2017 Top 100 ProAdvisor
Editor's Note: This is another installment in our ongoing series highlighting this year's Insightful Accountant's "Top 100 ProAdvisors." Over the remainder of the year, we will introduce you to our winners, getting their insights on a wide range of topics, including what it is like to be a leader in their profession, how to stay on top and what the future holds.
Paulette Dreher doesn’t believe in the hard sell. She's more of a listener. When she meets with her clients, she likes to see what they need and then try and relate prior implementations to their business.
Along the way, she loves to get them laughing. "Laughing always puts people at ease and
Paulette Dreher 4x3
helps make a connection," says Paulette, who this year was named Insightful Accountant's "ProAdvisor of the Year."
Between the information gathering and the connection stages, Paulette works to recommend the best solution or solutions possible. And if it isn't QuickBooks and a third-party app, the company's expertise, she'll let them know. "I tell them they may be best served looking elsewhere."
As a founding partner of SBS Associates, Paulette is committed to giving the "best of the best" to her clients. She has extensive experience with database customization and third-party integrations that allow users to stretch out the ordinary use of QuickBooks. And along with her expertise in inventory management in retail, she's an expert in the wholesale and distribution industries as well. At SBS, Paulette manages the technical and operations side of the business.
Before co-founding SBS, she held various management positions, including serving as an assistant controller, accounting manager and payroll manager.
Today, thanks to the SBS Affiliate & Partner Programs, which were introduced in 2011, Paulette helps bring together experts in the many areas SBS touches.
What does it mean to you to be recognized out of more than 200,000 ProAdvisors in the world?
Obviously, it’s an honor, but to be fair about the competition, the list of eligible candidates is much smaller. While there are many ProAdvisors – only the truly dedicated professionals make the effort to get and maintain the needed training and accreditations to qualify. It’s being in that smaller group that makes receiving the award so humbling and appreciated.
Your first thoughts on getting news of the honor?
I was initially worried, and then relieved about this year's Top 100. Having received the distinction the past three years, it would have been embarrassing not to be included. "ProAdvisor of the Year" was never in my thoughts. When I first got the news, I believe I actually shouted out. It was very exciting.
How has your ProAdvisor practice changed or evolved over the last couple of years?
When we first started, we took on anyone who wanted to hire us and focused just on QuickBooks. Since then, we have specialized, embraced all the third party apps and walked away from client engagements we deemed not to be a good fit.
Why is continuing to enhance your skills and acumen critical to staying one step ahead of the curve?
If we don’t maintain our skills at the highest level and learn, or at least be aware of, the latest technology, clients and prospects will go elsewhere.
What do you do?
We started as a QuickBooks Pro and Premier consulting firm servicing all industries. We are now an Intuit Premier Reseller consulting firm specializing in QuickBooks Enterprise Solution (QBES) for manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors. We have worked with these industries for many years and provide solutions that usually don’t need a third-party inventory application, but just a bit of customization.
We use Method CRM for that customization as well as to solve for other pain points QBES does not address. Of course our QBO practice is expanding. We are partnering with many third party apps, including SOS Inventory and TSheets, to service clients wanting to be in the cloud. We still service some Pro and Premier clients, but generally refer them and bookkeeping engagements to our partners and affiliates.
We are also certified and provide QB Field Service Management, QB POS Desktop and Revel POS Sales and Services.
Give us a snapshot of today's accounting landscape.
It’s all about easy and speedy access to information, anywhere and at anytime. As an advisor, I believe we need to know the latest technology so that we can facilitate the automation and provide ongoing guidance.
What was the best piece of advice you ever received?
Don’t ignore your existing client base. If you don’t stay in touch and market to your clients for new opportunities (software upgrades, third-party apps, additional bookkeeping, training and support, etc.), someone else will.
How do you create balance in your work and personal life?
It’s so much easier today than ever before. Prospects and clients are more accepting of remote sessions and teleconferences, rather than onsite meetings, which leaves me with more free time. I am also very selective in how I get scheduled. I always try to accommodate, but I leave time for myself during the day and anytime I have a family or friend event. I also usually take all my calls on our office line. I answer business calls on my cell only for pre-arranged, colleague or Intuit rep calls.
What's on your to-do list the rest of 2017?
Our main focus this year is growing our Partner and Affiliate program. As an Intuit Premier Reseller, we can offer ProAdvisors, CPAs, accounting professionals, bookkeepers, IT firms and anyone else that is in contact with small businesses the opportunity to share in our profits for reselling any QuickBooks product. We also offer residual revenue for Intuit Payments, Intuit Payroll, Intuit Field Service Management and Method CRM sales.
Special thanks to our program sponsors, including Canon imageFORMULA Document Scanners, ADP, Finagraph, "Scaling New Heights" and Intuit's QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program.