Credit Where Credit Is Due: CPEs for CPAs

April 18, 2025
Scott Pemberton

Our popular consultative selling course, FOCIS®, now provides 19 hours of continuing professional education credit for CPAs. That’s great news for at least a couple of reasons.

First, the official government licensing authority in Illinois has recognized that consultative selling is a skill that can be learned and developed with the right training and guidance. It’s not magic or a talent that “rainmakers” are” born with.”

True, some top business developers are naturals. But even the naturals perform the same behaviors that FOCIS® teaches, and just about everyone else can learn those behaviors. We didn’t invent the behaviors. Highly successful salespeople-the 20 percent who bring in 80 percent of the business day in and day out-have been practicing them for years, even if they didn’t know it.

What we did invent is a highly effective way to teach those skills and make them stick through extensive reinforcement in the classroom and in the field.

The second reason it’s great news that CPAs can receive CPEs for completing FOCIS® is that building consultative selling skills-and a customized sales process-is downright good for them! “Selling” is something nearly everyone in business must do at some level. But not everyone respects selling as a skill or a profession in its own right.

Professionals such as accountants, attorneys, engineers, architects, and others can be especially skeptical. They’re understandably reluctant to take time (and billable hours) away from their true work, even to learn other, professional skills they need to maintain and grow their firms. “I didn’t go through law school to be a salesman,” is a comment we frequently hear.

No, and with the right consultative selling skills and customized process, no professional has to be a “salesman.” Instead, the skills and process of effective consultative selling enable professionals to become productive,  professional  business developers.  FOCIS actually makes it easier to practice a profession because it makes business development much more efficient, saving both time and effort. Concerns about bringing in business can be reduced significantly.

So, if you are CPA (or other professional) who’s never seen the value of developing the professional skills you need to grow, or even maintain, your firm, please give us a call at 847-446-0008. Or you can reach blogger Scott Pemberton directly at 312-560-0992.

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