{"id":14317,"date":"2023-09-25T12:14:43","date_gmt":"2023-09-25T11:14:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/?p=14317"},"modified":"2025-05-07T15:07:37","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T14:07:37","slug":"5-reasons-to-know-your-clients-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/5-reasons-to-know-your-clients-better\/","title":{"rendered":"5 reasons to know your accountancy practice clients better"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/category\/growth-customers\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Growth &amp; Customers<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t5 reasons to know your accountancy practice clients better\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2023-09-25T12:14:43+01:00\">25 September, 2023<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"5 reasons to know your accountancy practice clients better\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/5-reasons-to-know-your-clients-better\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/author\/simonbrooke\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/08\/Simon-Brooke.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" height=\"40\" width=\"40\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Simon Brooke<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If you\u2019re running an accountancy practice of any size, ensuring you know your clients really well should be high up on your agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">But why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">In this article, we share the answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Read on to learn why accountancy practices are sometimes held back from knowing their clients well, the advantages of getting to know your clients better, and how to develop closer working relationships with your clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Here\u2019s what we cover:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#business\">Business owners are looking to you for support<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#what\">What\u2019s holding you back from knowing your clients?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#five\">5 reasons why you should get to know your clients better<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#how\">How to get to know your clients<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#final\">Final thoughts<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-ee4846b0-1744-48a7-9864-497a9a05e42d\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-ee4846b0-1744-48a7-9864-497a9a05e42d\"\n\t>Download your free client onboarding checklist and follow the steps to make the onboarding process as smooth as possible for your new clients and your practice<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"business\">Business owners are looking to you for support<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The better you know the companies and individuals that you work for, the better able you are to provide the kind of services they\u2019re looking for and to shore up their loyalty in these difficult economic times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The good news is that if you\u2019re looking to know your clients better, you\u2019ll probably find yourself pushing at an open door since many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) admit they already rely heavily on their accountants as key business advisers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/news\/press-releases\/2021\/12\/research-shows-uk-accountants-underestimate-the-impact-they-have-on-small-and-midsized-businesses\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">research by Sage<\/a>, nearly half of those asked (49%) use the services of an accountant at least weekly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">When asked what services they would go to when first starting out with a business, more than a third (34%) of SMBs named accountants as the number one \u2018go to service\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The research suggests a changing business landscape is encouraging more SMBs to look to their accountants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what\">What\u2019s holding you back from knowing your clients?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">For many accountants, time \u2013 or rather, the lack of it \u2013 is the main factor here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">With the pressure to do more with less, you might find your team is too busy completing tasks in the office to spend much time talking to and listening to clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">However, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/accountants\/\">accounting and bookkeeping technology<\/a> can help with many of these jobs, especially those with a repetitive nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">One thing it can\u2019t do is to replace a proper conversation with human beings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">In other cases, you might feel your clients are too busy for more regular meetings or only want to hear from you, as their accountant, when they need to file their quarterly VAT returns or manage their annual corporation tax admin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Very often, as the Sage survey above suggests, this simply isn\u2019t true \u2013 they\u2019ll probably have other questions for you, and they\u2019re very likely to value your business advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"five\">5 reasons why you should get to know your clients better<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Increased chance of client loyalty<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If you have a better understanding of your clients and a closer working relationship with them, they\u2019re more likely to be loyal to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As you know yourself, with a more distant, purely transactional relationship with a supplier, it\u2019s relatively easy both practically and emotionally to part company with them because you have less of a connection and a shared history with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Once you\u2019ve developed that personal relationship, they\u2019re increasingly likely to trust you and to rely on your advice and recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Even if another practice approaches them with what looks like a cheaper offer, they\u2019ll be more inclined to stick with you given this level of trust and connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">They\u2019ll also be more inclined to recommend you to other people as a result of this close, trusting relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Tailor your services to meet the needs of your clients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The better you know your client, the better able you\u2019re to provide the services that they\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Even a casual conversation with them might give you an insight into challenges they\u2019re facing or useful information about anything from their procurement procedures to their ability to recruit and retain talent through to their marketing strategy or the board\u2019s succession plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">This is all useful intel for improving the service that you provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Identify new services to offer your