Find-a-ProAdvisor Headliner
A lot of you reading this article will be QuickBooks ProAdvisors; some of you may be certified, and some may even be advanced certified. Perhaps you are certified in QuickBooks Enterprise or Point-of-sale. Some of you may have joined the new QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor program, and either be certified in QBO or working toward certification. Obviously Certification is one of the reasons for joining the ProAdvisor program, but what do you like best about being a QuickBooks ProAdvisor?
This year Intuit provided a ‘world-wide’ tour offering training on the new QuickBooks Online, I attended one of those sessions held right here in Oklahoma City. Years ago Intuit hosted multi-city tours introducing the newest QuickBooks desktop products. I remember one year I chose to travel ‘out west’ to attend one of those sessions where they were actually ‘giving away’ free copies of QuickBooks; that may have been the time I first heard Joe Woodard speak on QuickBooks. Since that time I have been lucky enough to meet and befriend many of the finest QuickBooks instructors and QuickBooks experts in the country. I have found that there is a kind of ‘fellowship’ that grows out of QuickBooks, and that certainly is one of the things I really like about being a ProAdvisor, how about you?
One extension of that ‘fellowship’ comes in the form of QuickBooks related associations. As a member of the National Advisor Network, which Joe Woodard hosts, I was able to meet hundreds of other QuickBooks ProAdvisors via the Network’s forum. This sharing of ideas and information builds not only camaraderie, but provides an invaluable resource for resolution of problems, big and small. And that brings us to problem solving. I think one of the things I like about being a ProAdvisor is problem solving. In my own practice the vast majority of support calls and on-site work I do is solving problems that others have been unable to solve. Are you a problem solver, is that what makes you special as a ProAdvisor?
Another thing I have always liked about being a ProAdvisor is the opportunity to ‘teach’. My very first client was a ‘hands-on’ training consultation, in which a relatively new QuickBooks user wanted some arm-chair guidance in finishing their set-up and using the product. It wasn’t long before I was teaching QuickBooks in the community college and vocational school settings. Of course I had an advantage, I had an extensive teaching background long before I took up QuickBooks. I know that a lot of ProAdvisors love the opportunity to teach whether that be ‘one-on-one’, in small groups, or perhaps before an audience of 1000’s at a National Event such as the Scaling New Heights conference, another Joe Woodard (ad)venture. I say (ad)venture because in many ways Scaling New Heights is more of an ‘adventure’ than a training conference, in the same way that the Olympics is more of an adventure than simply a group of sporting contests. Perhaps training is one of the things you like best about being a ProAdvisor, and you excel at it?
Of course for others being a QuickBooks ProAdvisor is all about your clients, just working day-in and day-out with people ranging from the newest small business in town, to your communities largest manufacturing plant. It might even be tweaking QuickBooks to do ‘fund accounting’ for the local town council or a small charity. Maybe your favorite client is that Point-of-sale system at the oldest retailer in town who has just stopped using their first and only cash register after 50 years. Your favorite client might be that ‘bookkeeper’ you knew was just going to be a pain because she did everything just ‘so, so’ for the last 30 years, and now she has to learn to use QuickBooks; you thought it was going to be the worst engagement of your life, only to find out that she loves the way you have streamlined her work and lessened her load. Sure enough she is the one client you have who makes you a cake on your birthday, every year. For some of us, being a QuickBooks ProAdvisor is all about the clients and I would almost bet that the majority of my readers fall into this category. Are you a client lover? We would love to hear about your favorite (best) client.
I could probably go on and on with all the different ways being a ProAdvisor is special, and all the ways YOU make being a ProAdvisor special, but this article isn’t about me. This article is about YOU.
At Intuitive Accountant we want to know what makes being a ProAdvisor special for you. We also want to know what makes you special as a ProAdvisor.
So speak out, tell us about yourselves. Submit your comments below, and don’t be afraid to ‘pat yourself on the back’; after all, we already think you are special just because you read Intuitive Accountant.