TAP Groups
Which?
- TAP 1 - Meets quarterly for 4 hours. Includes mostly 4+ partner firms and has been operating for over 10 years, Managing Partners attend and sometimes another Partner and/or Practice Managers ***
- TAP BF - Meets 3 times pa for 4 hours. Members are Sole Practitioners or Partners in 2 partner firms, most of whom use businessfitness How Now
- TAP NSW - Meets 3 times pa for 3 hours and consists mainly of 2 partner firms. **
- TAP IT NSW - Meets 3 times pa for 5 hours. Participants are partners in charge of IT, or practice managers if they have IT responsibility, or IT professionals working in firms **
- TAP IT Queensland - Meets in Brisbane, membership is as for TAP IT NSW
- TAP IT Victoria - Meets in Melbourne, membership is as for TAP IT NSW
- TAP SMSF - Meets once a year for 4 hours. Participants have responsibilty for the management of SMSF work inside firms, usually completing work for at least 250 SMSF **
- TAP Marketing - This is a new Group currently being created and designed to support partners, practice managers with responsibility for marketing or marketing professionals working inside firms
*** TAP 1 usually meets in Sydney at member premises but from time also meets at the offices of regional firm members
** Meets in Sydney
Why?
Because in the fast changing world of accounting firms it is difficult to be up to date on all practice management and marketing issues. TAP offers participants the opportunity,
- To ask questions
- To check what others are doing
- To tap into Thea's knowledge of developments and experience within the profession
- To access firms with special expertise who may be able to undertake projects for you
- For new partners who may not have experience outside their firm, to hear how others operate
- In the office tour, to see the office layout in other firms, accountants rarely see other than the receeption and meeting rooms in other firms.
What?
TAP is a special environment where key people responsible for the direction and management of accounting practices can discuss issues of common concern. The emphasis is on discussion of mutually agreed topics in an atmosphere of trust and support.
Each firm represented provides a brief commentary on recent developments, this is then opened for questions, answers and comments. Special topics are covered in detail, sometimes with guest speakers. The speakers may or may not be from outside the Group. Members share information and experiences.
Topics have included:
- Firm financing debt, equity, security, etc
- Induction Manuals
- Characteristics Required in a Partner
- Debtor Collection
- Referrals of Work from Banks
- Salaries and Charge Rates
- Electronic Document Management
- Maximising the Benefit from Honorary Jobs
- Making Part Timers Profitable
- Client Communication
How?
Obviously confidential information is sometimes tabled in meetings. From time to time, members make it clear such details are to be excluded from the minutes. In any case, for confidential information disclosed during the meeting, the rule is:
- "What people say in the room stays in the room, apart from communication to other partners in participating firms.
- The exception to this, is the situation when people give permission for information to be relayed. People may use the information, but must not disclose the identity or association of the speaker."
Added Value prepares the agendas for the meeting, the topics included are based on those suggested by members and ideas which occur to Thea Foster during the course of her consulting work.
Thea Foster chairs the meetings, and Added Value completes detailed minutes from the meetings. If an issue is to be surveyed by questionnaire, Added Value prepares the questionnaire, tests it and ensures responses are tabled at the meetings. Sometimes summaries of the surveyed information are prepared and distributed.
Between meetings, Added Value facilitates the exchange of information and helps address any member firm questions which may arise.
What Next?
Contact Thea on 02 9968 1130 or thea@addedvalue.com.au to discuss what Group/s might best benefit you and your firm. You will find out about membership gaps and what new Groups are being created. Plus of course, the current price for meeting participation.
The system for potential new members is that they first attend a meeting. Then at the end of the meeting, they will be asked if the meeting has been useful. If so, then an invoice will be raised and will be due and payable in 14 days. If the meeting has not been useful, then clearly no invoice will be raised.
Participants are next asked if they would be interested in joining the Group. Sometimes this requires a decision of a firm's co-owners, so cannot be answered straight away. Future invoices will be due and payable on or before the date of the meeting. Note, fees are due, regardless of whether or not a firm is represented at a meeting. In practice firms are almost always represented at a meeting.