Step 2: Make the Client the Center of ALL
Step 2: Make the Client the Center of ALL
The second step to becoming a New Age Accounting firm is all about the client. It is no exaggeration that the client is indeed the center of all. This is expressed in the form of customized service and tailored solutions. Oh, we can hear the sound of you shaking your head. “How can I provide custom service to each client and stay profitable?” This is what you're likely saying with some profanity sprinkled in. The truth is that YOU can’t. Your processes, approach and understanding of tailored solutions is geared toward reacting to what the client is expressing as a need. That is followed by scrambling with workarounds to please them in order to retain the business at a cost that is likely losing you money. That is not how it works.
The services you offer should be clearly defined as core services. Clients, who are not a fit for your core services, either by niche, technical demand, scope of labor, or task, are not prospects. Do not enter into agreements with them after an evaluation and if you have clients who do not match your intended core services…fire them (see? you just increased your profit). Your core service offering is the very definition of your business. To vary from that is madness. It would be like asking Prada to make you high heel moon boots. That sounds ridiculous, but think about some of the things you have agreed to do for clients in the past. Those lunar pumps are not as crazy now eh?
Now that you are firm with your core services, such as bookkeeping, reporting and reconciliation, and tax preparation (all conducted with your strictly defined platform, processes and subscription pricing), you can add “bolt on” value added services to create a “tailored” experience. Not too many clients are going to vary for your core services, but adding niche based consulting (i.e. make them pay for their constant questions), tax planning (to make tax prep less traumatic) and financial analysis (reporting plus). These add-ons can be priced al la carte, or as a subscription bundle, etc. and create the atmosphere of custom client service.
With the client all set up and feeling special, like any relationship, you have to keep communication rolling. A quarterly, “how you're doin',” is not going to help with retention. Processes, personnel (real, virtual or AI) and technology have to be in place for relative instant response to queries and more involved engagement. These are billable opportunities if handled correctly. Simple stuff can be responded to via automation. If the client is happy with that, they are more likely to pay for a detailed meeting with staff. That is because you didn’t make them wait and they are happy with all the responsiveness with the free simple answers your New Age Accounting system and processes provided.
To find out the best way to define your core services and how to offer “tailored” services, as well as instant response and billable meetings, you have already taken the step to do so (Step 2 to be precise). The details, the what and the how, you will learn by continuing to participate in the Accountant 2.0 Community chats and reading our posts - that’s what we are all about. If you want to quicken the pace of getting there, reach out to us directly and we can have a focused conversation.
➡️ Subscribe, Follow, and Connect with us on Social Media:
Facebook Group "Growth and Operations: Modern Accountants, Bookkeepers, Tax Pros, & Advisor"
