for things like cursor positioning in a document.

Limited use of external monitors —while the iPad can support use of an external monitor, the use is limited and requires the use of a dongle. The iPad2 is somewhat more flexible, but only via an HDMI port dongle. Laptops are more useful for presentations in general, especially if your presentations go beyond simple slide shows.

Limited file transfer support—getting files onto and off the iPad is far more complicated than it needs to be.

The officially supported method is to hook the iPad to a computer and use iTunes to transfer files, but that is cumbersome. For this reason many applications have created their own transfer systems. GoodReader in particular has a number of ways to get files onto the device.

Printer Issues—While iOS 4.x can print to external printers, there are still very few printers on the market that support the protocol it uses.

Lack of Adobe Flash support—perhaps the best known limitation, I’ve not found this to be terribly limiting for professional use.

Applications Used I have found the following applications useful in my practice.

GoodReader – This product used for referencing PDF and other standard format documents. This program is

12 AZ CPA y OCTOBER 2011

by far my most used iPad application.

The program supports folders, will pay attention to bookmarks in the PDF document and those can be easily used to navigate a document. The current version also supports using the standard PDF commenting functions (highlighting, entering notes, etc.) and can either save them back to the original PDF or create a new “marked up” version.

Manuals from CPE programs and conferences. Some state CPA societies are offering manuals to participants in PDF format rather than paper, often with a discount on the program. Such PDF format manuals can then be used as a reference source.

Working papers from paperless work systems in portable format. Our firm’s internal paperless workpaper system keeps workpapers in PDF format, with Adobe bookmarks used for references.

Before a meeting, I transfer all of the client’s historical workpapers onto the device and have them easily accessible during the meeting.

Reference materials in PDF format.

Some reference materials exist in PDF format. Government documents are especially likely to be available in this format, but even some publishers create documents this way. For instance, Circular 230 is published by the IRS in PDF form, and the AICPA SSTSs are also available as a PDF document.

CCH Mobile—CCH offers limited access for CCH research subscribers.

For now it’s offered free to existing subscribers, but CCH seems to be holding open the option of charging for the service. Materials offered via this service includes: daily news feed; IRC and regulations; other items in service linked to by one of the items above.

United States Code & Regulations— Tekkinovations offers most of the United States Code and Code of Federal Regulations in iPad format as a reference item. While only updated every few months, it does provide access to the Code and Regulations when the user might not have access to the Internet for an online service.

Title 26 USC & CFR—The entire Internal Revenue Code and related

regulations are available here.

Title 29 USC & CFR—Title 29 contains labor provisions, thus this has the law from ERISA and related regulations.

The major quirk is that since most sources give references to the original ERISA code section and not to the USC citation, you do generally have to also keep around a cross-reference from ERISA to USC. Safari—Web Browser. Mobile Safari is a full-fledged web browser that can access the vast majority of websites fully, not just in a limited “mobile” format.

The major reasons sites fail to run will tend to be because they demand Adobe Flash and/or require ActiveX controls.

While it is possible (though not likely) that the first problem might go away if Apple were to allow Flash on the device, the latter will not go away as ActiveX is a Windows/Internet Explorer only technology. However, due to severe security problems, the technology is not one that is being used nearly as much today as it was in the past, so it would mainly be a problem only with legacy enterprise web applications. To-

day even Internet Explorer complains loudly about loading ActiveX controls (Microsoft’s nod to the huge security that exist from allowing an ActiveX control to run unless you really trust the source), making that technology a support problem even for Microsoft only installations.

RIA Checkpoint—RIA online system runs fine in Safari, though the interface is a bit too mouse centric to be truly easy to use (the expand tree buttons are very small, so you need to magnify the screen or be very good at positioning your finger).

Tax Analysts— I find this tax service operates well under mobile Safari, making it the service I normally use on the road.

CCH Intelliconnect—This research does not run or runs very poorly in Safari. These issues likely explain the existence of CCH Mobile.

Mail—The iPad handles email more effectively than a smart phone because of the larger screen space. While an iPhone or similar touch screen smart phone can handle mail, reality is that

those small screens only allow a limited amount of mail management. The same is true of non-touch screen phones, such as RIM Blackberry phones. As well, only a very small amount of the email can be seen at one time.

