Well organized clients make all the difference

[PATAX]

Preparing a return now for a well organized client who typed letter with all relevant data. Well organized and concise, with all forms included. And she actually opened up the 1099 envelopes. Can you imagine that. If all clients were like this we would be able to complete more returns. But organized clients are diminishing in numbers it appears.

[IRonMaN]

Everybody has to have at least one client like that to make you dream what it would be like if all of your clients had their act together.

[Just-Lisa-Now-]

I have lots of them that write everything out on their own paper, then get offended when I want the actual documents, not their written list of what they say....its not that I dont trust you...but, I dont trust you!

I do use their written sheet as a check-off page at the end to make sure I picked up everything they wrote down.

[Jim-from-Ohio]

client come out.. sits down across from me.. opens up his file folder.. has maybe a few w-2s, some 1099 INT's, maybe a 1099 DIV, contributions,. mortage interest form.. typical family return.

he proceeds to identify one document at a time, in real slow speech.. like

This is my W-2 from ABC Company. then starts to describe the W-2 and looks it over for about 10 seconds. then finally slides it over to me.. then

This is my W-2 from XYZ Company. he examines it.. slides it over to me, then he goes...

This is my interest income from the Acme Bank..ponders over it and slides it over to me

I could not take anymore. it was messing my system I have to keep things moving.. 

Finally I said, real nicely of course.. umm. Do you think I can see the whole folder and I can sort it out.. he says. oh sure.  

[dascpa]

I have one client, really nice, but every year has tons of questions - what would my taxes be like if I won Publisher's Clearing House (bigger and more expensive).  But what if quickly move to a no-tax state and don't collect until then?  And what if, and what about this and that.  The tax meeting takes 2 minutes.  The B.S. takes the rest of the time.

[Just-Lisa-Now-]

Just gimme the whole pile!  😂

[PATAX]

Exactly we have to see the actual documents....  have to photocopy for due diligence form 8867.

[PATAX]

Here's a way to end the chit chatting nonsense: I just tell them this: "I know YOU are real busy, so I'm going to let you go". It always works.

[dascpa]

Doesn't work.  Some like to catch up on family issues.  Some retired have no place to be so they're not busy.  Some have been clients for so long they want to just chat.  I was thinking of the hook from The Gong Show.  Maybe the ejection seat from a James Bond car.  I don't want to be a factory, but someone the client has a relationship with.  It just doesn't always work out.  But I also have 50% or so that do a Portal upload so in the end it all works out.

[abctax55]

My office is on an up-sloping lot, so directly beneath my desk (AND the client chairs) is an unfinished 'basement' area.  I'm considering a trap door for the one that just can't say goodbye.  I would, of course, put padded mats down there.   Well, I would for most of the clients 😉

[IRonMaN · Accepted solution]

Since the early COVID days, my clients got used to just dropping things off.  My face to face meetings have gotten fewer and fewer.  For those that do meet, the chit chat isn't that egregious so I allow them to do their thing.  But even in the days with meeting with a bulk of my clients I would grab their pile of doo-doo and do my chit chatting while I was opening W-2 and 1099 envelopes 🙄, setting aside their car insurance bills, their utility bills and everything else they seem to think we have a use for.  By the time I was done doing an inventory of what they brought, they got their BSing out of their system and were ready to go.

[abctax55]

I do very few face-to-face anymore, since COVID.  I'll meet some clients out in the front office for a quick hello (how ya doing, how are kids/grandkids, yada yada).  The trap door wouldn't work there, but they don't get to sit down so it's easier get them to leave.

Back in the day, I'd had those envelopes back to the client with the comment " do you really want to pay me $$$/hour to open your mail ?  Very few came in with unopened mail again.  Several, I actually put a line item on the invoice "mail opening charge".

[abctax55]

@PATAX 

But then there's the 'really' organized one, as in 'over-organized.  My questionnaire is designed so that unless you mark yes to a question we don't need to deal with it.

I have one client that goes thru & has to comment on every question, even if the answer is no. And if I don't respond to his comments with the finalized return, he wants to 'discuss'.

This client, I meet in the parking lot.  I don't even let him get out of the car.  Nice older man, very lonely tho.  And he pays well.

He does provided source docs (of EVERYTHING) and if the document is more that one page, he staples the pages together. With two tiny staples.  On top of each other.  The ones that are too small for a normal staple puller.

[IRonMaN]

Staples?  That's a not so nice four letter word to me.  I hate when clients decide that I might lose something of theirs if it isn't stapled together.  And then there is the other twist to stapling ---------------- when pages are stapled but it looks like we played 52 card pickup just before we stapled ---------------- no rhyme or reason to the order of what those lovely staples are holding together😱