why are they unwilling to help?
by ed mendlowitz
202 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice
question: my tax partner gives me a hard time when i ask her for assistance. is there anything i can do to get her to be more responsive?
more: merge in lower-priced work without losing out | 20 things you need for a business valuation
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
response: this can apply to every research question asked by anyone in the firm. besides tax, it can be for audit, internal controls, succession planning or any other client service area.
i think the problem is you. you told me you ask questions as they come up and expect quick answers. you also told me that you sometimes get the answer as you are speaking with her. you also said that you only ask questions when it is very important to get a quick answer, which you said seems to become more frequent.
there is a very simple way to handle this. write out your question in advance of asking it and give a time budget and a realistic due date. be aware that by you being more organized in your requests you will make it easier to answer, and your tax partner will know it isn’t open-ended. she will also know what client to charge her time to.
writing out your question will force you to think about the issue more clearly and to identify the question you want answered. occasionally while writing the questions, the answer will become obvious on its own and you won’t need assistance.