Let’s talk about something that’s been quietly killing accounting margins for decades: accounts payable. The thankless, low-margin back-office chore that no one wants but everyone has to do.
AP doesn’t have to be a drag. It can actually be a revenue stream. Yep. You heard me right.
In this video, I break down four radical plays to stop letting AP drain your time and energy and start letting it fuel your firm’s growth.
Play #1: Keep Your Clients Out of the GL
Your clients don’t belong in QuickBooks. Period.
Give them a simple, button-based AP tool, like Melio, where they can pay bills easily while you keep oversight.
IT’s about oversight, not overwrite. You protect the integrity of the books. They get simplicity. Everybody wins.
(Seriously, watch the video — I show how easy it is to add, approve and pay bills. No messy new QuickBooks screens required.)
Play #2: Repackage AP for Profit
There’s not just one way to deliver AP anymore. You’ve got two solid models:
Full-Service AP: You do it all. Press the button. Manage the workflow. That’s premium CAS pricing right there.
AP Oversight Light: Let your clients press the button, but you monetize the guardrails. You stay in control, keep the GL clean and still earn a margin.
Either way, you turn a headache into a structured, scalable, profitable service.
And here’s a little insider tip: Melio’s accountant partner program actually rewards you for it. The more clients you move onto the platform, the better your pricing gets. So you’re not just improving workflows, you’re stacking margins. It’s literally built to make AP a win-win for you and your clients.
Play #3: Automate the Ugly Stuff
If your team is still manually entering bills, chasing client errors or reconciling twice — stop. With OCR, inbox forwarding and smart integrations, you can eliminate the grunt work and double handling.
Approval workflows and permissions give you control without chaos. That means more trust, more efficiency and way higher margins.
Automation isn’t about replacing people; it’s about freeing them to do better work.
Play #4: Turn AP into Advisory
This is where the real magic happens. That bill pay button? It’s not just about getting vendors paid. It’s the start of cash flow strategy, and that’s advisory.
When you teach clients how to extend payment terms, leverage card rewards, and manage liquidity, you’re helping them make smarter business decisions.
Advisory starts at the bill pay button, because that’s where cash flow takes shape.
Modernize. Monetize. Future-Proof.
AP doesn’t have to drag you down. When you modernize your workflows, repackage your services and automate the ugly stuff, you free your team to focus on what matters most — helping clients grow.
Stop playing defense. Start winning the AP game.