However a tablet allows an experience much more like reading the email on your office computer, and offers similar management capabilities. For offices using either IMAP for a base mail server technology or Exchange 2007 or later, the devices can do all of the mail management possible on AZ CPA the desktop.

Edward K. Zollars, CPA, is a shareholder of Thomas & Zollars, Ltd. He has previously served as a member of the AICPA Tax Division’s Member Practice Improvement and Tax Technology Committees, and is currently a member of the Society’s Tax Section Steering and Tax Legislation Committees, as well as on the Board of Advisers of the Phoenix Tax Workshop. He produces a weekly podcast on professional tax matters available at www.edzollarstaxupdate.com.

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is an essential component to inbound marketing that is often overlooked.

Effective Accounting Firm Websites

Search Engine Conversion Strategies You’ve Done Search Engine Optimization, Now What?

by Brian Swanson You know it is important for your business to show up in a search engine. That’s why you’ve invested in optimizing your site, carefully embedding keywords, descriptions and titles into each page to help get your business noticed first.

But now that you’ve gotten a prospect to your website, what should you do?

Think about this—you only have to get their attention for 15 seconds.What is your website offering to make a prospect to want to reach out and engage with you?

Once on the site, the primary objective should be to entice them to contact you.

The key is to prominently display a compelling call to action on your home page.

This compelling pull, otherwise known as a conversion strategy, is the process through which you entice a website visitor to contact your firm or take another action.

A conversion strategy is a way to get a visitor to your website to interact with you in a planned way. This could include access to industry studies, tax guides, subscriptions to newsletters, free webinars or an attractive service offering. What is important to remember is that this interaction won’t necessarily be sales related, because the ultimate goal is to make that connection. It may not immediately lead to a sales opportunity.

The CPA and accounting firms that are successful with inbound marketing have done an excellent job of developing and implementing conversion strategies. They are successful at engaging the prospect beyond the traditional website print. This

For example, on the website of Buffalo-based CPA firm Freed Maxick & Battaglia there are a host of conversion strategies at play found vertically on the right side of the home page.

The Tax Credit Locator allows visitors to find out if their business is located in an enterprise tax zone, ultimately bringing them specialized tax credits.

Visitors are prompted to enter in their address, which the firm then captures, in exchange for a valuable piece of information.

Another good example of a firm with a strong conversion strategy is New Philadelphia-based Rea & Associates.

On their home page, they offer a link to The Rea Report, which is their firm newsletter. With two clicks, the visitor is in the system and the firm has a new prospect.

Though most prospects generated through a website are often still in a research phase, they want their information in a timely manner (a 24-hour response or less is critical) and then they want time to process it on their own terms. The key is to allow them to have control of communicating the next steps and information flow. If done correctly, firms have the ability to gain a more qualified lead when the prospect is ready to meet and talk.

Web leads afford CPA firms to expand their marketing footprint and gain new revenue streams. Web-generated opportunities are typically “warmer” than traditional leads because of the inbound nature of the process. Prospects are seeking the firm out, not the other way around.

Develop Your Conversion Strategy So how do you create a conversion strategy? Consider the following: •A Clear Call to Action. This is an essential component to a strong conversion strategy. Be clear about what the offer is in your call to action. If you are offering access to an industry study, then write “Download our Industry

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Master of Accountancy and Master of Taxation

n Part-time and full-time programs n Ranked among the best in

the nation n Taught by highly experienced

professionals and current practitioners

Study on X”. Often times website visitors don’t take the next step because it is not clear what you are offering them in exchange for their click.

•Properly Position Your Call to Action. Calls to action are best received when they are positioned at the top of your web page. If a visitor has to scroll down to see the call to action, you will lose a large number of potential conversions. Raising the profile will result in additional website leads.

•Make the Call to Action Stand Out. To make the call to action stand out use colors that contrast with the overall color scheme of your website. This is important. The more you make it stand out the more website visitors will see it and take action.

