CPA Practice Advisor - 26

FEATURE

3 Tips to Organize and Strengthen Your
Client Relationships this Summer

By Jodi Chavez

AS WE BECOME a more technologically advanced society, the high value we place on human
interaction has surprisingly remained intact. That's why now more than ever, many financial
companies are integrating human-centered strategies into their business models. From Capital
One introducing banking cafes to CPA firms providing more face-to-face advisor experiences,
the human touch has now taken center stage in the tech-forward finance and accounting
industry. Although companies are making this a priority, CPAs should also take notice. Taking
time over the summer slowdown to reflect on your goals and plan ahead are just a few great
ways to stand out to your clients and prospects.
In order to do just that, you need
to put yourself in a position to build
on your existing client relationships
- not tear them down. Use these
three steps to plant the seeds of good
rapport this summer - and watch as
your client relationships blossom into
flourishing partnerships during the
second half of the year.

STRENGTHEN YOUR REPUTATION USING TECH TOOLS
TO CURB BAD HABITS
It's common knowledge that when
doing business, customers also
invest in the person they're buying
from, not just the product or service
they're buying. Knowing this, play
up your strengths, and try to get
ahead of any bad habits you may
have that could potentially impact
your client relationships in a negative way. For instance, you may be
great at recommending a product to a
client but forget to follow up on time,
or maybe you take so long chatting
with them that you run into another
appointment time. Tiny blunders like
these can cost you opportunities to
deepen client relationships, gain
referrals or even find future business
if it's done often enough. The point
is, you must protect and build upon
your reputation at all costs. If these
examples sound like you, use tools
like Google Calendar to set reminders

JULY 2019 ■

that pop up and alert you of upcoming tasks and engagements or use
time-management services like Toggl
to oversee your time more effectively
between clients. By utilizing these
tips to prevent these work habits (and
more) from damaging your personal
brand in the eyes of clients and peers,
you build a solid reputation - the
cornerstone of success for any CPA.

ALWAYS MAKE YOURSELF
AVAILABLE AS A KNOWLEDGEABLE RESOURCE
Now that you've protected your reputation by kicking those bad habits to
the curb, start reaching out to clients
to find new opportunities. Work slows
down during the summer months,
but if you stay active while the rest
of your competitors are taking it easy,
you can give yourself a big edge.
Earn client trust by standing out
and delivering. How? Follow up on
previous office visits and any issues
you may have helped to resolve.
Attempt to identify ways to streamline company processes and make
reporting less stressful for clients by
sharing shortcuts or making software
recommendations. Ask about any
quarterly maintenance opportunities or future quarterly planning
work that you could get a jump on,
and make recommendations for
new programs that could help keep

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them more organized. Give them
peace of mind that if they decide to
take time off for the summer, their
finances will be in good hands. Even
better, if you call and check-in with
your clients to demonstrate your
dedication, they'll be extra grateful.
Habits like these are the good kind
that can build client loyalty. Once
summer is long gone, and clients are
back in the swing of things, they'll
remember your helpfulness during
the downtime and be sure to follow
up with you. Unsure of what to ask
to bring in new business? Identify
opportunities using some of these
questions:
* Describe the systems and financial reporting software you currently
use. What are the challenges you face
with your filing process?
* What is your organization's
days sales outstanding (DSO)? What
systems do you use for your credit
and collections process?
* How many people do you prepare payroll for within your organization? What cycles do you run?

MAINTAIN A SIMPLE
WORKSPACE TO IMPROVE
ACCURACY
It may seem like a small thing, but
schedule a few minutes at the end
of each workday to make sure you're
maintaining your workspace. Why?

Because over time, the added clutter
can contribute to making you feel
busier, missing emails and potentially even not hitting your deadlines.
Have you recently fallen behind on
any housekeeping tasks around your
workspace? Are you riddled with
emails? If so, set some time aside
during the summer to do a digital
detox and declutter your workspace
to finally get organized. Use digital
tools and schedule time to implement
work processes so that you can avoid
little things from piling up. Follow
tips from this article to take advantage of the slow summer months and
get caught up on anything that needs
your attention.
No matter how you divide your time
between the beach and being behind a
desk, utilize at least some of your time
this summer to enhance your practice
as a CPA. Technology has improved the
way finance and accounting professionals work and with so many innovative
new tools at our disposal, it's time for
CPAs to deliver personalized client
service that showcases the value of
partnership beyond just implementing
the latest and greatest tools. Doing so
will only improve your practice and
strengthen the bonds of your client
relationships. ■
About Jodi Chavez, Group
President, Randstad Professionals, Randstad Life Sciences
and Tatum. Jodi oversees
the field organization and
provides strategic direction for
Randstad Life Sciences, Randstad Professionals and Tatum. With more than 20
years' experience in the staffing industry,
Jodi's entrepreneurial drive and strong
business acumen have enabled her to consistently increase revenues, grow profits
and deliver ROI. Her breadth of expertise
spans team building, strategic planning
and execution, M&A, branding, social
media and multi-generational leadership.

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