All accountants have dealt with nightmare clients throughout their professional career. Clients who show up at the accountant’s office with bags full of receipts; who argue over the fees to be paid to the accountant, and question every step taken by the accountant.

As a CPA firm owner, you will want to work with great clients, those who respect you and value your work, and are willing to pay good money for the privilege of hiring you.

How do you evade bad clients? That’s not possible – you will always have bad clients. That cannot be avoided. What you can do, though, is to install processes in your organization that ensure that you land great clients as often as you can.

Here are some of the characteristics you will find in good clients. This should give you an idea of who you are dealing with.

Good Clients Communicate

Good clients understand that accounting is a team sport, one that requires good communication at every stage. If the client stops communicating with the accountant at any stage, the entire business relationship falls apart, and it gets worse from that point on. The best clients are always great communicators. They answer your questions quickly and comprehensively. They understand your reasons for asking those questions. They are a pleasure to work with.

Good Clients Understand Technology

One of the biggest challenges faced by accountants is to make their clients understand that technologies that they work with. Some clients simply refuse to have anything to do with technology and are used to the old, traditional ways of accounting.

But things have changed today. Cloud accounting is an integral part of how CPA firms operate. Clients will need to have at least some familiarity with , QuickBooks Pro Hosting, QuickBooks Hosting, QuickBooks Premier Hosting, Quicken Hosting, ATX Tax Software Hosting, Lacerte Tax Software Hosting and other cloud-based solutions.

The old way of doing things won’t work anymore. With cloud-based services such as QuickBooks on the Cloud, accountants can complete their tasks on time and with much higher efficiency. This is a point that is not lost on good clients.

Good Clients are Established in Their Industry

The best clients are those who have an excellent reputation in their industry or niche. They have been around the blocks enough to understand what accounting is all about and what an accountant really does. Accountants don’t have to guide them through the process. They are well aware of the basic rules and regulations related to paying their taxes. They approach the accountant well before the tax deadline, and not at the last minute. They are responsible and professional and expect the same from their accountants.

Good Clients Trust You To Do Your Job

The best clients are those who trust other people and do not try to micro-manage everything. They are easy to work with. They know their limitations and never Mr. or Ms. Know Alls. They trust the accountant to get the job done.