Client communications

Understanding how people make their choices can be a powerful tool for accountants, and ADP vice president and chief economist Jordan Birnbaum shares how.

Periodically, every farmer will go around and pluck the low-hanging fruit so that it doesn't spoil. Well, the same principle applies to effective professional service marketers.

Since professional services are intangible, the prospect is most likely probing for assurance to offset their natural skepticism.

While successful tax professionals find themselves with a surplus of business from January to April, the months of May to December are way too light.

From a CPA’s perspective, the thing your clients value most is not a spreadsheet, financial statement or tax return; it’s the clarity you give them that helps them make better financial decisions.

When choosing a mid-market CPA firm, many clients pay more attention to the ability to “connect” with the client service partner and staff than to the quality of the work performed.

Being available is essential for maintaining and strengthening relationships with clients…and everyone else you interact with professionally.

Marketing success, or success in any endeavor, does not just appear. It needs deliberate planning and execution.

One thing I am good at is leveraging something I did.

Art Kuesel on how opening up with clients and other professionals can bolster a professional relationship.

When a client engages me for any type of service, there are specific descriptions of what we will do and the goal or end result of the services.

No one cares how smart you are; they just want you to help them make better financial decisions.

There are lots of potential missteps that can trip you up along the road to making your firm more visible to the right prospects.

Accounting firms and tax pros can do more than just relax after tax season.

Don’t point fingers when something goes awry. Focus on your firm’s systems and processes so the same mistakes don’t keep popping up.

Clients don’t care how much you know about accounting; they care how much you know about their situation.

Accountants need to really understand their clients' perspectives to live up to their 'trusted advisor' status, says Geni Whitehouse.

I’ve always loved tax season. While some of the work can be grueling and even a relief when it ends, I always miss it afterwards.

What happens after busy season is pretty much under your control.

As an accountant, you know there’s no way around it: Stress levels ratchet up during tax season for you and your clients.