•Ensure Proper Linking. Make sure the call to action links to the corresponding landing page. I have seen several examples of CPA and accounting firms that have strong calls to action, but they don’t link to a landing page. How does the visitor know where to go to take the next step? Make it easy and simple!

•Use Image Promotion. A key mistake many make is to promote their call

to action through text. Again, you want to make your offer stand out. Use images rather than plain text to highlight your offer so that a visitor’s eyes are immediately drawn to the offer

In Perspective In creating a conversion strategy, remember it’s important to choose tactics that work for your firm—usually one or two engagement methods on your home page will make all the difference in creating a connection. Search engine marketing is not only about getting people to your website. It’s about the offerings on your site that will inspire your visitors to reach out and connect with your firm.

As a result, it is important to develop a way to catch visitors’ attention and entice AZ CPA them into taking action.

Brian Swanson is a principal with Flashpoint Marketing, a marketing and lead generation company focused on serving the accounting industry. He has more than 14 years of experience in search engine optimization, marketing, business development and lead generation for various CPA firms across the United States.

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Technology for CPAs: Don’t Get Left Behind—What’s New from Microsoft?

Windows 8 vs. Windows 7 vs. Windows Vista vs. Windows XP? For most accountants, the answer is simple—Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.

Windows 8 will not arrive until late 2012. Windows Vista was broken (i.e. it will not run many Windows XP applications and is slow). Windows XP is old, missing important features, slow, and not nearly as secure as Windows 7.

Windows 7 has turned out to be a solid player (something that was not true with Vista). Unlike Vista, Microsoft Windows 7 has no trouble running Windows XP applications. Using the new “Windows XP Mode” feature, users have both the Windows 7 code and the Windows XP code available to run whichever is needed for their particular applications.

Furthermore, Windows 7 is better optimized than Vista and actually runs faster with less RAM. For those who are still nursing along Windows XP machines, for fear of what might happen when you get new machines, fear no more; Windows 7 actually works as advertised. For those running Vista machines, upgrade to Windows 7 now.

With Windows 7, you have a choice of running either the 64-bit version or the 32bit version. We recommend you run the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Professional. If you run the 64-bit version of Window 7, you can still run the 32-bit version of your applications. For example, we recommend you run the 32-bit version of Microsoft Office, even though you will be running the 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows 7.

Running the 64-bit version of Windows 7 improves security and effectively eliminates the limit on the amount of RAM you can have. The 32-bit version limits you to less than 3 GB of usable RAM. The following is the number one recommendation of the current NSA report entitled, “Best Practices of Keeping Your Home Network Secure”—migrate to a modern OS and hardware platform. Both Windows 7 and Vista provide substantial security enhancements over earlier Windows workstation operating systems, such as XP. Many of these security features are enabled by default and help prevent many common attack vectors. In addition, implementing the 64-bit mode of the OS on a 64-bit hardware platform substantially increases the effort of an adversary to attain a system or root compromise.

Microsoft announced that Windows 8 will include support for system-on-a-chip (SoC) and mobile ARM processors. Microsoft is apparently under pressure to accelerate the development process to meet the demand for a more Google Android, or Apple iOS lean OS that works well with Smart Devices.

OCTOBER 2011 y AZ CPA

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The Arizona Society of CPAs, State Bar of Arizona and Risk Management Association of Arizona present...

With some businesses still having difficulty getting rid of all their Windows XP machines, the thought of dealing with a new Microsoft Operating system (Windows 8) is not exciting. Although Windows 8 (or whatever it ends up being called) is well into development, it looks like we will not have to start dealing will that change for some time.

The current expected release date for Windows 8 is late 2012.

Office 2003 vs. Office 2007 vs. Office 2010 vs. Office 365?

Building Your Connections Networking Event Nov. 3 Tempe Center for the Arts 5:30-8 p.m.

Early Registration $30 ($40—after Oct. 20)

Register at www.ascpa.com Thanks to Our Sponsors:

•Alliance Bank of Arizona •Economic Concepts •LarsonAllen LLP •Perkins Coie Special Signature Sponsor •Van Hansen & Company

18 AZ CPA y OCTOBER 2011

This one is not quite as simple. The correct answer for most accountants is either MS Office 2007 or MS Office 2010. It is clear from several years of using Office 2007 that the new user interface and the new features make this a must upgrade. Since the product has been on the market for more than three years, the compatibility issues and file format issues have almost completely faded away. If you are still on Office 2003 or earlier, you clearly need to move to Office 2007 or Office 2010.

