Here I am, trying to fill in some big shoes of prior presidents of the Silicon Valley's chapter of the Accounting and Financial Women's Alliance.  I am so grateful to this organization for so much! I found my current job by attending AFWA events and networking, made new friends, have made highly successful professional connections, continue to learn technical information in many fields of accounting and finance at member meetings, acquire soft skills like leadership, learning how to work with a group of diverse people, social skills, and how to handle difficult situations.  I even won a beautiful black Vera Bradley purse at National Conference last year in New Orleans! I will be the first to tell you all the many wonderful benefits of being an active member of AFWA.  

Who knows... I could win more purses! ......Just kidding!  

Honestly, I get more satisfaction from being an active member of AFWA than I do from that purse.  It could never hold as much as I have received from my membership of AFWA.  The exciting thing is that I am about to learn and  gain so much more from this group of amazing women as I take on the role of president!  So, with all that I have received already,  I ask myself......what if I had never attended the meetings because I had better things to do for a couple hours one Tuesday a month?  What if I never asked questions to those I wanted to know more from?  What if I never stepped out of my comfort zone and started conversations with people about what they do and how they got to where they are? What if I never participated on the board and added my ideas? What if I had never gone to national conference and met even more successful and supportive professionals and friends?

Let me tell you what I would have if I had never done all the above.  I would have nothing more than anyone else with a job and not enough time.  However, now ....I have a job, not enough time, successful connections, improved skills, doors opening to more opportunities, experiences, supportive friends, and a Vera Bradley purse! With that being said, as president, I am going to challenge YOU to join or attend more meetings this year and be active!  Please, come participate in something bigger than yourself and see what satisfaction it will bring to you!

You can start by bringing your ideas for speakers this year to the strategic planning meeting.  If you would like to attend, please RSVP to me ([email protected]) by noon Thursday, June 18th.  Here's to a fun and successful 2015-2016 with AFWA Silicon Valley!

Accounting firms, especially the larger ones, have clients and solid businesses, and, critically, they tend to want to grow. The irony is that many if not most of these firms are defining growth as bringing in new clients. They are missing the more immediately extremely profitable route to growth... maximizing their relationships with their existing clients.

What's so very telling is that these accounting firms can dramatically boost their revenues by delivering a broader sleeve of expertise to select current clients. However, most of them habitually fail to do so. Many times, when they institute programs to facilitate cross-selling, these programs fail - and they fail spectacularly. This is regularly a function of misunderstanding the structural impediments to cross-selling inherent in successful accounting firms.

The key to increasing business with existing clients is predicated on being highly client-centered with the byproduct of being able to deliver more and varied professional services to each client. It does not matter if the client is a business, a not-for-profit, a governmental agency, or an individual, significant opportunities to cross-sell exist in most situations.

At the core of being highly client-centered is the ability to develop a broad and in depth understanding of the client. Such insights commonly generate a multitude of new opportunities. There are various ways to effectively profile clients. One of the most effective processes for this is the Whole Client Model, a methodology for recognizing high-quality opportunities and, very importantly, effectively developing the approaches to position the appropriate services to the client.

Read more at: www.wallstreetjournal.com 

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

• Prestigious status of professional affiliation
• National contacts for networking and professional information
• Forum for CPE
• Scholarships
• Leadership opportunities in supportive arena
• Subscription to Accountability e-newsletter 
• National and regional conferences at a discounted rate
• Access to Career Center
• Access to AFWA's LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter groups and National online membership directory
• Discounted membership to the Institute for Management Accountants (IMA)
• Discounted products and services through affiliation agreements
  • CPA review courses, CCH tax & accounting books, Long Term Care Insurance and Bank of America credit card.

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The newsletter is prepared and distributed on a monthly basis.  Visit our web site at www.afwasiliconvalley.org.  If you have questions regarding articles to submit or about the newsletter, email the newsletter chair, Amrit, [email protected]