Mind of Murph
I realize that we just announced the 2019 ProAdvisor of the Year on Tuesday, along with the other Categorical recipients, but I wanted you to know that it's never too early to be getting ready for our 'next' ProAdvisor of the Year process. Even though the formal process will begin months from now, you should already be thinking about what you need to do to try to reach 'the standard' that is ProAdvisor of the Year, or that conforms to the various Categorical Awards we recognize.
So you maybe wondering what I mean by 'the standard.' When Insightful Accountant began this process we recognized that there were certain measures that we could assess based upon the submitted applications and that for each category there were standards that applied. When you look at the application, it's easy to see the various measures, things like certifications and years of experience, number of training hours, and type of services you as a ProAdvisor perform. Each measure is tied to a specific standard within one or more of the various categories we recognize (QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, Trainer/Writer, Integrations, etc.).
Every applicant is scored based upon these measures as they apply to every category. The key here is that applicants are scored on the basis of the 'standard,' and their ranking is in relationship thereto, they are never judged against other applicants. While we did some 'tweaking' this year and expanded and split some of our categories to favor both the growth in QuickBooks Online and the International ProAdvisor community, our actual process did not and has not changed since day one.
Based upon an applicant's ranking relative to the standard for each category, the ten highest ranked participants in each Category has traditionally become our Top 10. As a result of the changes made in 2019, the two split categories each contributed only the highest five ranked participants to the Top 100. The absolute highest ranked participant from each category becomes the Categorical winner, and the one participant who best reflects 'the standard' as a whole is awarded ProAdvisor of the Year.
This year, that ProAdvisor was M.B. Raimondi. For those of you who know M.B., I am confident that there is no doubt in your mind why she is the '2019 ProAdvisor of the Year.' But, for those of you who have never had the privilege of meeting M.B., then perhaps the words of Joe Woodard written back in 2016 in an article in Insightful Accountant regarding Scaling New Heights, describe why she is a clear example of 'the standard':
"I have been working with MB Raimondi for over a decade. She is unsurpassed in her knowledge of QuickBooks and in her ability to clearly communicate complex, advanced technology concepts in a group environment. She is organized, insightful, clear… and powerful!"
That pretty well sums up 'the standard' that we recognized when we announced this year's ProAdvisor of the Year. As I told M.B. in a congratulatory text message after the awards were announced, she has 'The Right Stuff!'
Now is the time to start getting prepared for the 2020 ProAdvisor of the Year and Top 100 ProAdvisor process. We are less than 45 days away from the new deadline (July 31) for QuickBooks Certification re-certifications, which is a good starting point. Some people had a jump start by attending certification preparation training during this week's Scaling New Heights conference, but Intuit will be offering a wealth of training between now and our process application deadline (whatever date that may be in 2020). There will be virtual training, local training, webinars, travel tour training, and QuickBooks Connect (in multiple locations). Training and certification is just a start, but it is an essential start on meeting 'the standard.'
I have authored numerous articles in the past about the various 'measures' found in the application instrument we use and how they related to the categories we recognize. Nobody coached M.B. on how to fill out her application to get the best score, and I'm not going to coach you either; it's simply up to you to have 'the Right Stuff' when you fill out the application. If you do, then you too can be ProAdvisor of the Year.