144 GOULD ST, SUITE 205, NEEDHAM, MA 02494

INFO@SIEGELSOLUTIONS.COM

10 Apr Not All Pro Advisors Are The Same

Posted at 17:37h in Blog by

In looking for a Pro Advisor, one should first look to see if they are on Intuit’s Local Expert Page.  If they are NOT and claim to be a Pro Advisor, it means they have signed up, but have not received any certifications.  Additionally, if they did, their certifications are on older products that have expired.  Additionally, look to see what they are certified in and for how long.  While there are many new advisors being added that do not have much history, there are many that have been advising for a number of years.  This shows commitment to the software as well as someone who most likely has made a career out of advising and working with QuickBooks.  Review the advisors Profile and see that it is completed in full and that they have added their own verbiage that explains what they or their firm does.  It is important to note that People are Pro Advisors, not firms.  So if you see a website for a company or firm that says they are QuickBooks Pro Advisors, it is not referring to the company, but to some individual or individuals in the firm.  Ask to speak to them directly.

  • A good Pro Advisor not only understands QuickBooks but has a firm grasp on accounting principals that go along with running a business on QuickBooks.  There are many Pro Advisors who understand how QuickBooks works, but are not fully aware of the implications of various setup issues.  For example, are items being setup correctly to map to the various accounts, is the chart of accounts set up correctly to clearly show the gross profit or overhead expenses?  Is deferred revenue being tracked correctly due to the receipt of funds for things that are not completed? While the actual recording of these types of transactions are very easy via invoices, bills and check writing and the setup is easy through the chart of accounts and item setup, if they are not setup correctly, the reports will not be accurate.  These issues are generally masked because they are not discovered until much later when management is looking for information in a certain format that they cannot get.
  • A good Pro Advisor has worked with many companies in many different industries and has learned all the various tricks and work-arounds within QuickBooks.  For example, the use of zero payroll checks to track labor job cost when a company uses an outside payroll service.  Or the use of items to track deferred revenue and deposits while reducing them when they need to be via another invoice.   They also understand how to import items into QuickBooks Budget, downloaded bank transactions and item list or new accounts.
  • A good Pro Advisor has in their back pocket a source for help in working with QuickBooks such as the QuickBooks community, the various QuickBooks forums, user groups as well as seasoned advisors in the industry.  There is always a need for support among Pro Advisors and knowing where to go for answers is paramount.  There are specialists who can point you in the right direction for 3rdparty add-ons, report writing, e-commerce connections, etc.
  • A good Pro Advisor has made pretty much a living with working in and around QuickBooks.  They are dedicated to the product and are always up to date with the new versions and features.

A good Pro Advisor is not:

  • Someone who signed up to get free software.
  • A bookkeeper who signed up just to get clients with very little QuickBooks experience.
  • Someone who signed up and got certified a few years back with no commitment to the program.
  • A great bookkeeper who knows just enough about QuickBooks to do the basics only write checks, pay bills, enter invoices and reconcile cash.
  • Someone who has not made the commitment to receive certifications.
  • A CPA who does not work with the software on a daily basis.

For as little as $449 per year, anyone can signup to become a QuickBooks Pro Advisor!  With that fee, you receive free QuickBooks software Pro, Premier, Enterprise and QuickBooks Online, as well as discounts to purchase software for resale.  Additionally, you receive access to certifications that give training on the use of QuickBooks.  The training starts with regular QuickBooks courses (approximately 16 hours), and continues with Advanced Training, Point of Sale Training and Enterprise Solutions Training.

While many Pro Advisors take this training, it is not a requirement.  Upon passing this training, a Pro Advisor will be listed on Intuits Find a Pro Advisor site.

With this low barrier to entry, and the ability to receive about $1800 dollars in free software, there are thousands of accountants and bookkeepers who signup to become Pro Advisors.  Many of them do go on to become certified and are listed on Intuits find a local expert page.

Remember, not all Pro Advisors are the same.  Ask questions about their experience, ask how they would handle certain aspects of your business and accountant, ask how many clients they have helped, inquire about their experience with the various features of QuickBooks inventory, item receipts, item setup, how to set up items to track profitability, etc.

Don’t be fooled by the bookkeeper who says they are QuickBooks experts!!

Print page


kim

Kimberly Mitchell
Partner Development Manager

 

Kim is a Partner Development Manager with 10 years of experience working with Strategic Partners. As a 19-year veteran with Intuit and a history of driving growth and sales results within the QuickBooks echo system Kim, brings a wealth of knowledge to our team by assisting us with sales and marketing initiatives while helping us strive for the highest net promoter (clients satisfaction) scores. Kim is passionate about creating and nurturing new partnership opportunities through the relationships she has built over the past 25 years of sales experience.

This will close in 0 seconds

Noah

Noah Raney
Senior Account Payroll Manager

 

Noah is our dedicated Intuit Senior Account Payroll Manager who can help you find the right payroll solution for you and your business. He is well versed in all of the QuickBooks platforms being desktop/online/standalone and payroll has been his world since joining Intuit 13 years ago. Whether you are looking for ways to save on time, reduce inflated payroll costs or just get set up with the best discounts, he is here to help. Your success and satisfaction are of utmost importance!

This will close in 0 seconds

Sean

Sean McCaffery
Global Channel Sales Partnerships and Alliances Leader

 

Sean McCaffery has more than 15 years of experience leading channel sales and cloud solutions in the US and Internationally. Sean has held leadership positions with Avaya in Europe growing the channel business with resellers and distributors in key countries driving double-digit growth. He then joined Rackspace Technology and was instrumental in developing sales growth strategies in cloud adoption for customers and partners. Most recently, he ran channels at Dizzion responsible for dynamically growing and expanding the partner ecosystem through SaaS-based VDI solutions before joining Intuit. Currently, he runs the QuickBooks Solution Provider Program supporting the strong business that solution providers and ISV partners have established as well as finding new opportunities to drive emerging mid-market growth together!