Why are we not recommending that all accountants move to Office 2010?

For some accountants, there are valid reasons for staying with Office 2007.

The primary reason is interoperability with other applications. Other software you may be currently running (ex. tax, accounting, document management and imaging, etc.) that integrates with MS Office, may not integrate properly with Office 2010.

Adobe Acrobat 9 and earlier is an example of a widely used product that has integration issues with MS Office 2010. Users with Acrobat 9.3 and later cannot see the Acrobat ribbon in Office 2010 applications. Acrobat 9 through 9.2 users can see the Acrobat ribbon in Office 2010 applications. However, attempting to use any of the PDFMaker functionality from the Acrobat ribbon can cause the Office application to quit.

Earlier versions of Acrobat have even more problems with MS Office 2010.

Cost and lack of new features could be another reason for not moving from Office 2007 to Office 2010. MS Office 2007 was jam packed with great new

Excel features for accountants. Not so with Excel 2010. Outlook 2010, however, does provide a very substantial number of extremely useful new features.

For those of you who have upgraded to Office 2007, you have likely noticed that the Outlook folks apparently did not meet the deadline for Office 2007.

The “Ribbon” is obviously missing from the Outlook 2007 user interface.

The Outlook development team did much more than catch up with the 2010 release. The following four new features will likely make this product the driving force if you decide to upgrade to Office 2010.

1. The Conversation View—Email messages can now be viewed by Conversation. When Conversations are enabled, messages in the Message List that share the same subject can be viewed in a single thread. Users can quickly review and act on individual messages or complete Conversations.

2. Quick Steps—Repetitive, multistep procedures can be converted to single clicks with Quick Steps. For example, if users initiate messages to their managers frequently, the conventional process requires opening and addressing a new message before composing the message itself. A custom Quick Step can eliminate the first two steps in the process.

3. Instant Search—Outlook 2007 introduced Instant Search but Outlook 2010 makes it significantly easier and more intuitive for users to narrow their search results by adding search criteria.

Whenever users click in the Search box at the top of the Message List, the Search Tools contextual tab is displayed.

Users can select from a wide variety of criteria–From, Subject, Has Attachments, etc.–and can select from a list of locations to search–Current Folder, All Subfolders, All Mail Items, or All Outlook Items. Being able to search all Outlook items is a great new add.

4. Outlook People Pane—The new people pane makes it easy to (almost instantly) find any attachment, email, appointment, journal entry, or anything else related to any person you receive

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One- and Two-Hour Seminars Quick Programs at a Minimal Cost to You

Below is a list of our upcoming one- and two-hour programs recommended by your fellow CPAs. These programs are meant to provide valuable information and insight, as well as give you an opportunity to network with other business professionals while earning CPE. Behind the Scenes with...the Phoenix Art Museum - Oct. 5 - Phoenix How an IRA Rollover Can Help Turn Assets Into Income for Retirement Oct. 18 - Flagstaff Fast Five: Tips to Help Clients Build the Value of Their Business Oct. 18 - Prescott Tax Considerations Associated with Foreclosures, Short Sales, and the Recognition of Cancellation of Indebtedness Income - Oct. 19 - Yuma ADOR Legislative Update - Oct. 20 - Phoenix Webinar: ADOR Legislative Update - Oct. 20 Young Professionals Focus: Networking 101 – What You Absolutely Need To Know- Oct. 25- Phoenix Estate Planning and Compliance in this “Temporary” Environment Oct. 26- Phoenix Webinar: Introduction to Forensic Accounting - Oct. 28 Register today at our website

www.ascpa.com and search by one- and two-hour programs.

Nominate a CPA for the 2012 Public Service Award Do you know a CPA who does great work for the community? Nominate them for the ASCPA Public Service Award. The recipient will be honored at the ASCPA Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon in May of 2012, receive a framed Kachina print and be featured in an article in the AZ CPA. Self nominations are also encouraged. Don’t be shy. This is a great opportunity for you to get the word out about the wonderful organizations you support. The deadline is Nov. 18. Download a nomination form at www.secure.ascpa.com/psaap.doc.

