coaching club

If you want to expand your business … increase profitability … increase your average hourly rate significantly … solve staffing issues … while at the same time working less and smiling a whole lot more, you have come to the right place.

If you know there’s a lot of potential lying dormant within your business but for some reason you’re not just tapping into that potential and don’t know why or how, please read this page thoroughly. When you do that, you could find that coaching club is the answer you have been searching for.

In its simplest form, coaching club is all about helping accounting firms to improve their financial postion.

coaching club gives members access to advanced training programs, powerful online resources, shared IP and regularly updated content – all designed to dramatically enhance the performance of your team and your business.

Add to that a network of high performing (non competing) firms who get together regularly and willingly share their best and most successful strategies and tools, and you begin to understand the power coaching club can offer you.

Every elite athlete or business leader has a coach or mentor. Someone to be accountable to and someone who can give a fresh perspective to a situation.

If you're curious about all of this and you are keen to learn more, you can download and listen to a coaching club briefing recorded on 10 June 2009. You can also register to listen into a live online / phone based discussion all about coaching club (times listed below). This session will take you through the nuts and bolts of how coaching club works and you will also hear from some of our existing coaching club members. It is free to participate.

Find out more.. :

Online coaching club discussion New Zealand only - Thursday 20 August 2009 at 12:00 midday - 2pm (NZ Time) | Register here

You may have heard a little bit about coaching club and about some of the goals that our member firms are kicking.

What you may not know is that in the 07/08 financial year our coaching clients on average:

1. Increased revenue by 24%
2. Increased profit per partner by 37%
3. Average profit per partner 93% more than the average of the profession
4. Increased average hourly rate by 36%
5. Improved write offs from -5% write offs to an average of +2% write ons
6. Reduced lock up (WIP & Debtor days combined) by 47%
7. Increased revenue per partner by 23%
8. Increased revenue per fee earner (excl partners) by 39%
9. Increased revenue per full time equivalent person by 22%

*(08/09 figures soon to be released!)

There are so far 23 firms in New Zealand as part of our program and 124 in Australia. We are currently recruiting new members and have new groups starting in August and September.

The coaching club program has been running for over 3 years now. We know it works. We have case study, after case study after success story to prove it works. And now we guarantee it will work!

If you decide to be part of our coaching program we know your firm will experience tremendous profit improvement as a coaching club member. In fact, we're so confident we're guaranteeing it in writing. We guarantee you will experience at least a 3 times return on your coaching club fees investment in the first 12 months when you implement everything that you commit to. If you don't, we'll refund your investment in full.

If you are located in Australia and you’re curious about all of this and keen to learn more about what’s possible for your firm here’s an opportunity to do that, without leaving your desk.

We’re running an online and phone-based discussion about coaching club for New Zealand firms on Thursday, 20 August 2009 from 12:00midday - 2pm (NZ time) and I’d love it if you could join us. This session is free of obligation and cost (excluding your call cost).

All you need to do is dial in and you’ll get to:

• Find out the nuts and bolts of how coaching club works and get a behind-the-scenes tour
• Discover the key techniques and strategies that highly profitable coaching club member firms use to stand out in the marketplace
• Find out the secret behind the success of the robnixon coaching club.. how it manages to be a catalyst for massive growth in so many of its member firms
• Hear from and ask questions of existing coaching club members so you can get a feel for the depth of coaching and business advisory skill they bring to the table
• Find out about the kinds of activities that members undertake as part of their membership

... plus, get walked through everything you need to conisder in order to join us.  And just as importantly, to take your firm from being a "practice" to becoming a highly profitable and commercial business.

You will hear from one of our coaches and we will also step you through the vast range of resources that form part of the coaching club program.

