10 reasons clients don’t pay

person writing check with pen and checkbookand what to do about it.

by ed mendlowitz
101 questions and answers: managing an accounting practice, the complete 2-volume set

q: i always have large amounts owed to me from clients. is there anything i can do about this?

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

a: absolutely! my feelings are that large a/r balances are your fault. accounting fees are almost never material to a business’ cost structure, but letting fees pile up can make them somewhat material.
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when clients say ‘no’

serious businesswoman holding up hand in stop signalfour ways to deal with their decision.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

i found out many years ago that i cannot spend my clients’ money.

i used to feel that if they did not want to “buy” a service i felt they must have, it meant i did not clearly convey the value to them. i do not feel this way anymore because the value is relative and draws on many issues the client might have and that i am not privy to.

more: when good things happen | when an employee’s growth has gaps | my first trainee | the growing pains of a small firm | giving clients the best you’ve got | why map programs are essential | how to become a specialist | secrets in specialties | making sure the son got proper credit | yes, shirt logos can matter | 10 more reasons cpas quit public accounting
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

in my earlier days i used to do the work anyway, feeling a responsibility to the client. it took me quite a while to realize that the responsibility is the clients’ and if they did not want to spend their money for it, i should not spend part of my life doing it on a pro bono basis. there were also times i felt the work was so essential to the client that i did it expecting their recognition of the importance and willingness to pay me afterward. stupid! my bad!
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when good things happen

be open to unexpected opportunities.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

my friend al is a sole practitioner with seven staff members and a thriving audit practice, besides the typical tax and small business tax clients.

more: when an employee’s growth has gaps | my first trainee | the growing pains of a small firm | giving clients the best you’ve got | why map programs are essential | how to become a specialist | secrets in specialties | making sure the son got proper credit | yes, shirt logos can matter | 10 more reasons cpas quit public accounting | family trees of clients
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he is getting older, and while he has no plans to retire and is actively trying to grow his practice, he periodically meets with larger firms to see if there is an interest in acquiring his practice when that day comes. by doing this he stumbled on a fantastic business development formula.
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when an employee’s growth has gaps

older man and younger man in meetingwhere did all that experience go?

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

we hired sam out of school and he worked for us for two and a half years and then we split up our firm. this was ages ago and sy and i left our third partner to form our new firm on jan. 1.

more: my first trainee | the growing pains of a small firm | giving clients the best you’ve got | why map programs are essential | how to become a specialist | secrets in specialties | making sure the son got proper credit | yes, shirt logos can matter | 10 more reasons cpas quit public accounting | family trees of clients | preparing for the worst (thanks to my wife)
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

however, there is a valuable lesson here and i think it is worth sharing. it changed the way we hired staff.
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my first trainee

leads to new opportunities.confident businessman analyzing chart and explaining it to co-worker

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

i was fortunate early on in my career that i had a boss who gave me responsibility to supervise. on some level i was not really instructed how to supervise, but was told i could use the new person to help me get my work done.

more: the growing pains of a small firm | giving clients the best you’ve got | secrets in specialties | 10 more reasons cpas quit public accounting | when cpas leave to work for a client | when parents, children hit an impasse
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

this was precipitated by an email i received from the first person ever i supervised. i had not spoken to him since working with him in 1968. he emailed me because he read one of my columns and just wanted to say hello. i remembered him and then i recalled how i got started training him – he was the first person i trained.
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nine tax season resources that get forgotten

happy family of four outdoors in winter clothing on snowdon’t take these for granted.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

we have many resources and need to recognize that. and we need to treat each with its own importance. even if you did everything yourself, you’d still need to rely on your tax software company, fedex and the postal service, stationery supplier, computer consultant, the internet and email, cell phone provider and copier/scanner machine. and that’s just a few of the resources we rely on. managing your resources well creates an aura of security and consistency to your practice.

more: 16 traits of the best tax clients | eight ways to charm a client | plug small leaks before they become big floods | you’re only as good as your last screw-up
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

but there more. and they are often overlooked. or taken for granted. here are some more resources that need to be managed:
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21 reasons tax clients fire accountants

portrait of an angry man yelling on the phonewhat could you be preventing right now?

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: 16 traits of the best tax clients | 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 | get your team ready for tax season | 12 ways to squeeze fun into tax season | 6 ways to get paid faster in tax season
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

so why do clients leave?

here are 21 good reasons why they should: read more →

buying a practice from an estate

businessman looking thoughtfulmake the terms work for you.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

this was precipitated by my hearing of the untimely death of a sole practitioner who was a friend. his family wanted to sell the practice and was shopping around for a buyer.

more: the growing pains of a small firm | giving clients the best you’ve got | secrets in specialties | 10 more reasons cpas quit public accounting | the 10 best movie accountants | when cpas leave to work for a client | when parents, children hit an impasse | wealth is a state of mind | the six types of “impossible” clients
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

he died two and a half months ago and a deal still hasn’t been consummated. another friend who was trying to acquire what was left of the practice has kept me advised of the progress.
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