This will close in 0 seconds

Gabor

Gabor Terebesi
Account Manager

 

Gabor Terebesi is an Account Manager with the Payments Team of Intuit for over 15 years. He works in the partner division for Intuit payments to ensure Intuit partners along with any clients of theirs are in the most suitable and financially cost-effective solution accepting payments through eCommerce, QuickBooks, mobile payments, or any other options necessary for their business.

This will close in 0 seconds

Aimee

Aimee Garneau
Accounting Manager

 

Aimee joined Siegel in 2022 as the Accounting Manager overseeing the accounting and bookkeeping team. Aimee brings 18 years of experience with increased responsibility with privately and publicly held companies. Her experience lies with SaaS-based companies as well as in healthcare, consulting, education and nonprofits. Prior to joining Siegel, she held accounting leadership positions with Waban Projects, Elastic Path, Moltin, and Ned Davis Research. Aimee loves partnering with business owners to establish financial reporting and results that promote growth and expansion. When Aimee is not working, she loves spending time with her family and friends and exploring all New England has to offer. She is also an avid Red Sox fan and enjoys going to Fenway Park when she can.

This will close in 0 seconds

Jeffrey Siegel
CPA, CEO

Jeff has spent the last twenty years working providing solutions to emerging growth businesses. After graduating from Northeastern University, he spent five years working with two multinational CPA firms in an auditor capacity building a foundation for understanding how business work. He later went on to work in various controller and CFO roles before starting Siegel & Associates (previously Siegel Financial Group) in 2000. In those roles, he sold a company to ADP, raised funds for a major expansion of a large regional IVF clinic, and helped set up accounting and financial structures for dozens of companies. Since starting Siegel & Associates, Jeff has worked with hundreds of clients providing accounting system solutions. Those solutions include setting up QuickBooks in a single-user environment putting in QuickBooks Enterprise in a 30-user environment and integrating various add-ons including inventory, CRM, and e-commerce. He is a Certified Public Accountant, a QuickBooks Pro Advisor, a QuickBooks Advanced Pro Advisor, and an Intuit Solution Provider certified in Enterprise Solutions, Point of Sale & QuickBase. Jeff is also a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer

This will close in 0 seconds

Lori Swartz
Client Support Manager

After graduating from Boston University, Lori spent eight years working in various managerial positions for two national companies. In those positions, Lori developed the skills necessary to manage multiple projects, clients, and resources. She later went on to work for a management company that handled over 25 real estate properties with multiple tenants. Lori joined Siegel Solutions in 2003 as a client services manager where she utilized her skills developed to manage multiple clients and multiple staff. She recently moved into the client support manager role where she is responsible for meeting with and onboarding new clients, managing and maintaining our technology stack along with QuickBooks setups, conversions, training, and consulting.

In her free time, Lori enjoys spending time with her family. She loves to travel, music, and theater.

This will close in 0 seconds

Kristin Hogan
Office Administrator

Kristin has been with Siegel Solutions since 2008 when she started as a part-time Office Administrator. In addition to the administrative work for Siegel Solutions, Kristin also assists with bookkeeping for a handful of clients, and manages and processes payroll for about 25 clients. Kristin has been working in administrative roles for many years in various fields, including from an academic department in a local university, a start-up biomedical company, to recording and pricing inventory for a small gift shop. Kristin has also held customer service positions in food service, department stores, a local Boys & Girls Club, and a nursing home.

Outside of work, Kristin enjoys hanging out with family, friends, and the family’s black lab named Clyde. Kristin is a New England Revolution fan and goes to as many games as possible each season.

This will close in 0 seconds

Kathy Crouse
Senior Bookkeeping Associate

Kathy graduated from Framingham State College. She then attended Bently College in their Accounting Certificate program, while also working as an Assistant Payroll Supervisor and Compensation Specialist in the corporate offices of a large contract employer. After many years of experience as a Full Charge Bookkeeper for a private investment firm, and various small CPA firms, Kathy joined Siegel Solutions in 2001. She enjoys learning about different types of businesses working for Siegel and the satisfaction of tailoring our role to best serve each client's needs.

During her free time, Kathy loves spending time with her family and her dog. She also enjoys DIY projects and exploring the beautiful New England coast.

This will close in 0 seconds

Janet

Janet Jodoin
Bookkeeping Associate

Janet joined Siegel Solutions in May of 2022 as an Associate Bookkeeper. In her younger years, while raising her family, she completed her degree in Business and she spent 20 years in the trades as a custom designer. Janet also has 16 years in corporate management. Her strong team support, training, and development led her to support and manage Human Resources. Janet's desire to change careers has led her to return back to bookkeeping at Siegel Solutions. In Janet's free time she enjoys spending time with her growing family. Her personal favorite is creative landscaping in her yard. She also enjoys working alongside her partner in construction and remodeling.

This will close in 0 seconds

Tricia

Tricia Gullage
Associate

Tricia Joined Siegel Solutions in 2022 as a bookkeeper and works with our clients to keep their day-to-day bookkeeping in order. Tricia has 12 years of bookkeeping experience working for a large construction company for 10 of those years handling all their accounting and Payroll. She met Jeff our CEO while working there and decided she wanted to join our team.

When not working Tricia enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She recently moved up to the lakes region in NH and loves going to concerts, enjoying her time boating and snowmobiling.

This will close in 0 seconds