The details are:

When: Thursday, 20 August 2009 at 12:00midday - 2pm (NZ time)

Where: Your phone and computer in your office

Who: Partners/Directors/Key decision makers in your firm

Duration: 2 hours

Cost: Free (excluding your call cost)

How to register: Click here to Register

"Every Accountant needs to experience Rob's coaching club. More importantly, every business owner needs their Accountant to experience Rob's coaching club. Rob has provided us with the resources and knowledge (essentially a blueprint) to enable us to provide fantastic client service, which unfortunately is rare as most Accounting firms struggle just to cope with compliance workloads, let alone service clients other needs. This fantastic client service has led to a win-win situation for all stakeholders in our business (clients, staff, partners and our families). What more could you ask for! Keiran Mulhall, Griffin Hancock & Moffitt

 “The coaching club has assisted us to implement “best practice” systems and procedures, create capacity we never knew exited, and identify and implement growth strategies that have greatly improved the profitability of our business. Our average hourly rate has gone from $125 to $275 per hour, we’ve gone from 6% write offs to 7% write ons, increased net profit before partners salaries by 35% in 12 months and decreased productivity of partner from 75% to 35% (yes, that’s an achievement). We value being accountable to Rob and the group, drawing on experiences, ideas, knowledge and material from other firms and assisting other firms give me a great sense of satisfaction.”  Sean Loader, Business Manager, Horwath

CLICK HERE to download the coaching club brochure

CLICK HERE to email your coaching club expression of interest to Prue

1. Enhance your PROFIT PERFORMANCE driven by benchmarking and effective planning and monitoring.

Keep reading and you’ll see many examples of significant profit increases that practitioners have experienced and when you read the stories you’ll see that these aren’t isolated cases. Everyone in coaching club is producing results.

In fact, here’s an example of the KPI results from the 07/08 financial year.

2. Increase your ASSET VALUE so when you are ready to exit the business, you are highly rewarded.

3. Improve your team’s performance by providing them with the resources, training and systems to have them excel AND to attract top-flight new people, as well.

“The coaching club has helped us grow our business through being more proactive, improved marketing by establishing a menu of services and reassessing our billing process through value adding … provided the team with the ability to monitor their own KPI’s, have a better sense of ownership and cohesiveness. Our profitability as well as our other KPI’s have continued to improve since joining.”  Colin, Simone, David and the team at Wilson Porter

4. Enhance your lifestyle and get more balance

5. Stand out from the crowd: gain a competitive edge with the right strategies and systems to move your business forward faster.

“I like the openness and frankness of other participants in a non-competitive environment, the idea generation and the workshop style format.”  Geoff – 2 partner firm

6. Support you in implementation: our unique coaching club support process ensures great intentions become powerful, results-producing actions.

“The membership is giving me some accountability, something I have never experienced on my own figures. It is sobering sharing your own KPI’s with other firms. The ongoing measurement of our performance is something that I look forward to with excitement and trepidation.”  Grant – 2 partner firm in Newcastle

7. Grow your marketplace

“Just one idea implemented form our involvement in the robnixon coaching club has returned our investment in full: and will continue to do so year after year. Rob keeps our business at the cutting edge of the profession whilst other firms continue to “practice’. It has even bought our team closer together as we strive towards a common goal. We also use our involvement in the coaching club in our recruitment process to display that we are and will continue to be proactive.”  Troy Wink, VBD Chartered Accountants

Under the watchful eye of their Coach these firms are also (among other things):

• Learning what core strategies they need to implement to improve their results

• Changing their mindset and not content with dealing with mediocrity

• Engaging their tam and getting buy-in to the new modern ways

• Overhauling systems and going “paperless”

• Re-engaging all of their clients with better service

• Eliminating write-offs by pricing up-front and being more efficient

• Introducing new services to clients

• Taking a focussed and discjplined approach to running their business

These aren’t pie in the sky benefits achieved only by the top performers. These results happen for every coaching club member. For instance …

