Why Package Your Accounting Services for Practices?

Traditional hourly billing can create friction and uncertainty for both you and your clients. Practitioners often feel hesitant to call with quick questions if they know the meter is running. For you, it can lead to scope creep, difficulty forecasting revenue, and undervaluing your expertise.

Packaging offers significant benefits:

• Client Clarity: Practices understand exactly what they get and what they pay upfront.
• Predictable Revenue: Stable monthly fees improve your firm’s financial forecasting.
• Increased Profitability: You price for value delivered, not just time spent, capturing efficiency gains.
• Easier Sales: Presenting clear options simplifies the buying decision.
• Improved Client Relationships: Focus shifts from tracking hours to delivering outcomes and proactive advice.
• Upsell Opportunities: Clearly defined packages make introducing premium services or add-ons easier.

Defining Your Core Accounting Service Packages

A common and effective strategy is the ‘Good-Better-Best’ or tiered pricing model. This allows practices to choose a level that fits their current needs and budget, while providing a clear path to upgrade as they grow.

Start by identifying the core accounting functions dental and medical practices require. These often include:

• Monthly bookkeeping (categorization, reconciliation)
• Payroll processing (specific to healthcare, including provider compensation structures)
• Accounts Payable/Receivable management
• Tax preparation (corporate/partnership returns, K-1s for owners)
• Financial reporting & analysis (monthly/quarterly statements, KPIs relevant to practices like collections, overhead %)
• Provider compensation calculation and structure advice
• Budgeting and forecasting
• Tax planning
• Benchmarking against industry data
• CFO-level advisory services

Group these services into logical tiers. Don’t try to include everything in every package. Define what differentiates each tier based on the depth of service, level of advisory, or frequency of reporting.

Example Package Structure for Practices (Illustrative Pricing)

Here’s a simplified example of how you might structure packages. Remember, actual pricing will depend on the practice’s size, complexity, revenue, and your costs.

• Good (e.g., ‘Essentials’): Focus on compliance and basic reporting.

  • Monthly Bookkeeping & Reconciliation
  • Basic Monthly Financial Statements (P&L, Balance Sheet)
  • Annual Business Tax Preparation
  • Limited Email/Phone Support
  • Example Price: Starting from $750/month

• Better (e.g., ‘Growth’): Adds more advisory and proactive services.

  • Everything in ‘Essentials’ PLUS:
  • Bi-Weekly Payroll Processing
  • Quarterly Financial Review Meetings with Analysis
  • Basic Tax Planning
  • Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Tracking
  • Accounts Payable Support
  • More Dedicated Support Access
  • Example Price: Starting from $1,500/month

• Best (e.g., ‘Strategic Partner’): Comprehensive package with high-level advisory.

  • Everything in ‘Growth’ PLUS:
  • Weekly Payroll Processing
  • Accounts Receivable Oversight
  • Monthly Financial Review & Advisory Meetings
  • In-depth Tax Planning & Strategy
  • Budgeting and Forecasting
  • Provider Compensation Modeling & Consulting
  • Industry Benchmarking
  • Priority Support
  • Example Price: Starting from $3,000+/month

Clearly define what’s included and, importantly, what’s excluded in each package.

Pricing Your Accounting Service Packages for Profit

Pricing packages requires a shift in mindset from cost-plus (based on hours) to value-based pricing, especially for the ‘Better’ and ‘Best’ tiers where advisory services are prominent. Consider:

1. Your Costs: Calculate your true cost to deliver the services in each package (labor, software, overhead).
2. Client Value: What is the impact of your services on the practice? Reduced taxes saved, improved cash flow, better financial decision-making, saved practitioner time are all valuable outcomes.
3. Market Rates: Research what other firms specializing in dental/medical accounting charge for similar services.
4. Practice Size & Complexity: Pricing should scale with the practice’s revenue, number of providers, transaction volume, and complexity.
5. Profit Margin: Ensure your pricing provides a healthy margin after accounting for delivery costs and perceived value.

Don’t be afraid to charge for the value you provide. Preventing a costly tax mistake or optimizing provider compensation can be worth far more to a practice owner than the hours you spent on it.

Offering Customization and Add-Ons

While packages provide structure, allow for some flexibility through clearly defined add-on services. This prevents scope creep within packages while addressing specific practice needs.

Potential add-ons could include:

• Controller/CFO-on-Demand hours for special projects (e.g., software implementation, practice acquisition due diligence)
• Specific reporting dashboards or custom reports
• HR support functions related to payroll
• Assistance with loan applications or financing
• Retirement plan administration support
• Software training or optimization (e.g., QuickBooks Online, Xero, specific practice management software integrations)

Present these add-ons clearly alongside your core packages, often with separate pricing (either fixed-fee or project-based, not hourly if possible, unless it’s for unpredictable advisory time capped monthly).

Presenting Packages Professionally and Interactively

How you present your packages significantly impacts client perception and conversion. Static PDFs or lengthy email lists of services can be overwhelming.

Consider using a dynamic approach that allows practices to interact with the options, select tiers, and add optional services to see the total cost update in real-time. This fosters transparency and control.

While some comprehensive proposal tools like PandaDoc (https://www.pandadoc.com) or Proposify (https://www.proposify.com) can include pricing tables within a larger proposal, they aren’t solely focused on the interactive pricing selection experience.

For a dedicated solution focused specifically on creating interactive, configurable pricing presentations, tools like PricingLink (https://pricinglink.com) are ideal. PricingLink allows you to build your packages, add-ons, and options into a shareable link (‘pricinglink.com/links/*’). Clients can then click through, select their desired services and tiers, and see the total price, giving them a clear, modern buying experience. This simplifies the conversation and helps qualify leads based on their selections. PricingLink doesn’t handle the full proposal, contract, or e-signature process, but it excels at modernizing the crucial pricing presentation step.