16 traits of the best tax clients

subscriber frank kistner adds no. 17: clients who remove staples from source documents (because they can damage your scanner/copier).

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

clients are our customers who pay our salaries and present us with stimulating opportunities allowing us to grow.

more: eight ways to charm a client | plug small leaks before they become big floods | you’re only as good as your last screw-up | four issues with ‘quick’ tax questions | when to pick up the phone this tax season | these five procedures will simplify your tax season | 11 steps to better client tax instructions
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there is no such thing as a bad or nuisance client – although there are clients who sometimes do bad or nuisance things.

following is a listing of what makes a good client.

1. clients who do what they say they will do and who do not delay sending us what we ask for.
2. clients who do the work organizing their documents before they provide them to us.
3. clients who give us estimated amounts that tell us they are estimates and how they arrived at it and why they cannot provide the actual amounts.
4. clients who pay their bills promptly.
5. clients who call the partner to complain about a bill instead of “complaining” by sending a note to our “bookkeeping department.”
6. clients who complain right away to the partner when they are upset with something, and not to a staff person who happens to be at their office at that moment.
7. clients who make us explain clearly what we tell them to do, and who don’t give the go-ahead without fully understanding what is to be done.
8. clients who review the work we send them when it is received and who don’t sit on it until eight minutes before it needs to be filed or sent to a bank.
9. clients who use technology fully.
10. clients who are not litigious.
11. clients who understand that taxes need to be paid to maintain our society and that we do not make the rules that cause them to pay taxes.
12. clients who realize that banks and finance companies need backup and documentation when they lend funds, and that there is a cost to develop that data, and that it is not our “fault” the work is needed.
13. clients who understand that we sometimes make a mistake, who accept a rational and reasonable explanation and who won’t keep bringing it up months and years later.
14. clients who occasionally thank us for our efforts on their behalf.
15. clients who refer potential clients.
16. clients who are happy with their lives.

posted on february 28, 2022