Highlight the heartfelt benefits over the business gains

Richard Brewin • October 26, 2018

Let’s dispel the view that “my clients won’t pay for value added advice”.

As accountants, we get understandably frustrated when we present to our client ways to grow their business, improve their cash flow, increase their profits and so on but find them reluctant to act or pay, even though we know it is clearly good for them.

This leads to an impression of a client base that isn’t interested in paying for this sort of advice. “They just want their accounts and tax doing”.

I’ve yet to meet a business owner-manager who didn’t want a better life or at least to improve some aspect of it. So why the disparity?

To an under-pressure business owner, advice to take steps in their business, however positive, can sound like more cost; more demands on their time; more things to think about; more decisions to make; more challenges to their ability; one more thing to worry about. Logic finds itself up against stiff competition. Easier to say, “Can we look at it again later?” and get back to doing some work.

There needs to be a stronger driver for change.

To many clients, their business is a means to an end. They do what they do with a dream of creating a better life for themselves and their family: a better house, holidays, more time with their family, better things for their partner and children.

Tell a client you can work with them to increase their business profits and you may trigger the negative worries. Tell them you can show them how to get that two-week holiday next year, or the extension for the extra bedroom they’ve talked about and the cost and efforts are put in a much more personal, positive and meaningful light.

Your advice will be the same, but linking actions to personal benefits rather than business improvements can be so much more powerful.

And, of course, it helps differentiate you as a firm.

The Art of Saying No Without Losing Clients

By Richard Brewin • December 5, 2025
In the Accountant/client relationship, “yes” often feels like the default. Yes to urgent requests. Yes to timeline shifts. Yes to “just one more thing” added to the scope. We want to say yes to our clients. We want to support them, be helpful and build more work, but every unqualified additional yes becomes an invisible cost; on your time, your margins, and your wellbeing.  Bold accountants think differently. They know that “no” isn’t rejection. It’s honest and professional. It’s a strategic decision that protects quality, strengthens relationships, and reinforces your value.

From compliance filer to trusted coach: The role waiting for accountants willing to start the client conversation

By Richard Brewin • November 28, 2025
Let’s be honest, most business owners have a perception of an accountant that probably falls far short of our ambitions. They want someone who helps them make sense of the chaos, plan for growth, and sleep better at night knowing someone’s got their back, but their accountant doesn’t usually spring to mind as this person. What they dream of is a coach, not an accountant, but, weirdly, they often don’t trust coaches but do trust their accountant. Their accountant can be both, so the client gets the trust and the coaching

AI in Accounting Firms: Key Considerations for Leaders Today

By Richard Brewin • November 17, 2025
Artificial Intelligence isn’t the future of accounting — it’s here now. From automating repetitive tasks to delivering deeper insights, AI is transforming the way we work, serve clients, and lead teams. But for firm leaders, success isn’t just about implementing technology; it’s about doing it strategically, responsibly, and humanely .  Before diving into the ‘how’ and making piecemeal decisions, accounting firm leaders need to consider the ‘why’…and its not as simple as “because everyone else is”.