Being proactive is a culture, not a slogan

Look at any accounting firm website and there is a fair chance that the word ‘proactive’ will be prominent.

Ask some business owners and taxpayers whether they consider their accountant to be proactive.

There is commonly a gap between the two, between the intent of the accountant and the expectations of the client.

In some cases, the gap is almost deliberate. The web creator has written the standard blurb, and the accountant is happy to say the same as the competition even though there is little or no consideration to whether that reflects the behaviour of the firm. It’s just a slogan.

In other cases, it is a misunderstanding. Being proactive does not mean being a mind reader, soothsayer or omniscient guru. No matter how amazing an accountant may be, no-one can investigate the world of every client and see the next step before they do.

So, what does it really mean to be proactive and why do I refer to it as a culture?

What being proactive means for the accountant

Being proactive for the accountant means being in control of the client relationship. Google ‘Proactive’:

·      A person creating or controlling a situation rather than just responding to it

·      Enterprising, take-charge, energetic, driven, bold, dynamic, motivated, go-ahead

Being proactive isn’t about being a step ahead in the client’s world, it’s about actively managing the accountant’s own world. To be proactive requires effective planning, active management, good communication and a sound knowledge of your clients.

The good news, and the reason why there is no excuse for proactive to be just a slogan in firms today, is that tech gives us the solutions, quickly, easily and accurately, to the effective planning and active management. All the accountant needs to add is the engagement of themselves and their team, hence proactive being a cultural issue.  This is a factor of leadership. If you are not proactive (and I point to the behaviours above!) then your team won’t be. You may have the comeback of a lack of time, but proactive actions save time because you are in control of the activity.

Good communication, both ways, is also so much easier today if we back it up with the tech. We have so many options by which to communicate, and be communicated to, and our effective planning and active management can back these up.

As for a sound knowledge of your client, I’m referring to an all-round knowledge: You understand the client’s personal world as well as their business and tax affairs. Understand the client and you can use the control you’ve created through effective planning and active management to communicate proactively with your client.

So you see, being proactive is a culture driven by effective planning, active management, good communication and sound knowledge of your clients.

Put another way, productive human relationships supported and managed by effective tech.

 What being proactive means for the client

If we follow on from above, then having a proactive accountant means having one who is in control, enterprising, takes charge of the situation, energetic, driven, bold, motivated, and go-ahead.

 If I’m a business owner or taxpayer, then I would love an accountant like that!

Clients expect the compliance services from their accountant, of course they do. In this world of digital competition, I think most accountants recognise that if the client is only valuing us by how we meet this expectation, then we have a problem with pricing, margins and retention going forwards.

We need clients who value our expertise and the relationship itself. A client with a genuinely proactive accountant sees them as someone who not only effectively manages their compliance but their fears, stresses, worries, concerns, hassles, problems and questions. They have someone to turn to who understands them. They can focus on the challenges that they can manage because they have the confidence that comes from knowing that their accountant has go their back.

The right client will value that and pay more for it!

Don’t avoid being proactive because you are not a mind-reader but embrace it by focusing your tech-backed approach on your clients and your client knowledge and lead from the top with energy, control and motivation.



Build a proactive culture!