I believe a retreat is essential for growth and provides a good opportunity to review whether your firm is on target with its strategic plan. This is in addition to the monthly meetings I also recommend. Ideally the retreat should be held offsite with a thorough agenda and should be treated as seriously as you want your firm to grow. You can read more about retreats
A retreat for the summer or late October, following the end of tax season, should be scheduled now so it can be blocked off on everyone’s calendar. If travel is still not propitious when you get closer to the date, then hold it virtually, but do not skip it.
I received two emails from a reader asking me to explain what I had in mind when I suggested periodic calls to clients during the year. I believe my responses to her questions would be of interest to others, so I am including them here.
The reason for the “keeping in touch” calls is because I have been in my own practice a long time and figured out early on that if I never lost a client, I would do pretty well. Maybe I wouldn’t be the richest accountant, but I would do well enough. That means not losing any clients, so I have developed ways of keeping in touch with clients, showing my availability, asking for referrals and also trying to perform added services for them.
I call everyone. For instance, a $300 1040 client referred $250,000 of business to me in one year (some of the work was spread over three years). This was 25 years ago. While she moved away a dozen years ago and is no longer a client, I still keep in touch with her. I called her last month to wish her a Merry Christmas. I suggest calling every client — even the small ones. They all pay your salary, and they all have the potential to refer business to you.
My reader also asked how often I make the calls. The intervals vary. For very big clients, it can be every three weeks. For tax return clients, besides tax season calls it can be once in the summer and once toward the end of the year, in November or early December. For every client in between, it’s based on what feels right to keep in touch. Know what is going on, looking for an opportunity to provide added services they need (but may not know it) and make them fully aware of my availability and concern. The calls also give me an opening to ask for referrals (but not on every call, perhaps once a year).
I also supplement the calls with sending books, magazine articles, cartoon clippings or even an appropriate note once in a while, and of course emails. I do use social media a lot. Try making the calls — they work!
If you want to get a look at me in “action,” you can find a list of my upcoming free CPE programs at CPA Academy at
