I am not an accountant, but I spend an awful lot of time talking with accountants. As an outsider, I’d like to offer an insight, it’s not exactly a trade secret…
Accountants seem to fall into two camps when discussing tax matters with clients:
- Those who embrace and use the technical language in common use by the profession, and
- Those who do not.
Guess who are the more successful communicators?
This is not rocket science, but it does illustrate the relevance and importance of empathy.
How can you communicate your opinion if the person you are talking with cannot understand the jargon you employ? It’s rather like littering your speech with German phrases when the nearest your listener has ever come to understanding the German language is a few dips into a phrase book many years previously.
If you are a Number 1 speaker, you will no doubt “impress” your clients with the depth of your knowledge, but how useful will that be when they don’t have a clue what you are talking about?
Even if you take the time to get to understand what it is that your client is asking you, if your response is vague and incomprehensible, you will struggle to leave your listener with a clear understanding of your point of view.
We are all exhorted to communicate the value of the services we provide, if you fail to speak the same language when doing this, you will likely fail.
At Informanagement, we aim to provide you with tax content that is accessible, so whether you are a number 1 or number 2 speaker, we should be able to lift comprehension on tricky topics and help you communicate the value of your advice.
If you would like to see how our online services could help you and your staff keep ahead of changing circumstances, and communicate these to your clients and prospects, call me any time for a demonstration.
I look forward to hearing from you.
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