What prevented these packages from getting a better reception was that accountants didn’t know how to translate the need for the software into something clients were willing to pay for.

“That is exactly what I found in trying to sell Accpac CFO,” says Geni Whitehouse, who spent a lot of time promoting that application to CPAs. “First, I had to teach them how to have a discussion with clients, how to deliver different services and how to talk about non-financial services. It was too big a leap for most firms."

ScopeIt, available only through Mentor Plus, a Carmel Valley, Calif.-based consulting firm, has QuickBooks integration and a custom dashboard and can measure 25 metrics from five different business areas. The important addition, says Whitehouse, is training. “The custom dashboard ties in to Scope training created by Mentor Plus, which we’ve found is critical to making CPAs successful with the software,” she says. MentorPlus is offering a two-device license and one hour of training for $995 for the first year.

“The problem both CCH and Accpac had was trying to change people’s way of thinking to sell them software. We’re changing the mindset of people first, and then they’ll use the tool,” says Whitehouse. “We’ve learned from lots of past experience what we should include."