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I am going to show you how, without possibly even realising it, you could actually be the reason you don’t have a better relationship with your accountant.
I am going to give you a little reality check, so you can decide whether it is your accountant you need to change or your attitude.
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Transcript
If you watched my video “Is it Time to Fire Your Accountant?” I gave you some red flags to be aware of so you can move on with a clear conscience.
If you haven’t seen that one, make sure you do.
In this one I am going to show you how, without possibly even realising it, you could actually be the reason you don’t have a better relationship with your accountant.
Coming up, I am going to give you 9 tips you can use to decide whether it is time to change accountant.
Today I am going to give you a little reality check, so you can decide whether it is your accountant you need to change or your attitude.
How many times have we been dissatisfied with a supplier or service? Replaced them with another supplier and then in no time found we are dealing with the very same issues that caused you to change suppliers the last time.
Maybe the problems did not begin and end with the supplier. Because most people are professional, they are loathe to call us out on our crap, so we can continue on oblivious to the consequences of our actions.
Changing providers even for the better is a hassle, so if you have an opportunity to resolve, why not take it.
Some things to watch out for are:
1. Your accountant has to remind you over and over to provide your paperwork. And when you do, it is at the last minute and then there is a mad panic to meet tax or compliance deadlines.
2. You don’t do or have any proper bookkeeping or record keeping system so the accountant has to start from scratch or unravel a tangled unfinished mess.
3. You contact your accountant at all hours of the day and night and expect an immediate response.
4. You try and get services or advice over and above the initial agreement for free. If you catch yourself starting conversations or emails with the words “Just a quickie…” “Or I hope you don’t mind…”, check how often you do it. Are you taking the ……
5. You rarely pay your fees on time, even though you mean to. Maybe you need an instalment plan.
6. You have successfully negotiated a lower fee but still want to receive higher fee service.
7. Deep down you resent or don’t value accounting fees anyway so no matter who your accountant is, they have their work cut out trying to impress you.
8. You don’t follow advice, but still complain or stress that things are not working out.
9. You keep changing accountants and it is always “their fault”.
You can hold your head up now; lightning is not going to strike you where you sit.
I just wanted to highlight that there are 2 sides to every coin and it does us no harm to check our own perception, expectations and behaviour from time to time.
You are just caught up in your world, just like the rest of us.
Plus being an entrepreneur is no walk in the park, it is hard work.
If you recognised yourself in any of those, don’t despair, you are not a bad person.
Just promise me the next time you catch yourself cursing out your accountant; even if it is just in your head.
Maybe stop, count to ten and think about how you may be contributing to the situation.
And in the words of Dizzy Rascal “Fix Up, Look Sharp”
