Disengaging THAT client (you know the one)
Here’s a recent win from an Aligned member (shared with permission):
First off, YEEEESS!! This!
Secondly, Aligned is a completely safe place to share this type of win! (Actually, just go ahead and share all of the wins.)
When I followed up with this member asking if there was something specific that moved the needle the most here, their response was two-fold:
Hiring a part-time accountant
Firing a long-term client where scope had crept…bad (and replacing with new/better clients)
I heard a Lao Tzu quote recently:
"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading" (so good, right?)
Changing direction is hard. Disengaging the hard client is hard.
But in the Lao Tzu-sense…if you keep having the hard client as a client, they’ll keep being a client.
In case you need a new direction…
Simple Steps to Disengaging a Client:
Figure out if you need the revenue > for some of us, our firm revenue puts food on the table; for some of us, the income from our firms is “gravy”. If you need the revenue now, work on replacing the unideal client before you disengage so you’re not leaving your personal finances in the lurch. If your firm income is gravy or you have a hearty reserve…carry on to step #2.
Determine what your contract requires you to complete > A specific tax return? Monthly bookkeeping through the calendar year? A 30-day notice of termination? Honor your contract.
Inform the client in writing > 30-60 days before that date of disengagement, let the client know that you’ll no longer provide services. For what it’s worth, all my contracts state that either I or the client can end the contract with 30 days written notice.
Document, document, document > If you don’t already have one, document an Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for how you disengage a client. Do you need to notify any employees or contractors? What systems do you need to remove access to? Do you need to send a final bill or turn off auto-draft? Having this documented will make the next disengagement (yes, there will be a next) far easier and quicker to execute. Step 1 of this SOP should be the email and verbiage you used in #3 so you don’t have to reinvent that wheel next time.
Disengaging a client is hard, even one that’s a pain, but I’ve never, ever heard anyone say they regretted it after the fact. Ever.
Hope this helps,
Erica
What’s Happening in Aligned
A few weeks back, we released the Package & Pricing Bot to help accounting firm owners come up with 3-tiers of service offerings. It walks you through 10 questions (no pressure to answer perfectly) and then gives you a suggested pricing structure for your specific services, industry, and geography (if applicable).
👇The feedback has been great! 👇
“This is amazing!” - AC
“It really helped push past some challenges with refining current packages and is even helping structure my week to keep my schedule honest!” -TW
“As a person who struggles with scope creep that has allowed me to set clear boundaries as to what services someone is willing to pay for.” -TM
Things to know:
It’s built on ChatGPT 5
You don’t need a paid ChatGPT account to use it
You can use it multiple times as you iterate
If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a shot! I’d love to hear your feedback.
Grab it inside Aligned Accountants here. (or…Left menu > Templates > Bot Helpers)
Money back guarantee, if you get in there and don’t see the value. No questions asked.
More details in the link above.