Who is your boss?
Legacy had a planning day last week where part of the day was focused on the importance of continuing to build meaningful relationships with our clients.Here is a question I bet a lot of people would get wrong if asked: ‘Who is your boss?’So I ask you the question, ‘Who is your boss?’ Many people will tell you their boss is the person who writes their pay cheque but I disagree. No matter the size of your business the answer is always the same – your clients!Clients don’t care how well you THINK you service them; their perception of your service is all that matters. Do you know what you clients think of you?During our planning day I asked the team to state who their favourite client was and why. The team all took turns giving a name and the reason they like working with these people. I then told them why I asked was to illustrate that the client most likely feels the same way about them.You see Legacy wants to be a client’s business partner, not just ‘an accountant’. Business partners help grow a business, whereas accountants are simply a cost – which, like others, can be chopped. Like you, our clients are our bosses. Our clients decide if we are successful and they decide that based on the work we do for them.Your clients don’t care if you have been around for one year or 50 – if they are treated poorly or taken for granted they will vote with their feet. Your success depends on your ability to provide for your client – in other words, your boss.So I ask you again – who do you work for? And what do they think of you? And what can you do better?
"There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down. Simply by spending his money somewhere else." Sam Walton, founder of Walmart
This post is from Jason Lougher. Jason is a chartered accountant who moved back to the Bay of Plenty – his favourite part of the world – to work with small and medium enterprises. Jason’s passion is taxation and effective tax structuring, trust set up and intergenerational planning, Inland Revenue audits and tax disputes, and business development. Jason works closely with the other directors to combine their skill sets to achieve the best outcome for clients. Additionally Jason is on the NZICA Bay of Plenty Local Leadership Team and is a Business Mentor with Business Mentors New Zealand.Legacy Chartered Accountants has offices in Whakatane and Tauranga.