How often do you Talk with your clients?

Accountants may be deluding themselves about how they are serving clients, according to a recent posting on the Small Biz Resource blog. Gayle Kesten, chief blogging officer, posted "How Often Do You Talk To Your Accountant?" on March 20, 2009, in which she discusses "a disconnect ... between how well accountants think they're servicing their small-business clients and how well those customers say they're being serviced." The conclusion is based on the findings of a study by Intuit, which has surveyed accountants and small businesses since 2003.

What business owners want

This year Intuit resurveyed its respondents in January 2009 (six months after an earlier survey) because it wanted to find out what impact our volatile economy and new administration might have had on its survey subjects. The latest survey found that more than 80% of the 250 small business owners (averaging 7.5 employees) polled said they wanted their accountants to offer the following additional services:

* Personal financial advice--41%, up from 28% in the 2008 survey

* Business advice and consulting--40%, up from 25%

Kesten said that these increases make sense, but she was surprised "in comparing those figures to the nearly three-quarters of 250 polled accountants who said they have been proactively advising their clients on how to conduct business during the economic downturn. Might they not be doing as proactive of a job as they think?"

Kesten adds, "Lest you think the implication is small businesses bear zero responsibility in their relationships with accountants, not at all. It's a two-way street, and small businesses will literally pay in the long run ... if they're merely waiting for their phones to ring." She adds to this by quoting Rich Walker, a former CPA and AICPA manager, who leads Intuit's accounting communications group. According to Walker, "In this time of economic uncertainty, small-business owners should be saying they're going to an accountant, who is also my friend, coach, teacher, and advisor."

Challenges and strategies

The survey also found that 35% of accountants have invested more in technology to help maintain the success and growth of their firms. Small business owners cited the following concerns:

* Seventy percent consider generating new customers and revenue streams their biggest challenge.

* Forty-one percent worry about how they will pay their bills.

However, 49% of small business owners are optimistic about the prospects for the continued...