Take the Passionate Accountant Quiz

Can your clients tell if you are faking it?

Do you seek out opportunities to learn new things that will help your clients overcome their most difficult challenges?

Osborne

Selling value-creation advisory services is truly a slam dunk with most modern business owners, according to Edi Osborne of MentorPlus. The bad news is that, although most CPAs would say they are their clients’ most trusted advisor, few could answer the following questions in the affirmative.

Passionate accountant quiz:

1. Can you name your clients’ biggest competitors and outline their key differentiators?

2. Have you ever accompanied your clients to one of their industry conferences?

3. Have you ever signed up for a business seminar for you and your clients to attend together?

4. Do you routinely read your clients’ trade publications?

5. Do you routinely read business publications, such as Inc., Fast Company, or Fortune?

6. Do you monitor the activities of your clients and their industry with Google Alerts, and send them a note or pick up the phone to acknowledge the press they have received?

7. Have you ever come across an article that speaks to your clients’ issues and sent it to them with a personal note?

8. Have you ever sent them a personal note? Maybe a birthday card? Maybe an anniversary card of the day they became a client?

9. Have you ever conducted an employee exit interview on behalf of your client?

10. Do you have a copy of your client’s strategic plan? Are you included in meetings where the client discusses overall business strategy?

Give yourself 10 points for each of the questions to which you answered yes. If your total score adds up to 80 to 100 points, congratulations! You truly understand what it means to walk in your clients’ shoes and can be passionate about their success.

If you are in the 50- to 80-point range, you might want to consider adding a few of the ideas above to your annual client service plan.

If you are below 50 points, you cannot possibly relate to your clients’ business issues enough to be passionately involved in their success. I suggest you contact Edi immediately at edi@mentorplus.com.

via AccountingWeb