accountants take note: clients may be the lifeblood of a business. but remember: managers manage, leaders lead. it’s your business. to make the point, here’s an email we received from one reader, name withheld for obvious reasons: rick, i was … continued
what we know that clients don’t even know they need.
by sandi leyva
i’m pretty sure that i am not the only accountant who has made the following mistakes with clients. here are a couple of ideas to help us remember what we know that the client doesn’t and why it costs us when we forget.
more sandi leyva: what’s in your new client funnel? | what’s in your welcome kit for new prospects? | five fun and easy ways to wow your clients | six ways to give yourself a raise | strategies to stop losing business to competitors | five tips to manage your ‘overwhelm’ level | easy ideas for a quick business boost | four new mega-trend marketing strategies | how to stop leaving money on the table
1. clients do not know how to evaluate our technical skills.
choosing a crm system can be tricky. here are some pointers.
by becky livingston
when do you need crm? you know you need crm when your list of contacts has outgrown your rolodex. you remember what a rolodex is right? another indication is when you begin to forget important information about your clients, or you notice your communication with them has dwindled.
also consider crm when you are looking to increase sales as well as relationships with clients, in the end positively affecting the bottom line.
lastly, if you find yourself personalizing emails manually and/or do not have a clear idea of where you customer or lead is in the pipeline, you may need crm.
income statement, balance sheet, cash flows? it’s time for a fourth statement.
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by edi osborne
ceo, mentor plus
in the words of bonnie raitt, “let’s give ’em something to talk about; a little something to figure out.”
fact or fiction, rumors or true business intelligence, those that can make the distinction have a huge opportunity to add value to their business relationships.
recently, i had the opportunity to sit down with several business owners to interview them about how they make business decisions. decisions, as it turns out, are one of the most important reasons business owners walk away from nine-to-five jobs. business owners like to have control over their destiny. they actually thrive on the decision-making process and are willing to live with the consequences of those choices. and although, business owners don’t want anyone to take away their options, they do want someone to help them examine them. they want to know that the information they are basing a decision on is accurate and relevant. that it is not conjecture, rumor, or worse yet, self-serving misinformation provided by others at the company. sounds like a job for a true, trusted adviser, would-be super hero.
unfortunately, when asked about the quality and quantity of data, business owners utilize daily to inform their decisions, including the real-time, management value of financial statements, their answers paint a very unsatisfactory picture of the decision support provided by their accountant. as the role of cpas who serve as cfos in a corporate environment has morphed into that of a cio — chief information officer — cpas in public practice continue to lag behind in this transition. when pressed on this issue, many cpas admit they want to do more, but they are not comfortable outside the realm of compliance matters.
more from edi osborne for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 pro members (go pro here):
so how can public cpas become chief information officers? how can they utilize their accounting skills to capitalize on the fast growing business intelligence market?
it’s simple . . . read more →
how to learn to anticipate client needs.
by rick telberg
not to sound too much like your mother or anything, but couldn’t you do a little better job at your job? couldn’t you do a little more to satisfy your clients?
more for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 pro members on client service and retention:
we think that’s a good question. so we’ve been asking and we’ve been looking for what cpas have to say about keeping clients satisfied.
use all five senses.
by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator
you don’t have to be the ritz-carlton or mercedes to provide your customer with a great experience. just a little forethought and planning will make a huge difference. here are five tips for your consideration:
the economy turns a corner.
according to a survey of u.s. accounting firms by sageworks, 92% of financial professionals believe that businesses will either maintain or increase their employee count in 2012.
hint: the secret weapon is communications skills.
by bruce bailey
guild accountants
while the victor in war is he who wins the last battle, every battle and every outcome is significant (even the battles you lose – we often learn more from our losses than our wins!).
about three years ago we looked at our war for clients by assessing: the nature of our troops, their skills and training, the battlefields on which we would operate and the armaments we would carry.
step 1: start showing how much you care.
by krista remer and jennifer wilson
convergencecoaching
so, what does it really take to retain clients?
here are a few ideas that could help you focus on what really matters most to your clients:
and dozens of possible solutions from staffers…
at a recent staff workshop, there was a brainstorming session to answer some key questions about what constitutes excellence in client service. four questions were placed on the table:
1. how can we make it easier for our clients to do business with us?
if it’s so simple, why are clients so surprised when it happens?
editor’s note: in the weekly research update (join here), we report initial results from a new nationwide survey of client attitudes. and it’s not necessarily a pretty picture. clients are clearly becoming more demanding, with higher expectations for service and value. and yet, too many cpa firms have yet to respond to the challenge. but then, that’s good for those that do. what’s your best client satisfaction tip? tell us here; we may quote you. — rick telberg
meanwhile, here are a few of the best client stories we’ve heard so far…
top trends in client service, satisfaction and retention. read more →
fight for the client, and win!
enrolled agent thomas blair has built a thriving practice and solid reputation as a taxpayer’s advocate in irs cases.
here are a few of blair’s stories, in his own words: