Two Simple Questions To Ask Your Clients

Every CPA we meet is committed to delivering exceptional client service. However, it’s easy to get caught in a transactional rut working on client engagements and miss the opportunity to spend a few minutes on your relationship with each of your clients.  Since client retention has consistently been one of the top five issues for CPAs in  recent  AICPA Top Issues Surveys, the extra few minutes you spend learning more about your client and finding ways to deepen your relationship with them will help you retain them – and increase the value they receive – long term.

Furthering your relationship and learning more about your client doesn’t have to take a long time.  Be proactive and meet or speak with at least your top twenty percent of your clients this summer and consider asking the following two questions:

1)      What are your plans or goals for yourself and/or your business for the next six months?

2)      What challenges do you anticipate that you’ll need to address?

When you ask these simple questions, you demonstrate your care and concern for the individual and their organization. It also tells your client that your relationship expands beyond their tax return, financial statements or audit that you have been engaged to perform. Those who ask these types of questions often report that they are surprised by how delighted their clients are that they took the time to ask!

When you ask these two questions, be sure that you then:

• Listen attentively to the answers, looking for information on how you can help your client achieve their goals or solve any potential problems they may have.
• Document what you heard in their client file, your firm’s customer relationship management system or another means to help you remember what they said for the future.  Also, share it with other appropriate parties so they can be in the loop on that client’s objectives and needs.
• Follow up at the right time depending on the nature of the client’s response and their timing. Sometimes immediate follow up is required, which does mean taking the extra time needed to help them, write a proposal or refer them to the person in your firm or another referral source that can help them. But often, the follow up can be scheduled for a later date, which is why it’s even more important to document what you heard so you remember it later. Take a moment to schedule a follow up call or meeting while you’re speaking to your client – or create a task for yourself in Outlook – so that it is on your calendar, ensuring that follow up will occur.

When you take the time to proactively check in with your clients about their goals and anticipated challenges, you will likely identify new ways to serve them now or in the future, increase your value to them, and remain top of mind when your competitors begin calling on your clients this summer. Take a few minutes to ask these two simple questions and let us know what kind of response you get. And, if you have other strategies that you employ to deepen your client relationships, please post a comment and share them with us and others!

Warmly,

Tamera

About the author 

Tamera Loerzel is a partner at ConvergenceCoaching, LLC, a leadership consulting and coaching firm that helps leaders achieve success through strategic planning and retreat facilitation, coaching and leadership development and training. Tamera can be reached at tamera@convergencecoaching.com or 952-226-1780. The Five Ideas to Grow Your Top Line blog was originally published in 2013 in ConvergenceCoaching’s blog, Inspired Ideas