“Communication skills are crucial for young accountants and it is something that is a little bit lacking,” Trowbridge said.
Blame the rise of text messaging or a lack
of emphasis on communication skills in academia but the importance of
communication when it comes to developing ties with clients cannot be
understated. Communication is essential when following-up with clients
and documenting the services your firm has provided and their results.
If you fail to do this, the client may not see your firm’s value, choose
not continue the relationship, and certainly won’t refer additional
work your way.
“It’s a service industry and we are
working for the good of the client so we need to communicate with the
client and understand where they are coming from,” said Allen, Gibbs,
& Houlik’s Wes Etheredge, a senior associate in the insurance
department.
Etheredge joined the firm two years ago
and said he has encountered every possible personality when it comes to
his clients. He said new accountants with retail experience in college
or high school, such as being a waitress or working at a department
store, have had great training to work with all kinds of people and that
will come in handy at a firm. Etheredge said it is the client’s
personality that dictates how he will communicate with them.
“In an email you can’t rely on feedback
and facial expressions,” he said.
“I’ve learned that first you have to
learn about the client and evolve your communication based on who they
are.
”
Many firms, including Allen, Gibbs & Houlik, send employees to
training to learn how to gain new clients and keep existing clients
happy. One such place is the Rainmaker Academy, which offers an
intensive sales, marketing, and leadership-development program
specifically for accounting and financial consulting professionals. The
program is billed as being commensurate with a university graduate
program in sales.
Many firms send associates and partners to
training and when they return, they share a wealth of knowledge on how
to maximize client relationships with the rest of the firm. Take
advantage of any of these opportunities as a young accountant and
volunteer to help. Many firms place a high premium on mentoring and, as a
new member of the team, it can be beneficial not to go it alone. Ask
about mentoring programs your firm may offer and get paired up with
someone who will not only talk to you about client development but take
you to meetings and show you how it’s done.
Perhaps the most important client
development tip comes from Bill Thompson, COO and president of CPA
Mutual, the first national CPA-owned accountants professional liability
insurance company in the United States, who recommends vetting all
possible new clients before taking them on.
“There’s an old saying that you can’t let the perfume of the premium overwhelm the stench of the risk,” Thompson said.
For potential clients in need of
large-scale projects, such as audits, he recommends talking with their
prior CPA and doing a background check, especially if the person is in a
hurry.
“Partner wannabees build the practice and
you might bring in a $100,000-a-year client but you might run off all
your staff and no one wants to work with him because he’s very
demanding,” Thompson warned. “There needs to be a lot of work done
beforehand.” To know more visit our site http://allindiayellowpage.com.