busy season management

keep these tax clients while you have the chance

portrait of an angry man yelling on the phone21 reasons they switch firms.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

clients have many choices, including the choice of a tax preparer. every new client an accountant gets is because that client left – fired – their previous accountant.

more: what’s not to like about tax season? | can your reviewers answer these 10 questions? | 5 small leaks that can sink a tax season | one can’t-skip touch for tax season | 3 steps to tax season happiness
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so why do clients leave? here are 21 good reasons why they should:

  1. owed a large amount that wasn’t expected
  2. get super large refund that wasn’t expected
  3. doesn’t return phone calls
  4. last-minute rush
  5. errors every year
  6. large (or even a small) error not apologized for, or explained
  7. “dumb” phone calls from cpa’s office
  8. fee too high (based on previous years)
  9. got notice and paid a penalty that was preparer’s fault
  10. paid interest on a late payment that was caused by cpa’s delay
  11. the accountant didn’t follow up on something they should have
  12. cpa should have called me more frequently for missing info
  13. i was charged for a redo for a corrected statement from my broker
  14. i was charged for handling a notice that was erroneously sent to me by irs
  15. i was billed for people working on the return that i never heard of
  16. billed for staff people correcting errors they made (this was said on the time run sent to me with bill)
  17. cpa lost personal touch
  18. the person handling my account left and was not comfortable with a new person
  19. the practice was sold and i never heard from new accountant
  20. cpa’s appearance and the office looked out of control
  21. don’t see cpa as a “partner”

4 responses to “keep these tax clients while you have the chance”

  1. david hanna

    i generally love ed’s articles. i think he has a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience and is very generous in sharing that with others. while there are several items in this list of 21 i find a little “iffy” the first paragraph contains a real whopper. the statement, “every new client an accountant gets is because that client left – fired – their previous accountant.” is patently false. some new, or prospective, clients come to you because they were fired by their previous tax professional… and often for very good reason. making sure you know why the client left their previous accountant is vital. taking on a new “difficult” client is a miserable experience for everybody involved.

    • mark

      thanks david – that is why i posted my somewhat snarky comment. ed has a wealth of knowledge but some of these articles come across as “i am the ultimate infallible cpa”. i will admit – i am a merely mortal cpa. i do my best for my clients but i am not an android – i am a human being. unfortunately, what clients expect these days is flawless, perfection – unlimited tax savings – delivered immediately and for less than $300. also, every year i need to find new stuff to save them money.

  2. mark

    so, in other words – flawless execution is the expectation in all cases, at a low cost and fast. don’t forget fast.

    • david hanna

      excellent point. i think a great follow-up to this article is would be an article on how to communicate to a client or prospective client what are high but reasonable expectations along with the early warning signs of an undesirable client. (they generally show themselves early on if we actively listen and forget about the dollars for a minute or two).