Client Advisory Services: People Skills Are Not Fluff

Client Advisory Services

As technology continues to automate many tasks in the accounting profession, what will always differentiate us from technology, are our people skills and in particular the relationship we create with clients. This is especially true for Client Advisory Services.

To truly excel at offering Client Advisory Services and differentiate yourself from others, you need to become highly valued and respected by your clients. This is earned, and I call this being a Cherished Advisor®. I don't just mean trusted (of course as a CPA you need to be trusted), being “Cherished” means that your clients can't imagine not having you as a part of their business.

Being a Cherished Advisor requires going beyond the numbers to telling the story behind them. It also requires people or soft skills to make sure that your clients feel understood, prioritized, and are comfortable following your advice.

But that doesn’t always mean that you have these skills naturally.  If you are hiring talent, or are looking to strengthen your own set of soft skills, it’s a good practice to review which soft skills are a strength for you and which ones are opportunities to take the time to go more in-depth and learn how to utilize them better in the client experience.  

The following are five soft skills that you can start with to assess where to spend attention in your learning goals this fall:

Leadership - is the ability to provide a level of experience that gives clients comfort and shows that they are getting significant value from their investment with you. This can also be applied to your teammates, as you guide by example and share your knowledge. This is not necessarily a title or role, this is how you demonstrate your expertise, as well as your team’s, that provides your clients a level of comfort that they have the right accounting professional for their business.

Problem-solving - is about thinking on your feet, assessing problems, and developing a well-thought-out solution. If you find yourself not responding to a client’s inquiry because you are concerned you may not have an answer they need, this is a skill to take more time with. Practicing how to respond to questions you are unsure of, without feeling like you are letting someone down is important. It comes back to responsiveness, as long as you get back to that client within a certain time period, they are usually more than satisfied to wait to get the answer they need.

Collaboration - is the ability to approach a task with mutual respect in a way that best achieves your client’s goals. Many times the client has a different viewpoint that you may have. Learning how to find a place in the middle and finding the place of compromise is a crucial soft skill in advising clients. When a client feels heard, and you were able to move them forward in a positive way, both parties win.

Project management - is the ability to initiate, plan, execute, control, and complete work in order to help your team and your clients achieve their goals. Overseeing a project from beginning to end. Often a new client is brought into the practice, an engagement letter is signed and then that client is assigned to a staff member, and then it is assumed that everything is good to go from there. Project management is the complete end-to-end experience - all the touchpoints in the firm and who interacts with that client for all of their needs and ensuring each project deadline is met.  

Responsiveness - is establishing certain protocols that send a clear message to your client that they are important and you are invested in them. Part of being responsive means never letting distractions get in the way of your communication with the person in front of you. It also means returning phone calls and messages in a certain amount of time that you set as a guideline for anyone in the practice. It doesn’t mean it has to be you, it could be you assign responding to clients to certain staff or find ways to automate some of the repetitive questions through a CRM.

To get started on this journey, lead by example. Find the skills that you can improve upon, and show your colleagues or team what steps you are taking. If project management isn’t your strong suit, delegate those tasks out, or hire someone to help in this area. If the team needs to work on effective collaboration, show them how you are going to help through training, new processes, or implementing new communication methods. 

Whatever you choose to do, remember that while technology makes processes easier, the opportunity to grow as an advisor is what will differentiate you and your firm and create a more dynamic firm culture.