20 AZ CPA y OCTOBER 2011

an email from. You simply expand the people pane and it shows everything Outlook has related to this person.

In our opinion, these four features could save the average accountant dozens of hours a year in managing email and other communications.

Microsoft Office 365 Office 365 is the name for the new cloud-based product suite from Microsoft. It appears to be a response to Google with its Google Docs, Mail, and other services. The updated services include Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Lync Online and a subscription service for Microsoft Office called Office Professional Plus. See: http://office365. microsoft.com.

Office 365 will replace the current product with its more cumbersome name, Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite. Microsoft promised the new offering will be cheaper.

SharePoint Online supports social networking features and has been nicknamed Facebook for enterprise.

SharePoint does more as it includes an editor for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. The new online software enables collaboration with desktop versions of these Office programs.

Where the service will likely excel is in its usefulness to smaller companies with no IT department. You can sign up for the beta program for small businesses. Benefits include access to your work email from devices with browsers, including iPhone, BlackBerry and Android phones.

Hopefully, this is a start in your quest to get current with technology. It is clear that technology has done a great deal for accountants (how would you like to go back to doing tax returns with paper, pencils, large white erasers, and a library of books with loose-leaf inserts). We believe the good news is that there is still a lot of untapped potential in the technology accountants AZ CPA already own.

This article was written by K2 Enterprises (www.k2e.com).

Five Reasons to Become a Contract Investigator for the Accountancy Board

by Lawrence Field, CPA

The Arizona State Board of Accountancy (Board) will soon be issuing a Request For Proposal (RFP) for contract investigators to help carry out their mission. The primary duty of the Board is to protect the public from unlawful, incompetent, unqualified or unprofessional CPAs or public accountants through certification, regulation and rehabilitation. A contract investigator assists the Board in regulating CPAs (or others who represent themselves to be CPAs) who are not complying with professional practice standards and/or the Arizona Revised Statutes and Arizona Administrative Code that govern the practice of a CPA in Arizona. Now, the question you have is “Why should I respond to the RFP?” Well, I am glad you asked! There are numerous reasons why you should respond, but for the sake of brevity I will give you the top five reasons for you to become a contract investigator for the Board.

Number Five—If we do not participate in regulating ourselves as CPAs, then someone else will do it. The Board is charged with the protection of the public through regulation of the practice of CPAs in Arizona. The Board needs assistance to effectively accomplish its charge. If we, as CPAs, do not assist them, then they must turn to other types of investigators who lack experience in our professional standards for such assistance. The thought of having a non-CPA investigate a CPA’s work is disconcerting (at best).

Number Four—You are not working against other CPAs; rather, you have the opportunity to assist other CPAs in improving their practice thereby increasing the credibility and legitimacy of our profession both in practice and in public perception.

The Board’s role is to rehabilitate CPAs who are not following professional practice standards, Arizona Revised Statutes and Arizona Administrative Code. While the Board has the ability to impose punitive discipline, such as the revocation of certificates, these sanctions are rarely used and only in the most egregious of matters.

The majority of CPAs who are not following the professional practice standards, statutes and rules are doing so out of lack of information, experience and training.

Number Three—Being a contract investigator provides experiences that will improve your practice.

A wise man once said “You can learn a lot more from studying a situation that went bad than one that is successful.”

The lessons that can be learned from examining accounting practice or tax practice failures can be enlightening.

That is not to say that the matters you will encounter are occurring in your own practice, but it will give you the opportunity to compare those failed practices to yours to see if there is an opportunity for improvement.

N umber T wo — Being a contract investigator gives you credibility with existing and new clients. In any client retention or practice development environment, one of the main things that you want to impress upon your (prospective) client is that you are knowledgeable, current and at the top of your profession. Nothing says this like “I am under contract with the Arizona State Board of Accountancy to assist in investigations of complaints filed against other CPAs.” Number One—You get all of the benefits listed above and you get paid.

