enabling your team to fire clients supports the ethos that your team is your most valuable asset.
by jody padar
radical pricing – by the radical cpa
there are few ways to sink an accounting firm faster than winning bad clients. they will rob your profitability, steal your sanity and cause havoc among your staff and other client relationships.
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ask yourself these questions and be prepared to walk away if you don’t get the right answers:
- do they fit your firm? does their personality and how they do business work with you and your team? your team members will be the ones handling most of the client-facing work. do they enjoy working with this person? will they find it rewarding? if not, you may lose good staff because of a poor client.
- is the customer interested in value? do they care about you? will they find value in you and your services? you now have a fixed and value-priced model, so your ideal client is interested in appraising the work they buy based on its value. if they don’t see value in your service offerings, they are not a good fit.
- are they willing and able to adhere to your operating procedures? are they able to get you the documentation you need when you need it? is their response time reasonable for your schedule? are they able to engage with the advice you are giving them?
in a client-centric firm, your client interactions are far less transactional and more focused on building partnerships. if the prospect is not a good fit, it’s best to weed them out before you even take them on. it may be difficult to turn away clients at the start, but have faith in your pipeline and what you’re building.
in addition to your pipeline, you also have the opportunity to sell additional services to pre-existing clients. if the goal is strong relationships, great word of mouth, and referrals, do not forget to focus on the clients you have and love. there is no reason to dilute your energy with clients who are not suitable for your firm. saying no is protecting the morale of your team and the work you’ve done.
giving your team the power to fire a client who isn’t working out is essential. this supports the ethos that your team is your most valuable asset. invest in them and their love of the job. i had this rule in my firm, and though it was never exercised, i think it gave everyone a sense of ownership over their work and let them know their value to the firm.