1. Profits almost doubled in 12 months: Anne Barry (sole practitioner) went from a profit of $207k to $403k in just 12 months.
2. $220 per hour margins on everything: Matt Schlyder (3 director firm) elminated write offs with a simple decision and now they write on every invoice and achieve margins over $220 per hour for all work completed.
3. 133% increase in hourly rate: Brian Hern and Matt Carberry (2 director firm) have taken average hourly rate from $99 to $231 and after 18 months improved profits by 324%
4. Profits more than doubled: Greg Valentine and Troy Wink (2 director firm) increase profits by 161% and increased revenue by 41% and how all compliance work is now at $200 per hour in average hourly rate.
5. Profits trebled: Marc Loader (sole practitioner) increased his personal profits by 261% in creased his business valuation by 212% and reduced his personal productivity to 35%. Along the way improved average hourly rate from $125 to $285 – and that includes 27% of write ons.
6. 45% growth: Steve Sudbury (2 directors) has grown his firm by 45% with innovative marketing strategy and business development work.

These are just some of the great results that firms of all different sizes and in all different locations produce. You can find more examples of success stories together with case studies showing how they did these big numbers - it’s all inside our coaching club information pack. We’d love to send you one. Enquire now!

Each coaching club has a maximum of 8 like-minded, yet non-competing firms (1-2 senior people from each firm) who meet regularly, share ideas and strategies, learn from each other and most importantly, be accountable to each other. At the same time supporting each other with new projects and initiatives in the areas of recruitment, paperless office, high impact marketing and many more.

Committing to new initiatives is great, but that isn’t where the real power of coaching club lies.

It lies in the implementation.

After all, anyone can come up with new ideas but not all put those ideas into action.

robnixon coaching club has a unique, proprietary way of ensuring action happens within your firm to ensure results materialise (and they do, as you’ll see by the many results featured here).

As a coaching club member you also benefit from:

• Business planning and strategy sessions
• Coaching club meetings
• Momentum conference calls
• Online resources and member only area
• Business development team
• Coaching, training and skills development programs

“The value is gaining access to the tools (Proactive Success System), the networking and the advice to take your business to an entirely different level. Meeting every quarter ensures you refocus on the techniques required to improve your business. It is very similar to an elite athlete who needs his or her technique monitored on a regular basis. If it isn’t checked you can easily slip back into old habits.”  Greg Brennan, Partner, Brennan Sloan Leahy

This is just a very quick overview of what coaching club includes. We go into the components in much greater detail inside the information pack. Order your complimentary information pack now.

Guaranteed triple your investment!

We know your Accounting firm will experience tremendous profit improvement as a coaching club member. In fact, we're so confident we're guaranteeing it in writing. We guarantee you will experience at least a 3 times return on your coaching club fees investment in the first 12 months when you implement everything that you commit to. If you don't, we'll refund your investment in full.

No matter where you are located, no matter what size your firm is, there’s a coaching club that suits your firm perfectly. Not only are coaching club participants matched with other similar firms, we also have three levels of coaching club based on the growth stage your business is at.

performance coaching club:

• Get on top of your WIP
• Significantly reduce your debtors
• Write-offs become write-ons
• Your productivity management is vastly enhanced
• Improve your average hourly rate
• Understand and focus on your KPIs
• Increase profitability

accelerator coaching club:

• Experience significant changes in your KPIs and how you are going about achieving this

• Achieve profits which are beyond industry benchmarks
• Reduce your personal productivity
• Have a much greater marketing and nurturing role within your firm
• Place a higher value on what you do

masterclass coaching club:

• Be very clear on your vision
• Understand and use value pricing in your business
• Make significant strategic changes such as a large acquisition, new division or multiple offices
• Adopt profit share or equity participation with team members
• Provide superior client experiences
• Partners are now very accomplished business people applying a new level of thinking to your business and what you want to achieve.

