Demonstrate empathy to engage your clients

Richard Brewin • October 10, 2019

Do your clients describe your firm as empathetic? Is empathy a key component in how you build trust into your client relationships? Let’s explore…

Empathy: The ability to understand and share the thoughts and feelings of another person from their perspective. Is that important in our client relationships?

Well, let’s flip it around. If you don’t demonstrate empathy in your firm then, by definition, you are unable to understand the feelings and thoughts of your clients, unable to view things from their perspective. I’d say that was pretty harmful to your chances of success, wouldn’t you?

Empathy is a key component of trust, and without trust you are going to face a constant struggle to not only retain clients but to evolve them into the more advisory based relationship that many of us seek in this digital age.

I work on a simple formula:

Authenticity + Knowledge + empathy = Trust.

In other words:

Be genuine, know your stuff, understand the world from your client’s perspective AND they will trust you.

We come from a profession that historically has been production driven. Our service to clients has been based upon outcomes. Yet, view the world from our clients’ perspective – their needs, their goals, their challenges, their fears and you realise that a whole different set of advice, support an development conversations need to be had, a whole new approach to the services that we provide.

Show that you understand that and you have a very powerful driver for clients to stay and ask for more.

And you do understand it. You run a business, just like them. You have family, just like them. You employ people, manage your cash-flow, handle suppliers and customers, just like them. You just don’t necessarily show this understanding by talking about it and reflecting it in your actions.

If you want to build more trust, to move further along the advisory line, then it’s time to now show your understanding.

It’s time to demonstrate empathy.

Why your accounting firm is unique

By Richard Brewin • June 5, 2025
All accountants are the same! We’ve all heard it said. It’s nonsense, of course, but, when you are asked what it is that your firm does that differentiates it from other accounting firms, it can be a challenge to come up with something tangible.  Accounting firms tend to offer similar services, that’s what makes them accounting firms. Differentiating from competitors based upon services provided is therefore an issue.

Will MTD ITSA be the next big gift from the accounting profession

By Richard Brewin • April 2, 2025
Question… Should accountants charge for the additional work and obligations they will have when MTD ITSA finally comes into play next April? Not sure? Let me ask another one… Should business owners and taxpayers be expected to pay for the work that their accountant does for them and for the expertise that they receive? Put down in black and white, the answer seems obvious but there are many in the profession who are losing sleep over this issue.

“Accountants can’t or won’t sell”

By Richard Brewin • February 25, 2025
Accountants selling to their clients is a topic as old as the profession itself. I regularly hear criticism from those looking to monetise the accountants’ relationships with their clients that “accountants can’t sell”. I also come across an attitude within the profession that “accountants shouldn’t sell to their clients…it’s unprofessional…it’s not what my clients expect”.  Let’s tackle the issue.