A conversation I had with Craig my bike mechanic this week consolidated some thoughts that have been on my mind in recent months.

Now Craig is a decent, hardworking and very knowledgeable fellow who I’ve always found good to work with. Craig was telling me about a cyclist (who wasn’t really his customer in the first place) who took exception to what seemed to me to be straight forward advice. This person has proceeded to send out unflattering comments about Craig over social media.

Unfortunately being in business opens you up to dealing not just with clients who appreciate what you do but also to others who just never seem to be on the same wavelength. These are people who prefer not to listen to suggestions and even heartfelt apologies. They are more interested in venting than reparation. They hold grudges. One needs to be particularly braced for unpleasantness when the conversation starts with “Don’t take this personally but ….”

The outcome of such interactions can be profound. It can cause you deep personal stress which resonates well after the perpetrator has stormed off. It can also create questions in your mind about the value of what you do and who you are. Motivation to keep doing what you do is likely to waver.

A good example of this is the accountant who bravely voiced a discerning opinion on the effectiveness of Wayne Swan’s now famous mining tax. For his trouble he received a blistering attack on his calculations. Never mind that he was subsequently proved to be correct, the impact upon this fellow appears to have been profound and almost certainly played a part in his decision to retire from practice.

What to do in such circumstances, where you are on the receiving end of a barrage that goes well beyond “constructive” and into “unpleasant” and even bullying?

Well firstly, aim to wind up your engagement with such a person as quickly and efficiently as possible. Apologise, make good where necessary/appropriate by all means but wind up proceedings quickly. Ideally, you will be able to terminate the arrangement completely. Else consider ways in which you can minimise interaction or otherwise work around this person if ongoing interaction can’t be avoided. 

Secondly, you must put this altercation in perspective. The vast majority of clients with whom you interact like what you do. Some of them are your raving advocates! This is a good time to look back over past testimonials and to ask for some new ones. It’s also important to consider - what are the characteristics of those I like to deal with and who are the types of client to be avoided in future?

Finally, I suggest you throw yourself into super-pleasing your other clients. This will deservedly trigger expressions of appreciation, causing the ledger to come back into balance and remind you of how much you enjoy doing what you do.

Further to the last entry, I am now well advanced with writing my book about accountants and financial services.
I’m particularly pleased with some of the chapters completed thus far, including “From fears to foibles - the 15 reasons accountants don’t refer” and a new approach to establishing collaborative relationships based on some recent work I have been doing in this area.
I’ll go as far as to say that I anticipate completing the manuscript by 30 June.
Thanks for reading.
Scott

I am now off and running with respect to writing a book to guide accounting firms in terms of financial services. Many clients need assistance with superannuation, investment, retirement planning and estate planning. Certainly, almost all clients are chronically under-insured. How then should accountants guide clients to obtain such assistance when the accountant’s firm may not have the capability in-house? Even where such capability exists, clients may not always receive the service they need.

To start the process, I have pulled together many of the articles which I have written over the years based on this topic. From this I have mapped out an outline of the topics to be covered. I am now writing the chapters and linking the articles together. Once completed I will compile a took kit to assist firms get the most from the advice provided. It’s a big undertaking but one which has been on my project list for some time. I’m looking forward to the journey as it will enable me to pass on from what I have learned from many years of working in this area. The book will contain lessons learned from my days as an accountant in practice but also from the facilitation role I have played in organising numerous collaborations between accounting practices and financial planning firms.

I am pleased to say that I have already received expressions of interest in the project from one of the peak accounting bodies and a book publisher which services professional services firms.

I expect the book to be completed during 2012 and welcome enquiries.

I’m pleased to have made arrangements to support the QUT Learning Potential Fund, which provides assistance to financially disadvantaged students. Part of the proceeds of any future sale of my book Your Professional Headspace will be donated to the Fund.

I had my bike serviced two weeks ago, because it occurred to me that I’d been riding it a lot and I’m doing more work on big hills lately. Good thing, that service. I’m sure riding safer now thanks to the new tyres, brake pads and chain that resulted.

Got me thinking…how we keep pushing ourselves without regard to looking after our abilities - to solve problems, to go from meeting to meeting, to jump on and off planes, to be creative. Lately I’ve been feeling that the rider is in just as much need of a service as the bike. Sure, I’m getting the job done but the sparky energy that I thrive on is somewhat lacking.

As a result, I’ve allowed myself an extra week’s holiday this Christmas, just to make sure that I am rested in mind and spirit before launching into what is going to be an exciting, full-on year.

So, if you’re still planning your holiday break, give yourself permission to take that little extra. You’ll be glad you did.

How I just love the prospect of a new year! It’s great to think of this as a blank canvas, waiting for some colourful splashes of paint and bold new strokes.
What would you like to achieve and what do you want to enjoy in 2012? Start thinking about it now so that you can sit down at some stage between now and 31 December to write in detail how you’d like the year to turn out.
If you’re looking for some inspiration and a starting point, I’ve just posted an article on this very topic on my website - check it out under the resources page at www.scottcharlton.com.au/downloads.php. In it you’ll find 10 “off the rack” resolutions to get you going!

Writing my book has been the catalyst for many interesting discussions with mature age practitioners of late.
Some of these conversations have involved catching up with friends and colleagues I haven’t spoken to in a while. Yet others have been with people I have met only recently.
There are a number of themes running through these meetings, all based around practitioners stepping back from the coal face. Whether it be looking at what they are doing, a desire to incorporate other dimensions into their life, a need to evolve professionally or financial matter, there issues are bubbling to the surface such that they can’t be denied. Whereas once upon a time anything not related to present work issues was relegated to secondary status, now practitioners are feeling the need to give other issues more breathing space.
I’ve just written the first version of a discussion paper on these issues. The handful of practitioners who have read it confirm that the paper tackles some issues of great significance that they are currently experiencing. I’m looking to develop the paper further and in particular to come up with positive actions that practitioners can take to incorporate their changing circumstances into their lives.
Look for more material on this area in due course.

What do you do to put the personal touch on what you provide to clients?
I ask this because I’ve noticed a trend amongst people buying my book. That is, most people have specificially asked for an autographed copy. Why is that? The contents of the book don’t change, the messages and the calls to action within the book are the same. The amount of time required to read the book is identical. My conclusion is that people need to feel a personal connection with the goods and services they purchase. Or more particularly, with the people behind those goods and services.
A signature on my book distinguishes Your Professional Headspace from all the other books on someone’s book shelves. Amongst a sea of hundreds of books, mine is one that stands out. Interesting to think that achieving this distinction costs me nothing to provide and takes less than a minute to execute.
If one can achieve this outcome with a simple commodity (a book), how much more scope is there to incorporate into an ongoing professional relationship?
What are the human touches you can insert into your client experience to let them know you are attuned to them and their situation?
Why not have a meeting with your team today to develop some ideas? Better still, what about implementing the best of those ideas straight away?