{"id":8009,"date":"2010-08-13t14:34:15","date_gmt":"2010-08-13t18:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/48e130086c.nxcli.net\/?p=8009"},"modified":"2015-10-23t03:47:02","modified_gmt":"2015-10-23t07:47:02","slug":"client-centric-its-not-just-numbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2010\/08\/13\/client-centric-its-not-just-numbers\/","title":{"rendered":"client-centric cpa? it’s not just numbers"},"content":{"rendered":"

helping a retailer client by looking beyond accounting.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[editor’s note: we’ve been asking accountants what “client-centric” means to them. here’s one of the many pithy answers we’re getting. send yours to editor@www.g005e.com<\/a>, or use comments<\/a>.]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

by june ball, cpa<\/em>
\nowner, north star accounting<\/a>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

many of my business clients are new and very small.\u00a0 they know their own industry, but don\u2019t know who to turn to for things like branding, marketing, signage, health care and business insurance, etc.<\/p>\n

i keep what i call a \u201creferral rolodex\u201d in my office.\u00a0 say a client needs some signs made.\u00a0 i will retrieve from my rolodex some cards of reputable sign shops in the area that i know well.\u00a0 i make sure the client knows that i know the owners, but by giving them the cards, i am not endorsing any of them.\u00a0 it\u2019s a way i help my clients find good, reputable people they can depend on.<\/p>\n

i meet with my business clients about once a quarter to go over their numbers and see if there are any trends developing.\u00a0 many times business owners get caught up in day to day activities and don\u2019t take the time to step back.\u00a0 we sit down and look at ratios and discuss the problems they are encountering.\u00a0 then we work to problem solve.<\/p>\n

one example, i have a retail client with a shop in a strip mall.\u00a0 her business was breaking even.\u00a0 slowly she was building a good reputation.\u00a0 but, all of a sudden, her sales started shrinking.\u00a0 she wasn\u2019t getting many \u201cdrive by\u201d clients.\u00a0 it was like people forgot where she was.<\/p>\n

we recognized two problems that needed fixed:<\/p>\n

1) her sign matched the color of the header of the mall where the merchant signage is displayed, and<\/p>\n

2) the out lots of the strip mall had new store fronts, blocking her visibility.<\/p>\n

since her lease was almost up, she looked for a new location where there was a strip mall with no out lots.\u00a0 after the move, her sales started to climb back to where they were and now, she\u2019s beyond breakeven; she\u2019s becoming quite profitable.\u00a0 it was a case where the answer wasn\u2019t in the numbers, but in the environment.<\/p>\n

those are my examples of client centric service.<\/p>\n