David Cottle Consulting: Professional Education Seminars

High output management

Abbreviation: HOM (one-half day)

Time is life. To waste your time is to waste your life; but to master your time is to master your life and to maximize it. Professionals especially need to get the most from their time because time is their most important resource. Your time is 100% perishable. Any hour, any minute, any second not invested to benefit your clients or the firm is irretrievably lost. Further, the more productive output — the more results — you can get from each hour, the more it is worth to your clients and to you.

After taking this course, many participants can increase their personal billing rate by 10 to 20 percent.

Participants’ comments

[I liked] phraseology, relaxed style, the message. Great day Dave. Many thanks. Anthony Josephs
I am completely revising my personal working methods. David is knowledgeable speaker, who encourages enthusiam in his audience. Andrew Baker
[I learned] the importance of managing time, recording chargeable time and analysis of all time. Sullivan
[I liked] dynamic, relevant, style with lots of genuine challenges. Andrew Watson
[I learned] how to be self-motivated and to get best results off my time. Rakkisha Fernando
[I learned] to streamline most of my day-to-day activities. Jayantha deSilva
I am sincerely happy that I attended this session especially since I am just starting my private business. Dr. Aroka Amarasinghe
He equipped me with the tools to manage myself better. Patrick Bulner
I have enjoyed the seminar and I am looking forward to putting into action those things I have learnt and to discover their effect on the firm. Richard West
[I liked Dave Cottle’s] direct manner to "get to the point" quickly and succinctly. . . . Please come back. Neil Wilson
Humorous and experienced in our areas. S. Grimes

Objectives

Improve participants’ productivity and learn new skills both for themselves and for any assistants they may supervise. The techniques in this program help participants improve their ability to manage both their own time and the time of others. These techniques increase their ability to get the maximum potential from both business and personal time.

Overview

This is a half-day version of The productive professional: The key to high output for yourself and your assistants.

How to set priorities. Daily planning.
How to schedule your time for maximum value.
How to know what not to do.
Secrets of successful delegation. Knowing when to delegate — and when not. Knowing what to delegate — and what not.
How to use the three magic questions to make your assistants more effective.
How to make meetings more effective.
Common time-wasters and how to avoid them.

Highlights

How should you be spending your time? What is your role in the firm? What do you do to earn your pay?
Delegate effectively by using the three magic questions to keep the monkeys off your back
Levels of delegation How tightly should you hold the reins?
How to establish priorities and get the most “bang for the buck”
How to be productive even when you are in the waiting room
The procrastination cure
When and how to say “no” without offending others
How to keep on top of paperwork
How to control your telephone
How to make meetings work for you

Contents: Professional Education Seminars

Bill what you’re worth and collect what you bill

Abbreviation: BILL (one day)

Billing is one of the most important skills in successful practice. Yet it is almost never taught in professional education, seldom a part of the training of senior staff, and rarely discussed in an organized manner even among partners of the same firm. Apparently it is a skill one is supposed to be born with, or else is supposed to be learned by osmosis. However, billing is like walking or bicycle riding: it is a skill that one must learn. As a result, the skill levels manifested by executives, even in the same firm, vary widely. Two billers in the same office with approximately the same experience, handling the same types of clients, performing similar work, often yield strikingly different results in billing to their clients.

This seminar also teaches how and when to value bill and how to get clients to agree to value billing.

Participants’ comments

Well versed in subject and good story teller. I.C. Brodie
Reinforced some of the principles on billings especially on value billings. Name withheld
He does make valid points about value billing and collection. I intend to try and use the “eyebrow technique” when quoting for non-compliance services and to be less afraid of clients, especially when chasing debts. David Montgomery
He is very entertaining and puts his points across in an enjoyable and memorable way. R.A. Poole
[I liked the speaker’s] direct approach to the subject and useful tips. Robert Marsden
Easy to listen to — many useful and helpful tips. Allan Rossell
Reinforcement of existing knowledge — is very useful. Helpful to hear views of other partners on what they think they do -- useful ammunition. Day passes very quickly. C. Freshwater

Objectives

After completing this program, participants should be able to:

Recognize opportunities to bill more than standard rates
Negotiate value-based fees with clients
Know how much to charge for value-added services
Determine if their fees are high enough to cover operating costs and return a fair income based on their value to clients.
Raise billing rates if needed.
Bill more for engagements that justify a higher fee.
Collect bills sooner, with fewer bad debt losses.
Bill more consistently from person to person within the firm.

Overview

How to upgrade profitability of serving marginal clients
How to set the right billing rates
The seven causes of unplanned writedowns and how to avoid them
How to bill more for the work you do
How and when to use value billing
How to get your clients to agree to value billing
The job is not finished until the check clears the bank.

Contents: Professional Education Seminars

How to split the firm’s profits

Abbreviation: SPLIT (one day)

Partner compensation can make or break a firm. The wrong kind of profit split can drive off good partners while keeping bad ones around forever. Conversely, the right kind of partner compensation system can vault a firm up to new levels of profits.

This seminar is based on Mr. Cottle’s experiences helping firms develop new partner compensation systems and on his research regarding many different systems in use in the professions.

Participants’ comments

A good deal of very useful information as to the right and wrong ways of splitting profits including practical suggestions. Jonathan Cross
Opened the mind to new ideas. Eloquent, interesting-an accountant. Peter Stanger
He makes listening enjoyable and is easy to follow and understand. Jeff Hollis
Down to earth approach and practical examples. Alan Watson
Dave has been and continues to be a constant source of inspiration. Shiju J. Varghese
Excellent day-well worth the non-chargeable time involved. Peter Cox

Objectives

Participants will gain new ideas on:

Why they should pay partners based on their performance
How to measure each partner’s contribution to the firm
How to reward partners who contribute to the firm’s growth and profitability
How to set goals to be achieved for each partner

Overview

How to distinguish between profits and profitability
How to recognize the different elements of partner compensation
How to solve capital shortages
How to measure each partner’s contribution to the firm
How to fairly reward partners for superior performance
Five different methods of partner compensation
Five case studies of actual partner compensation methods
How to evaluate partners, complete with four actual evaluation forms

Contents: Professional Education Seminars

David Cottle Consulting
36813 Alaqua Court

Eustis, FL 32736

Tel: (352) 301-4725
Fax: (772) 673-0293