DOWNLOAD the coaching club brochure here

“Our Accountancy business has been a member of robnixon coaching club for 12 months and have found it invaluable in terms of the accountability for your actions … the brainstorming of ideas from other firms is great – we always look at how others are doing things differently to ourselves to try and move towards best practice. Rob is hard on us if we don’t try to meet the goals we set at each meeting … if we get too busy or drop the ball – but that is the real benefit of the coaching club, accountability to the group and Rob for your actions. You already know how to run an accounting business, however putting it all together the way that you do and working towards set goals with the accountability, really makes a difference.

We have increased our dollar recovered per hour by $40. Our write offs have turned to write ons, through a change of attitude and our Producer Productivity has increased. We have changed our structure internally at Rob’s suggestion and have created capacity by doing so. We are no w in serious growth phase already growing Gross Fees at over 20% in the 2007 financial year. The increase in profit more than pays for the participation in the coaching club … this concept is not for the faint hearted, you have to make some tough decisions and have the courage to follow through.”  Damien Moffrey, Director, Baker & Affleck Chartered Accountants

Rob Nixon

Since 1993 Rob has been exclusively focussed on helping Accountants improve their financial position. He...

• Has undertaken extensive research on how the profession works (or does not) - dating back to 1964.
• Has interviewed 1,033 clients on behalf of 129 Accounting firms on what they want from their Accountant.
• Has delivered speeches, workshops and seminars at more than 1,100 Accounting industry events in 7 countries.
• Has written countless articles on how high performing accounting firms operate.
• Has benchmarked more than 1,000 firms against each other and authored or co-authored 4 leading benchmarking reports.
• Has developed products, methodologies and leading training programs in 4 separate businesses that still operate successfully today.

Rob is the leading worldwide Accounting industry expert. He knows why they work, why they do not and what needs to happen for them to work more efficiently and profitably.

Colin Dunn

Colin is a Chartered Accountant with 20 years' experience in helping Accountants develop and implement strategies to build better businesses. He...

• Spent 10 years in one of the fastest growing accounting businesses in the UK.
• Led a project in that business to set up and launch a business consulting division.
• Trained directors and team members in that business to raise awareness of the new division and develop skills.
• Led consulting assignments with business clients, working on business growth and marketing engagements.
• Spent the last 10 years training, coaching and consulting accounting firms, both in the UK and, since 2002, in Australia.
• Has delivered speeches, workshops and seminars in the Accounting industries in Australia, New Zealand, UK, US and Ireland.
• Has developed content, products and systems for Accountants, including the industry leading, web based marketing and client development solution, TRUST.
• Most recently, has acted as a coach to a range of Accounting businesses right around Australia

Colin is passionate about helping turn Accounting practices into Accounting businesses.  He is relentless in the pursuit of improving the performance of every firm he coaches.

Scott Charlton

Scott is the Director of Coaching at robnixon.  Scott's role is to ensure our clients have a great experience with their coaching and ultimately to see real results in their firms.

Whilst a chartered accountant in business, he...

• Successfully introduced business coaching services to his clients
• Provided the initial Australian content for the Business Fitness How Now application, based upon the systems and checklists he utilised in his own firm
• Set up a successful joint venture company to deliver financial planning services to clients
• Undertook a fruitful merger of his firm with two other practitoners
• Was a member of the Institute's panel of Quality Reviewers
• Delivered workshops around Australia and in New Zealand in the use of a financial analysis software package

Since leaving his firm seven years ago, he...

• Coached numerous financial planning firms to implement best practice systems and adopt growth strategies
• Developed a joint venture model for financial planners working with accounting firms and successfully coached planners to implement this across a range of situations
• Has presented papers to both accountants and financial planners on working together for mutual benefit
• Has been state manager for two financial planning groups undergoing significant growth
• Completed a Masters of Business Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Financial Planning

A natural facilitator and a very experienced business coach, Scott is in his element helping our clients improve their performance and financial position.

Matt Schlyder

A Chartered Accountant with 22 years experience and a partner with Elliotts since 1996, Matt brings a wealth of knowledge to the coaching club program.  He...

