The Competent Reactive Accountant

1. 1 The Competent Reactive Accountant I’m returning once more to this graphic, that I’ve used recently to talk about, Where would you place your firm right now and Avoiding the in-betweener trap. As an accounting coach, this is a key tool in my kit. We’re taught that to be reactive is bad, a weak place to be as competition for business clients grows daily online and across a wider spectrum of providers. Don’t get me wrong, poor client service and a failure to be client-centric will significantly damage any professional firm but is focusing on being proactive the only way forward? https://www.progressbb.co.uk/

2. 2 When I wrote about the In-betweener gap within the Moments of Proactivity level I talked about the danger of being caught in no-man’s land, being not strategically or systematically proactive but with clients and teams where the occasional proactive action has raised expectations. Is being reactive better than that? There are two key elements. The first is that word ‘Competent’. An accounting firm in the Competent Reactive space is one fundamentally reactive in their approach, with workflows and conversations being driven by the client rather than the accountant, but dealt with competently. So, it’s largely down to the client when work gets done or when questions are asked but, having been prompted, it is handled professionally and reasonably quickly by the accountant. Work, when done, is good. Professional standards are met, risk is low and profitability can be attained. The second is then down to expectation. If you are an accountant who is comfortable in the compliance sphere, focusing on client support and achieving deadlines as opposed to client development and advisory, then this can be your most comfortable space, providing that your clients and team see it the same way. As an accountant and coaching so many, I don’t buy into the ‘death of compliance’ argument. The reality is that, for many clients, this is all they want. Their view, rightly or wrongly, is that their personal and business needs are fully met by their accountant managing their compliance. Everything else is just noise, a distraction from them working inside their business and an unnecessary cost. You may well disagree with this and that is absolutely fine. There are many types of accountant from full compliance at one end to full advisory at the other and this view won’t be for many of you. A big part of my role is to help accountants focus on the business model that is right for them, there are more than one route to success. If you believe in being proactive then I have a later article for you! But, for the ‘compliance’ professional accountant, the world is only complicated by pushing advisory, as it is for their clients. Instead, focusing on an effective, efficient compliance service that is also capable of answering clients’ questions when they arise is a great place to be. Yes, it must be highly efficient in the World today but it has that ‘human’ element that many business owners will still look for. So, a systemised, compliance driven firm, keeping it organised and simple, can be the right place for both accountant and client. The trick is to manage expectations and risk so that both https://www.progressbb.co.uk/

3. 3 sides know what they are getting. Clients need to understand their own responsibilities when it comes to deadlines, record keeping and so on, as well as a clear picture of the service that the accountant is there to provide. The emphasis is therefore on the accountant to ensure that their brand, systems, processes and client management are consistent with the type of firm that they have set out to be. In doing so they attract the right clients and team. Not everyone is driven by being an all singing, all dancing advisor or entrepreneur. Providing your business model is clearly understood, the clarity of being a compliance driven firm that responds well to clients can lead to profitable and rewarding relationships. Source:https://progressbb.wordpress.com/2021/01/28/the-competent-reactive- accountant/ https://www.progressbb.co.uk/

4. 4 Contact Us Progress Barnwell Brewin LTD Address: 8 Plantagenet Way, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, LE65 1LE Phone No.- 07940 587031 Email:hello@progressbb.co.uk Website:https://www.progressbb.co.uk/ https://www.progressbb.co.uk/