Encouraging Accounting Professionals to serve Clients more Holistically
ATB shares its story to help accounting professionals understand the importance of deep client knowledge and value added advice
Following on from winning the prestigious Panalitix Award at the end of last year for achieving outstanding results for clients, Jim Vass was asked to present ATB Partners at the Accounting Business Expo in Sydney recently.
The event is attended primarily by accountants and Jim Vass addressed an audience of 200 of his peers, about how ATB continues to strive to meet and exceed clients’ needs, gaining a reputation as one of Sydney’s leading small business advisory firms.
“I love sharing the ATB story,” says Jim. “We’ve been very successful, and we are proud of what we achieve for our clients. Because of this, we are more than happy to help other professionals too,” he explains.
“Getting to really know a client’s small business, the ins-and-outs of how it’s working and performing, can be really challenging, satisfying, interesting, inspiring… There are a lot of entrepreneurs and small businesses doing amazing things – but they need help above and beyond their own capabilities, and that’s where accountants can really add value.”
The ATB Success Story
Some years ago, Michael, Jim and Paul could see a common problem faced by almost all of their clients – they were highly stressed, working endless hours in every week and time-poor. This was reflected in their business performance. And some poor souls were on the brink of exhaustion and burnout.
This ‘common problem’ was a significant reason for ATB to begin researching and developing its five-step process.
However, once clients had completed the process, not only did their businesses begin to run more smoothly, efficiently and more profitably, but the business owners themselves were finally able to find much-needed work-life balance.
“The five-step process has been a cornerstone of success for so many of our clients, and it’s a fantastic starting point, as well as a great ‘check in tool’ from time to time,” explains says Jim Vass. “But just as important as the five-step process, is good financial advice that clients can rely on.”
Looking to the Future
“As accountants, our role primarily is to ‘account for the numbers’, but it’s important that, as a profession, we realise that our specialist accounting skills are vital for simplifying and interpreting numbers for clients. What’s more, when we are able to provide a wider range of business and financial advice, then we can really add value,” says Jim.
“Businesses is highly competitive,” says Jim. “And, in order to survive – and thrive – businesses need to stay focused on the future.”
This is a mantra that ATB not only instils in its clients, but lives by, itself.
“One of the reasons that ATB attends the annual Accounting Business Expo is to make sure that we’re informed about relevant new ideas, in particular new technologies, that we can introduce to our clients when we see a need,” says Jim.
Focus on clients
“At ATB, we make a commitment to knowing our clients’ businesses inside out. We also make it our business to understand their industry and the wider marketplace, too. This way, clients can remain focused on what they’re good at, and we can provide good information, at the right time.
And of course, we’re a small business ourselves. We have, and we do, experience some issues similar to those our clients face. This, I think, makes us more empathetic when there’s a problem and genuinely committed to finding solutions,” he says.
“If we can help you, contact us.”
Read More Blogs