Stop being the technician...

Are you constantly bombarded by your clients by phone, email and WhatsApp?  

Are you the one who has to fight the fires, keep on top of deadlines and work until the eleventh hour to get the job out?  

Do you have to prepare all the proposals, figure out the pricing and chase clients for outstanding invoices? If so, then you must be well and truly fed up.  

You did not set up your practice to do a ‘job’. You set up your practice to give you a life that you can lead on your terms. To work when you want and how you want. To take holidays when you want and be there at your children’s performances and sports matches.  

No doubt you’ve read the book by Michael Gerber entitled ‘The E-Myth’.  

The book is aimed at business owners, and its principle theme is to stop being a technician and become the Entrepreneur that you ARE.  

Do less of the ‘doing’ and more of the ‘directing’.  

Re-position yourself 

Are you still filing accounts and tax returns? Processing the payroll and bookkeeping? Are you the client’s first point of contact for all these low value compliance tasks?  

If so, then it will be very difficult for the client to see your true value when at the same time you are also trying to provide the client with high value advisory services such as FD support or tax planning advice.  

Try therefore to create different points of contact in your firm. You must value your time for your clients to value it too.  

Admin or billing query? - handled by your administrator. Payroll query? - the payroll processor’s job. And so on.  

You need to be the one the client turns to for the higher value stuff - where you talk about trying to achieve their goals and helping them get there. Or the tax planning discussions that will save them thousands. 

This means you need to delegate. I know it’s hard, but give your team the chance to manage the client relationship. Let them write the emails and letters (if you still use these) and sign off on them. By all means, you review – and, even better, set up template emails to streamline your processes and maintain consistency.  

Let your team create client relationships at different levels – it’s a good thing. Overall it makes for a more loyal client relationship to you and your firm.  

It will pay huge dividends in the long run.  

If you’re a sole practitioner with no staff, then the above may not be fully possible. However, consider getting outsourced support to help. For example, a virtual PA does not cost much but can help take the admin burden away and reduce the number of distractions from emails and phone calls.  

By taking yourself away from the ‘doing’ you will be able to focus ON your business rather than working IN your business. 

Even better, you will move your ‘position’ in the eyes of the client.  

Stuff you should be doing… 

If you can get your team to do the compliance work or outsource it, you will create the time to work on your business. This will include doing some of the following:  

• Marketing – building your personal / firm’s brand and profile 
• Networking  
• Advisory work to A-list clients 
• Leading change in your practice 
• Creating systems 
• Developing your people 

Problem is, most accountants are so busy doing the compliance they never get the time to work on the above. The few that do are successful in transforming their profits.  

I don’t prepare any tax returns, accounts or do any bookkeeping. My team are much better at this than I am, so I’ve entrusted them to do it, helped by the systems and checklists that are in place. Of course, I review any complex cases when called upon. 

Action point: What are you going to do to stop being the Technician and move to being the Entrepreneur that you are?