My accountant has taken care of my tax returns for over twenty years. During that stretch we have been through a lot together. I did some work for him when I owned my contracting business, and he has done plenty of work for me, including successfully navigating an extensive IRS audit that involved all of my businesses.
If you are actively involved with your customers, you get to know them well. We call this engagement on the social networks. This relationship building process takes time. There aren't any shortcuts. It is a process of discovering what works and what doesn't.
After you achieve a certain level of trust, everything is easy. You take it all in stride.
When I did that landscape work for Scott's new home, everything worked out great. Then he hired me to do the maintenance to keep everything looking sharp. After a few years he just had me deliver materials and he provided his own labor. Over time, he did it all himself. I thought he was a bit thrifty, but I figured it was part of his DNA. He's an accountant!
My landscape and snow-plowing businesses were sold a couple of years ago. The timing was perfect, as the following year was a tough one for most contractors. Although, it hasn't been bad at all lately for snow contractors. It seems everyone is getting snow.
It takes time to shut down a business, but the expenses seem to keep rolling in from longstanding commitments. That's why I was pleasantly surprised to see this "Recession Discount" on the invoice from Scott for preparing the tax returns.
A year later I am focused on only one business – helping entrepreneurs and small businesses with their online marketing through speaking, consulting and some new information products and services that are in the making. Despite the recession 2009 turned out to be a year I was proud of, and that was my goal – to the letter.
This year is shaping up well, so I gave Scott a visit last week to get my 2009 returns done so I can stay focused on work. Everything went much more smoothly this year thanks to some new relationships and services, such as Shoeboxed, that are helping to keep me organized.
Nevertheless, and this is most important, I reminded this thrifty CPA to be sure to include my recession discount again. He did that, while also sending me a message that speaks volumes about our relationship.
How do you know you have a strong business relationship with someone? When its not all business. When you can kid around with them as your would any other friend.
Humor is another form of trust. There is risk with humor, so it is only used when the relationship allows for it. It doesn't include numbers, but it is a valuable metric that you can have confidence in.
And it makes any relationship stronger.
Follow Us!