Sometimes the customer is wrong
Jun 03, 2022"The customer is always right" was a catchphrase used by some department store retailers in the early 1900s and came to be quite widely used in the business and sales world.
But run a bookkeeping business for any length of time and it will soon become very apparent that the customer is not always right. Moreover, it would often be dangerous and unethical if we acted as if they were.
Business owners often hire us bookkeepers for our knowledge, experience and expertise, and bringing that skill set into a business adds enormous value to the business.
We love working with clients who get this and who value this. They are our dream clients.
But then there are the clients who try to flout the rules. Or the ones who don't understand the rules but try to tell us what to do anyway. Or those that force us to constantly follow up with them for source documents so that we can just do our job.
The customer is sometimes wrong.
Wrong about what they are insisting that we do. Wrong about how they behave towards us. Wrong about what they think is true. Wrong fit.
Part of our job as a bookkeeper is to help business owners to colour within the lines. To meet tax deadlines. To keep them out of trouble should an audit occur. To guide them as to what is an acceptable tax deduction and what isn't.
If a client doesn't want that, doesn't appreciate and value that, then they're not an ideal client and it could be time to replace them.
Is your business full of ideal clients?
I do hope so.
This is your business and you get to create it so that it works for you.
Here's to a great day working with great clients.
PS: Get in touch if you want to build a bookkeeping business full of ideal clients who value you and pay you what you're worth.