That is right, no misprint here. You get paid for providing a service to the public, for assisting your profession, for improving your practice and for increasing the strength of your firm’s résumé. It is kind of like going to the grocery store, getting what you need, but when you check out they give you money to take the groceries.

If you have an interest in bidding for this great opportunity (and the Board hopes that you do), please go to the Arizona State’s Procurement Website at https://procure.az.gov/bso/ and register to become a vendor with the State. When you register, make sure that you list commodity codes 946-31 and 961-50 in your registration. This will ensure that you will receive notice upon the issuance of the RFP. AZ CPA Larry Field, CPA, is a managing member of Field Lawdahl, PLLC. He began serving the Board in 1988 as an investigator. The CPA profession means a great deal to Field, which is why he continued to be an investigator, with the Board, until 2009 and is a past chair of the ASCPA.

OCTOBER 2011 y AZ CPA

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Classifieds Business Opportunities/ Practices for Sale BUYING OR SELLING A PRACTICE? Let me make it happen for you.

• Integrity • Confidentiality • 48 years selling Arizona businesses. Call Allan Jeffryes, the Jeffryes Company at (602) 279-4988.

WANT TO SELL OR BUY AN ACCOUNTING PRACTICE? Make it easy on yourself. Call Gary Hankins, CPA (800) 584-4595, ext. 05. hankins@ apsleader.com. www.accountingpracticesales.com.

Employment Opportunities Governmental Specialists/ CPAs—Heinfeld, Meech & Co., P.C., recognized leaders in governmental and non-profit accounting, auditing and consulting, seeks ambitious and motivated individuals with at least two

years experience specializing in governmental accounting and/or auditing for our growing offices in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff. Nationally recognized on the “25 Best Small Companies to Work for in America” list for the past four years, our firm is committed to providing a superior work environment and career opportunities for our staff. Competitive salaries and benefits offered. BS in Accounting and at least 2 years governmental accounting or auditing experience required. CPA or CPA candidate preferred. Travel primarily within the Southwest region required.

Email and salary requirements to: recruit@heinfeldmeech.com.

CPA, AUDIT MANAGER, part time, assist with compilations and reviews in Phoenix. auditmanager2@yahoo.com.

Staff Auditor—We are currently seeking an audit staff to join our public accountant firm. A four-year accounting degree and a CPA candidate is

After 25+ years serving non-profits, closely held businesses and the individuals who run them, Brenda Blunt is pleased to announce the establishment of her own firm

Brenda A. Blunt, CPA, PLLC

Call José Herrera at (602)324-4741 or e-mail: advertise@ascpa.com

Brenda offers a wide variety of tax, accounting and business consulting services including tax planning and compliance, strategic planning, multi-entity structures, and planned giving.

Brenda has especially deep experience in the not-for-profit area working with hundreds of local and national not-for-profit organizations, consulting with attorneys and other CPA’s regarding their NFP clients and recently having served on the steering

required. 1-2 years auditing experience preferred. If you have done some tax work too, that is a plus. Compensation/ Benefits Summary:- Salary DOE - 18 days PTO per year + 9 paid holidays per year + additional days accrued for overtime worked (this usually results in 2-3 months of vacation/year!) - 401(k) retirement plan with a 3% Safe Harbor Contribution - Professional dues - CPE courses - Flexible work schedule - Voluntary participation in Cafeteria Plan. www.barryandmoore.com.

Audit Manager—Part-time - Assist with compilations and reviews in Phoenix. Preferably experience in Prosystem FX. Join a dynamic team and have total flexibility. Please email resume and contact information to auditmanager2@yahoo.com. Look forward to your response.

SEEKING CFO OPPORTUNITY— Randall Sorensen has 30 yrs experience as CPA and 16 yrs as President of software company. Industry experience includes: banking, insurance, real estate, oil & gas and software development.

Will work 20 hrs/wk learning responsibilities w/o compensation until fully trained. Email: RSorensen@ezdoc.net or call (480) 831-1169.

committee for the NFP practice group of a top-10 national accounting firm. As a result, she is recognized for her expertise addressing exempt status, UBIT, public charity status, private foundation, compensation reporting, related entities and other

Miscellaneous

issues unique to not-for-profit entities.

