Welcome to Operations Mastery - the 3-minute email that teaches you how to scale your business, increase your profit margins, and save time by optimizing your internal operations.
Brought to you by Ed Axe, Founder & CEO of Axe Automation.
Want to grow your accounting practice without drowning in work?
Here are 7 key processes to automate:
(if you prefer video over text, click here for a video breakdown)
1️⃣ Lead generation - Use tools like Apollo to find qualified leads and automate outreach
Lead generation is the foundation of growing your CPA firm. Here’s how to automate it:
- Use Apollo or ZoomInfo to search for and extract data on companies matching your ideal client profile (ICP).
- Set up an automated email sequence to reach out to these leads.
- Create a LinkedIn automation that sends connection requests and follow-up messages.
- Combine email and LinkedIn outreach for maximum impact.
For example, you could set up a sequence like this: Day 1: LinkedIn connection request Day 2 (if accepted): LinkedIn message + Email Day 4: Follow-up email Day 7: Final LinkedIn message
This automated approach ensures consistent outreach without manual effort, increasing your chances of booking calls with potential clients.
2️⃣ CRM & sales nurturing - Automate follow-ups throughout your pipeline
A well-structured CRM system is crucial for managing leads and deals. Here’s how to automate it:
- Choose a CRM tool like Monday, Pipedrive, Close, or HubSpot.
- Set up a pipeline with clearly defined stages (e.g., New Lead, Qualified, Proposal Sent, Negotiation, Closed).
- Automate lead entry when a call is booked through your calendar system.
- Create triggered follow-up sequences for each pipeline stage.
For instance, when a lead moves to the “Qualified” stage, you could trigger: Day 1: Thank you email with additional resources Day 3: Case study showcasing relevant results Day 5: Invitation to book a follow-up call
This ensures no lead falls through the cracks and maintains engagement throughout the sales process.
3️⃣ Proposal creation - Trigger automatic proposals when deals reach a certain stage
Streamline your proposal process to close deals faster:
- Create proposal templates for each of your core services using tools like PandaDoc.
- Set up an automation that triggers when a deal moves to the “Send Proposal” stage in your CRM.
- Pull client information and selected services from your CRM to populate the proposal.
- Automatically send the completed proposal to the client.
This automation can reduce proposal creation time from hours to minutes, allowing you to strike while the iron is hot and impress potential clients with your efficiency.
4️⃣ Client onboarding - Automate contracts, invoices, and welcome emails
A smooth onboarding process sets the tone for your client relationship. Automate these steps:
- Trigger the onboarding process when a deal moves to “Won” in your CRM.
- Automatically generate and send a contract for e-signature.
- Create and send the first invoice (or set up recurring invoices for retainer clients).
- Send a welcome email with next steps and a link to an intake form.
- Add the client to your project management system (more on this in the next point).
For example, your welcome email could include: - A personalized greeting - A brief overview of what to expect - A link to schedule a kick-off call - A secure form to submit necessary documents and information
This automated process ensures a consistent, professional experience for every new client.
5️⃣ Project management - Auto-create and assign tasks based on service type
Efficient project management is key to scaling your firm. Here’s how to automate it:
- Use a project management tool like ClickUp, Monday, Asana, or Financial Cents (specifically designed for CPA firms).
- Create task templates for each of your services (e.g., monthly bookkeeping, tax preparation, audit).
- Set up an automation that creates and assigns tasks when a new client is added to the system.
- Include due dates based on your standard timelines or client-specific deadlines.
For instance, for a new monthly bookkeeping client, you might automatically create tasks like:
- Request access to financial accounts (Due: Day 1)
- Set up chart of accounts (Due: Day 3)
- Reconcile transactions (Due: 5th of each month)
- Prepare monthly financial statements (Due: 10th of each month)
This ensures nothing falls through the cracks as you take on more clients.
6️⃣ Service delivery - Automate journal entries and invoicing in QuickBooks/Xero
Streamline your core accounting work with these automations:
- Set up bank feeds to automatically import transactions.
- Use AI-powered tools to categorize transactions automatically.
- Create rules for recurring transactions to auto-populate journal entries.
- Set up automatic invoicing for retainer clients or recurring services.
For example, you could create a rule that any payment to “Office Depot” is automatically categorized as “Office Supplies” and assigned to the correct expense account.
These automations can significantly reduce the time spent on data entry and basic bookkeeping tasks, allowing you to focus on higher-value services for your clients.
7️⃣ Reporting - Set up auto-updating dashboards for client financials
Impress your clients with real-time, professional reporting:
- Connect your accounting software (QuickBooks/Xero) to a data visualization tool like Looker Studio or Power BI.
- Create report templates for common financial statements and KPIs.
- Set up automatic data refreshes (e.g., daily or weekly).
- Provide clients with secure access to their personalized dashboard.
Your dashboard could include: - Revenue and expense trends - Cash flow projections - Key financial ratios - Comparison to industry benchmarks
This automation provides clients with valuable insights without requiring manual report creation, enhancing your value proposition.
By automating these processes, you can:
✅ Take on more clients
✅ Deliver faster, better service
✅ Scale without increasing workload
One of my CPA clients went from struggling to manage 20 clients to efficiently serving over 60...
All while improving service quality and reducing stress on their team.
Want a video breakdown of the system?
Watch the video below:
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One more thing - We have helped 60+ businesses save $1m+ in labor costs & over 50,000 hours using Automation & AI.
If you’re looking to:
- Save 100+ hours per month
- Increase profit margins by 20%
- Remove yourself from daily operations
Book your 30-minute consultation here to learn more about how we can help: https://www.axeautomation.co/
See you next week!
Best,
Ed Axe