What really matters to clients - plus...

Each week Mark publishes a fresh strategic advice blog post for the thousands of accountants, bookkeepers and tax advisers who have subscribed via his website. He also copies the email here as a Linkedin article. It includes 3 practical points he has shared with mentoring clients and the most recent item from his Accounting Fun blog.

Intro

Either you're fed up being reminded we're almost at 31 Jan or it's no big issue for you.?Now is not the time for me to comment further on this.

So here is this week's blog post which contains a real-life 10 point list of positive feedback on an accountant's services - plus my commentary thereon.

First though you can also see 3 more practical tips I have shared with clients I am mentoring. And at the end of this email you'll find?the most recent item from my Accounting Fun blog. It contains a list of modern admin time-sheet codes for accountants.

Enjoy - and if it's relevant to you - good luck getting everything finished by 31st!

Regards

Mark

3 practical tips I shared recently in 1-2-1 sessions

If any of these resonate maybe now would be the time for us to have a chat to see if I could help you directly:

1. Accept yourself:?Accept yourself for who you are, warts and all. Focus on your strengths. When you make a mistake don't beat yourself up. Simply note what went wrong and be clear as to what you could do differently next time.
2. Shift your mindset:?What sort of accountant are you? Did you qualify so you could be focused on compliance work or do you want to be seen as a key business adviser by your clients? Do you talk as if you a bookkeeper or a business adviser? What impression does your website give and your online profiles?
3. Declutter your to-do list:?This is just like when you remove items that won’t fit in your suitcase for a holiday. There isn’t room for everything. Delete or defer stuff you cannot do this week/month.

Maybe you would benefit from a quasi-NED for your practice or a personal mentor.

If you'd like to have a chat without any obligation, do get in touch. Whether to help you move your practice forwards, to use me as a secret confidant or to help you resolve any practice or marketing related challenge you are facing.

Book a call >>>

What matters to clients – real-life feedback

This week's blog post contains a ten point list of what matters to an accountant’s client who has just posted a glowing and comprehensive testimonial for them. The client shared the list on Linkedin and I have copied it here and added my related observations.

I know the individual concerned. For many years he was an outspoken critic of poor service and of the slow rate at which accountants were embracing technology. His observations may therefore come as a surprise and there is much to learn from here.

He starts by noting that his accountants didn’t ask for a testimonial?“but they’ve done such a good job for me that I offered”. How many of your clients would do this? By the way, there's no shame in asking for testimonials either!

“They’re not cheap but the service they provide is a great example of what professionals should be offering in 2022”.

“What mattered to me?”?[He then goes on to list ten aspects of their service]

Read more >>>

When you are need tax support for your clients

It costs nothing to use FindATaxAdviser online. The advisers you find here are all members of the Tax Advice Network, which I Chair.

It's all you need whether you have a one-off situation or you want someone to refer your heavyweight tax issues on a regular basis.

2021 saw a 45% increase in traffic to the Tax Advice Network website. It is bigger than ever, with specialist advisers covering a wider range of tax issues than ever before.

FindATaxAdviser.online

Fun time - New non-chargeable codes for accountants' timesheets

For those accountants still using timesheets and wanting to distinguish time spent on different non-billable activities:

• 5316 Useless internal meeting
• 5317 Helping colleague with yet another alternative to Zoom
• 5350 Covering for incompetence of colleague
• 5400 Trying to explain things to new colleague who just doesn't get it
• 5480 Eating snack
• 5490 Updating status on facebook
• 5500 Filling out timesheet 5501 Inventing timesheet entries
• 5640 Miscellaneous complaining
• 5800 Posting status updates on the firm's social media accounts
• 6206 Gossiping
• 6207 Planning an office social or work event
• 6211 Updating CV
• 6221 Pretending to work while boss is watching
• 6350 Playing jokes on a new colleague
• 7010 Checking to see if the firm has been mentioned online
• 7281 Extended visit to the loo and surfing social media 'news'
• 8100 Reading online blogs
• 8102 Laughing while reading blogs
• 9106 Explaining to Partner why we cannot bill all of the time on the clock
• 9107 Explaining to staff why we need to bill more than the time on the clock
• 9108 Negotiating fee with client before fee note sent out
• 9109 Writing covering letter/email to justify size of the fee note
• 9110 Responding to client's questions re the size of the fee note
• 9111 Preparing a tailored version of the WIP ledger to support the fee note
• 9112 Negotiating fee with client after fee note sent out
• 9113 Celebrating when client pays larger than normal fee

Let's have a chat...

Let's have a chat if any of the more serious topics above resonated with you. I love supporting and encouraging sole practitioner accountants who want to secure more referrals, reach and results.

You can take your chances here now: 07769 692890

or book a call at a time that suits us both:?www.calendly.com/bookmarklee

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Mark Lee FCA??provides strategic insights, advice, talks and mentoring for accountants and tax advisers who want to improve their reach, referrals and results. He is also Chairman of the??Tax Advice Network , the UK’s largest network of independent tax advisers.

Earlier in his career he was a partner in two top firms. He has a number of voluntary roles and is a long time member of The Magic Circle.

BookMarkLee.co.uk

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