Tom Coddington, CPA

"I already had a good practice," says Tom Coddington, a CPA from North Carolina who had been an accountant for 24 years when he called up Sterling. "But I wanted it bigger wanted it to make more money.

"The problem was I didn't know what was holding me back. I'd tried several other things and not had much of any success. So when I saw Sterling's ad in a magazine I sent off for their video tape and talked to them over the phone talked to various other CPAs and made my decision.

"Now I find myself frequently talking to other CPAs recommending Sterling.

"Right away I had what they call a SPEEDO where a consultant comes to the office to help implement the management technology. The thing I liked most was that they covered such a large area that they helped us in so many areas. And I especially liked their ideas in marketing."

The statistics tell the story:

"The year before I talked to Sterling we made $325,000 in billings the first year I worked with them we made $375,000 and this year we'll probably do $420,000."

Especially important in Tom Codington's book is the way the staff works together:

"Not that we had a problem before but now there's more overall team work from all of the staff just more enthusiasm and everything.

"Overall I didn't feel we had a lot of problems but in a lot of areas where we were doing well Sterling was able to help us do better.

"What I say to other CPAs when I talk about Sterling is this: I was very very skeptical before I had Sterling come in. I was concerned about the fee and whether it would really be worth it and we could pay for it. In the end my hopes and expectations were exceeded."