A new report from Ignition found that 78% of Australian accounting practices plan to raise fees in 2026, but only 21% say they’re ‘very confident’ in their pricing strategy. Louise Walpole, commercial director at Advancetrack, sees that gap as an opportunity for firms to pull ahead by focusing on higher value advisory work and charging with conviction. Here are her pointers to success.

Flag opportunities

Accountants are well placed to anticipate clients’ pain points.

“With your clients’ figures in front of you, it’s easy to see when cash is getting tight, margins are slipping or a business is growing faster than it can cope with,” says Walpole. “These are all advisory conversations waiting to happen. The trick is to train your team to notice them and jot down anything worth following up.”

Move on from hourly billing

Hourly billing punishes you for being good – the quicker you get, the less you earn for the same job. Clients are also in the dark about the cost until they get the bill.

A fixed fee or subscription can solve both problems, says Walpole. “Your client knows the cost up front, while you get a steady, predictable income. You’re also in a better position to grow when your income isn’t tied to your time.”

Sell the benefits

Think about your service in terms of benefits, then train your team to sell these to your clients.

“It’s important to get your team on board early, so they understand the value they’re providing,” says Walpole. “This could be tax saved, better decision making, creating a more valuable business, even being able to sleep better at night. This way, higher fees will make sense to everyone and you’ll feel confident about charging more.” If this sounds like too big a leap, it’s fine to start small.

“Pick a few clients, do a good job and get testimonials to build up your proof,” says Walpole.

Outsource routine work 

Your best people should be talking to clients about value, not bogged down by compliance.

“The firms winning at advisory nearly always have compliance handled quietly in the background,” says Walpole. “When you outsource routine tasks, you can protect your margins and grow, without struggling to recruit more people. That’s exactly what our outsourcing, offshoring and podsourcing® models are for.”

Find out more

Advancetrack is a CA ANZ Member Benefits partner. To book a call with the team, click here.