clients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Increased knowledge and familiarity with your clients will allow you to make sure your current offerings meet their needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">It can also help you to identify where you might be able to introduce a new service or aspect of business advisory that helps them and opens up an additional revenue stream for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">And, in turn, this can help you scale up your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You\u2019ll also be ensuring you\u2019re future proofing it with a wider portfolio of services, so if one sees a decline in demand, you can rely on others to sustain your income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Client loyalty comes in here too \u2013 the more integrated you are into a client\u2019s business and the more you\u2019re doing for them, the less likely they are to desert you for a new practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Improve your knowledge of the sectors your clients operate in<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Getting to having better working knowledge of your clients is a two-way street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You can gain a better understanding of their sector complete with the challenges and opportunities that it\u2019s facing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You might know everything there is to know about finance and professional services but can you learn something useful and relevant from your client in the world of travel and hospitality?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Are there lessons to be learned from a company whose books you do that is heavily involved in new technology?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Similarly, can you gain general business insights and benefit from transferable skills with your client working in the field of healthcare or entertainment?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">What you learn from these businesses, once you know them better, could help with the way that you run your practice. It could also offer you a better understanding of the world in which your other clients operate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As well as this, it could give you valuable information for when you\u2019re pitching for new business as you demonstrate to your potential client your knowledge and experience of their sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Stay ahead of potential challenges<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">In this rapidly changing world with constant disruption, greater uncertainty and new challenges, the better you know your clients, the better you\u2019ll be placed to flag up risks and dangers that they might face before they\u2019re actually confronted with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how\">How to get to know your clients<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">How do you develop a better knowledge and understanding of your clients?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">What medium should you use to communicate with them and how do you get hold of the relevant information about them in a way that suits both parties?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Simply contacting your clients and being up front about the fact that you\u2019d like to learn a bit more about their business, their goals, their challenges and their aspirations is the best bet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Face-to-face communication is best as you can relax more, and the conversation can become more free flowing and extensive than is the case even with a Zoom or Teams meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Ask your client out for a coffee, drink, or lunch. You can arrange to meet at their favourite venue or somewhere near their office or home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Make it clear that you won\u2019t take too much out of their busy schedules as well as subtly emphasising that they\u2019ll get something useful out of this investment of their time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Once you\u2019ve established the principle of these relaxed, informal meetings, you can schedule them on a regular basis \u2013 perhaps every three to six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"final\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Getting to know your clients might feel like a task that\u2019s not as important as preparing tax returns and accountants, auditing financial reports, and dealing with financial forecasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">However, you could argue it\u2019s even more important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Understanding your clients and their challenges will help you to support them in the best possible way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">It will allow you to have a view of their dreams and goals, provide the guidance to help them achieve them, and identify the services they truly require, all while being empathetic to their highs and lows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">So take the time to get to know your clients \u2013 after all, you\u2019ll find it\u2019s a win-win, both for them and your practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Automate your practice<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Discover how you can use automation to reduce your manual processes, so you can elevate the performance of your accountancy or bookkeeping practice.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-4a77f055-e14b-4c64-9344-a5a65da0e711\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download your free guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-740534235-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-740534235-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-53abbdcc-410c-4c8c-bf97-ca5c6982eebd\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"999\" height=\"666\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/04\/z.5E3A0481_All-Uses.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/04\/z.5E3A0481_All-Uses.jpg 999w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover why knowing your clients and understanding their challenges and dreams can benefit both your practice and them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":653,"featured_media":8388,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[129],"business_type":[2],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[176],"imagine_tag":[177],"coauthors":[415],"class_list":["post-14317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-accounting-practice","business_type-accountants"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Simon Brooke","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-962559134.jpg","imagine_tags":{"177":"Accountants"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14317\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/8388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14317"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=14317"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=14317"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=14317"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=14317"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=14317"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=14317"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=14317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}