How to Handle a High Maintenance Business Tax Client

BY Jamie Waggoner 

When considering taking on a new business owner tax client, it is wise to

consider a few things before accepting the job.

Many business owners would be what you call “high maintenance people”

especially when it comes to taxes and accounting.

Here are some tips for you when dealing with high maintenance business tax clients:

Empathy, Not Sympathy

When working with business owners and their tax needs, be careful of buying

the whole “woe is me” story.

Business owners often hate taxes and they complain a lot.

You want to be careful to portray empathy but avoid excessive sympathy.

tax clients require empathy

Yes, there is a difference between the two words.

When considering sympathy, think of feeling bad for someone.

Then when considering empathy remember it is to feel their pain, you have

been there too.

When the business owner comes to you freaking out about their taxes, they

don’t need you to feel sorry for them, but it will create a bond if you can tell

them you understand and you have been there too.

Solutions Oriented

Being able to tell your client how to fix the issues is a key quality to have

when dealing with a business owner.

solutions for business tax clients

Listen, not everyone will have their documents all in order or correct for you

to do their taxes, and there are a million other challenges that come up in

working with business tax clients.

Telling the client everything that is wrong will only upset the client and you

won’t be getting any referrals that way.

Move your mindset from being a problem finder to a problem SOLVER.

Setting Expectations

High maintenance business tax clients are like children, they need boundaries

and regularity.

Make sure to tell the client the specifics, meaning set times to call or meet.

Discuss with your client your availability down to how long of a wait time you

may have; if you don’t respond to calls or emails on the weekend, let them

know that, too.

high maintenance business tax clients

Telling your client this information ahead of time will make sure they are

secure about everything going on.

Setting expectations prevents (for the most part) high maintenance clients

from running all over you.

Like Learning How to Make Business Owner Tax Clients Happy?

Remembering these easy tips will make you and your new business clients

happier together—even during the pain of tax season.

If you like learning about how to make business owner clients happy to use

your tax services and pay you whatever you say they should pay you, jump

into a free trial of the new Business Tax Verified Training Program with CPA Adam Shay.

Adam works with entrepreneur tax clients all day every day and this training

program shows you not only how to do the technical work, but even more

importantly how to handle the clients themselves.

Always remember, “The difficult clients are the best teachers.”  Learn more now.


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