Brenda is a member, and the initial chair, of the ASCPA NFP Section Steering Committee and a frequent national and local speaker on topics of interest to not-for-profit organizations.

Brenda A. Blunt, CPA, PLLC One East Camelback Road, Suite 860,Phoenix, AZ 85012 602-692-6856 – BrendaBluntCPA@cox.net

Announce it here with discounted ads in the AZ CPA for our members only.

We will even create the ad for you at no additional charge.

ENTREPRENEURIAL CPA NETWORK (eCPAn)—Wednesday October 19, 2011, AZ Accounting Ethics with Emphasis on Tax Practice Issues, presented by Ed Zollars CPA with Thomas & Zollars Ltd. This is a special four hour program 8:30-1:00 (lunch included) and fulfills the four hour ethics requirement.

Cost is $99 and the meeting is at the DoubleTree Suites, 320 N 44th St., Phx, AZ. More information at www.ecpan.org or email us at info@ecpan.org.

“Thank you and the ASCPA for the beautiful ad. I have already received a number of comments on it and have even been contacted (within days of it hitting the street!) by a potential new client.” —Brenda Blunt, CPA

Wanted: CPA Practice - Are you interested in selling your Phoenix CPA practice? No brokers/commissions. Cash purchase. CPA with 10+ years experience in his CPA practice. Low turnover

SEPTEMBER 2011 y AZ CPA

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Is your firm moving? Did you get a promotion? Do you have a new hire in your firm?

22 AZ CPA y OCTOBER 2011

Upcoming ASCPA Conferences of clients. Interested in buying practice up to $160K in billings. Email Brandy at ashlee.shoulders@gmail.com.

Construction Industry Conference–Oct. 19

We Buy Clients—Our CPA firm is seeking to buy clients in increments of one to a small practice in the Scottsdale and Phoenix Metropolitan area. Our staff has been practicing in public accounting for over 30 years and specializes in the small to medium size business needs.

We emphasize on business accounting and taxes. We are located in North Scottsdale. If you are downsizing or retiring and want an easy transition, please call us today. Ask for Kara at (480) 990-2727.

Face the challenges in the construction industry with fresh ideas.

• Learn new ways to improve your chances of getting paid • How to survive a government audit • Create accountability in your organization • How to recognize revenue and costs on construction contracts • Reduce conflict and encourage collaboration • Detect and investigate fraud • Streamline your end-of-year processes

ESTATE/GIFT/GST TAX RETURNS AND PLANNING ISSUES POSE A CHALLENGE FOR YOU? Estate planning/compliance is not a science; it’s an art. Let’s make a better plan for your client. Ira Feldman, CPA/CVA/ CEP (602) 850-5101 or ira@felco.biz or www.felco.biz

Arizona Federal Tax Institute Conference–Nov. 3-4

Office Space

Register online at www.ascpa.com

Office Sharing—CPA with tax and estate/financial planning background seeks office sharing arrangement with CPA / Financial Planning group in north Scottsdale/Phoenix.

Email CPA4863@gmail.com.

CUT $$$$$$—Move into the “ACCOUNTING ANNEX”—Tenant sought.

Office space to rent. Suitable for a dynamic CPA or CPA firm. Share phenomenal resources. On light rail and next to a station. Two conference rooms, included. 3,687 ft. to 4,210 ft. Unique property next to the heart of downtown, walk to baseball and basketball stadium. Short-term lease is welcome.

Call Lance at (602) 741-7876 cell.

PROFESSIONAL CPA OFFICE— 16TH Street & Glendale, 1,500 to 3,000 SqF prime, furnished, office space available. 8 private offices, large cubicle area, conference, utility/workspace, and employee breakroom. Special 1st. yr. $14 ft. E-mail Jason@azcre.biz.

Start the new tax season prepared with the latest updates from the tax experts. Hear from favorites Bob McKenzie, Jim Hamill, Ed Zollars, Mona Hymel, Marianne Jennings and many more.

CPAs on Tour October 18 5:30-8 p.m.

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24 AZ CPA y OCTOBER 2011 AZ Half Page.indd 1

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