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2.  Selecting any service professional, whether you are seeking an
attorney, physician, or accountant, is bound to be a very
personal decision. Even if you are conducting the search for your
business, the decision is ultimately still a very personal one.
While personality wills no doubt, come into play, many other
factors must be measured also. The credentials and expertise of
the prospective firm, for example: Your new professional ally
must have the right mix of experience and references as well as
be compatible with your business ethics, your personality and, of
course, have a fee structure that is in line with your budget.
 So, how do you conduct a reasonable search? What criteria do
you use to make your selection? To help you in your quest,
Hunter Group has compiled what we hope are a few helpful steps
and pointers to assist you:

3. 1. First, consider what services you might
need from an accountant:
Obviously, your accountant will be instrumental in preparing
Federal and State Tax filings, as well as assist you with your
quarterly filings and state sales taxes. However, your new
accountant should be helping you to be more pro-active
about taxes. Tax planning can help you reduce unnecessary
penalties, overage payments, or improve cash flow by
eliminating last minute scrambles for cash to pay an
unexpected quarterly payment. Besides taxes, you may want
your new accountant to help you review your bookkeeping,
prepare financial statements, perhaps even help you install
new computer systems or locate favorable financing to help
fuel growth.

4. An experienced CPA firm can also serve as an invaluable
business adviser on everything from banking and insurance
to asset control, management structure and even marketing
issues. You may wish to look for a CPA firm to assist you
with your personal financial issues, including estate
planning, personal financial planning and investment
management assistance. As you decide the services you
need, as well as those that you may need as you grow in the
next two to five years, it may be helpful to write these down.
Creating a “wish list” of services will help you as you talk to
firms, and may serve as your benchmark or scorecard
during your interview and selection process.

5. 2. Determine the expertise you need, not just the
knowledge you have in-house:
Are you a financial novice or perhaps a CPA yourself? Somewhere in
between your personal knowledge of business finance may have a
great influence on the type, size and service approach of your
accountant. A novice may want a firm that welcomes taking extra
time to explain and nurture your business success by helping you
had better understand your options. Expertise is also a factor when
selecting a company based on size. A small, single practitioner
office may provide personal service, but may not have the staff
expertise you may need (now or in the future) to handle estate
planning, audits, strategic planning and other “non-compliance”
type of financial issues. If growth is on your agenda, do not
downplay the importance of having these talents available to you
when they needed.

6. 3. Be realistic about your (or your
organization’s) knowledge of accounting:
Everyone’s experiences are different. If you are fairly novice at
bookkeeping and accounting, you may want to select a firm
that has a very good communicator at the helm of your affairs.
After all, the best advice in the world will be meaningless if
you cannot understand what that expert is trying to tell you.
This is critical, as one poor decision can affect many aspects
of your business’s health.

7. 4. Accessibility and Service Levels. What’s right for
you?
How “hands-on” the firm you select will be has much to do with the
level of need you may have. Some firms are well equipped to
provide this level of service, and some are not. Will you require
someone to be on call for you on short notice? Do you prefer to visit
them or have them travel to you? These issues can have a significant
impact on your service costs.
Another important consideration: Be honest about how organized
you are in financial matters. If your new accountant will have to do
extra work to bring your financial information up to par, or if critical
information is often missing when they call for data, these practices
cause delays that will impact your results–and costs. Any good
marriage begins with a combination of mutual attraction and
communications.

8. 5. Do not underestimate the value of a
Certified Professional.
There is a world of difference between a CPA and a non-
certified professional. The CPA has earned credentials by
study, examination and continuous mandatory
professional education. Some firms also subject
themselves to periodic Peer Reviews, which are rigorous
exams performed by trained outside peer professionals.
While the CPA designation does not automatically
guarantee that the professional you select will be right for
you, it does stand for a consistent standard of quality that
you can depend upon.

9. 6. Getting your Ducks in Line.
After you have done your self-assessment, and “taken inventory” of
your needs and abilities, it is time to begin the interview process. The
first step, of course, is locating a few firms worthy of further discovery.
If you are in the Northern New Jersey area, we hope that RD Hunter will
be at the top of your list. Of course, you are likely to want to explore at
least two or three options. Do not choose too many (more than six, for
example), or you will likely cause more confusion in your life than
finding the “better” solution.
Sources for finding firms on the web are vast. Rather than depending on
search engines, we suggest contacting your local CPA society.
remember to consider travel as a factor. If you will be charged for travel
time and require a firm to be on site often, choosing a firm more than
an hour’s drive from your site could prove costly, unless they are far
above the competition.

10. 7. Examining your options:
Your list of questions is long. You interview each firm. What are the key
questions to your ultimate selection? Think about how you want a working
relationship to flow from the start. Can you trust this firm? Do they seem to
know more than you do? Can you learn from them? Are they flexible in
their thinking? Are they interested in learning your business? All of these
questions are important, but do not overlook the “nuts and bolts”
questions as well, including:
What is their overall mix of clients? Do they have any in your business?
Ask for references
Ask who would actually service your business. Will a partner be on the job?
Does the accountant make conversation and ask questions that indicate an
understanding in your business and your challenges?
Does the office look successful or in decline?

11. Does the firm have specialists? Some smaller firms may be fine for your
needs; however, you may want to have a firm that has trained expertise
in specific areas, like tax planning and regulations, estate planning,
valuations, litigation, business and strategic planning or banking. While
these issues may not seem important now, they might be very
important to you in the near future. Think long term.
Ask about fees and hourly rates, including differing rates for differing
levels of expertise (do not pay partner rates for clerical work!). What is
the firm’s approach to billing? Are invoices clear and descriptive? Will all
the engagements be confirmed by letter prior to starting?
Are the personnel friendly, welcoming, Frustrated, Motivated or vacant?
Remember these are the people who will be doing YOUR work someday.
Set clear parameters for your needs and ask for defined cost estimates
in writing before you make your selection. Ask who will be assigned to
your work and talk with them.

12. 8. Make it Happen!
Hopefully, armed with a few good proposals and
successful on-site evaluations, your ultimate decision
will be an easy and completely informed one to make.
Best of luck, and above all, call us if you need help.