• Is responsible for implementation of all business strategy in his capacity as the CEO of Elliotts
• Has been a long term supporter of coaching club.  His firm Elliotts has been in coaching club virtually from inception.  Currently, Elliotts is a member of our masterclass level of coaching
• Has a deep appreciation and understanding of key coaching club concepts such as fee proposals, value pricing and assisting clients beyond their compliance requirements
• Provides the perspective of a current practitioner to the program.  The suggestions and recommendations Matt makes in his coaching relate directly to what he has found to work in his own firm
• Has frequently given his time to speak with other coaching club members and firms interested in joining coaching club.
• Presented a fascinating case study on value pricing at our 2009 annual conference

An astute observer of business issues, Matt can be relied upon to provide well considered views on current issues relating to the Accounting industry.  A very caring and considerate person, he embodies the spirit of coaching club by readily sharing his knowledge and experience with the coaching club community.

Julienne Barton

In both leadership and business coaching roles, Julienne has a proven track record and considerable experience in successfully mentoring and coaching senior management.  She is renowned for her ability to motivate and manage people, to drive accountability and “make it happen”.

She brings a positive attitude, energy & drive, a strong level of business acumen, an outcomes focus and a diversity of business skills, including leadership and management, strategic planning and implementation, facilitation, human resource management, integrated software solutions and performance reporting.  She prides herself in getting the best out of people, individually and in a team environment.

Julienne has 30 years of professional experience having:

• 9 years experience as a Chartered Accountant with the then Price Waterhouse, principally in their Business Advisory Services area in which she gained rapid promotion through to Manager level.
• 10 years experience as Managing Director of a Wholesale and Retail business, achieving significant growth and successes throughout this period.
• 11 years experience in Business and Executive Coaching and Consulting for key decision makers of businesses from a diverse range of industries, including accounting, financial planning and a variety of other professional services firms.

Julienne is passionate about enabling businesses and their people to tap their potential, to be the best they can be, and she brings substantial "hands-on" experience and business acumen, built on a strong professional background.

Wendy Gleeson

Wendy Gleeson has worked in professional services marketing for 17 years, predominantly as a partner resource project managing, communicating and mobilising strategic marketing and business development initiatives for firms.

Wendy is currently providing expertise in the area of Client Advisory Board delivery and facilitation for
robnixon coaching club firms in the role of Business Coach:

• Wendy is an experienced facilitator of client advisory boards both domestically and internationally
• Has conducted client advisory boards as an external facilitator to firms in public practice with
  whom she has consulted
• Has conducted client advisory boards in an internal capacity whilst employed in a senior marketing
  role for a Top 50 UK firm

A new coaching club starts when there are 7-8 compatible businesses willing to commit to the coaching process. We currently have some spaces available in some new groups being assembled.

If you are interested please call Prue, our Client Coordinator, on +61 7 3607 6600 to arrange a FREE consultation today!

View Testimonials here.

By now, you may have a lot of questions circulating in your mind. Questions about how your firm fits into the process. Questions about the different coaching levels and which is right for you, accountability and so on.

Also, on this page you have seen what other coaching club members have achieved … but what about your firm?

What’s possible for you based on the size of your firm, your current number of employees, your current revenue, your current profit levels?

How much of a profit increase is possible?

To answer these questions and more, we have developed a special possibility calculator and analysis process. It enables you to see the kind of improvement that really is do-able when you become an implementing member of coaching club.

You simply key in some figures into this calculator based on where your firm currently is (your details are strictly confidential, of course), and you can then discover your firm’s potential.

Arrange your complimentary and confidential “What’s Possible Analysis" now – call Prue, our Client Coordinator now on +61 7 3607 6600.

“I have been watching what you are doing from a distance and started noticing the division in profitability between firms involved with this particular coaching style and those that aren’t. I feel complacent and negligent if I continue to know what’s possible and do nothing about it.” Sole practitioner

Contact us to enquire about a training program tailored to your needs.