Despite claims to the contrary, the billable hour is still the most common billing method, and realization, a metric used by accounting firms to calculate the profitability of accounting services, the most common internal performance measure utilized by public accounting firms. Even with the emergence of other billing protocols such as value billing and fixed pricing, a majority of firms have not progressed beyond these traditional methods and metrics. We suggest that realization as a performance indicator may actually decrease profitability and create a negative work culture leading to increased voluntary employee turnover. We present the alternative gross profit margin method as a more accurate means of measuring performance, and show how using this method can increase profitability, provide for more accurate fee proposals, and create a more positive workplace culture.