Are you ready for prime time? Tips for the heart of busy season.

As a managing partner, the time period from March 1 – April 15 was always my favorite. The office is humming- financial statements are flowing, tax returns and extensions are moving and the cash register is ringing. It is the heart of busy season and you have to be playing your “A” game. It is prime time for the firm’s financial well being and capitalizing on it is key. Keep these tips in mind to be a successful prime time player.

1. There are no benefits of the doubt – Clients have many more options and loyalty has been dissipating for quite some time. Do not think that clients know that you are busy at this time of the year, and therefore, it is ok to either not hear back from you at all, or to hear from you after a prolonged period of time. Clients need to know you are attentive year round. In this increasingly paperless world, you are undoubtedly being attacked by emails. Responding late or cryptically is not going to help the loyalty challenge. You have a couple of options. You can ask your administrative staff to survey your emails, report them to you and then advise the client or possibly your COI as to when you will reply. You can design an automatic response policy for your emails so that folks know you respond in 24 or 36 hours. You must take control. People have expectations, and the more clearly you state your policy, the more manageable their expectations will be.

2. Avoid surprises – Neither clients nor managing partners like surprises because most of them are not the good kind. Keep your billing very current and discuss extras with clients both before you tackle the work, and certainly before billing. You must be compliant with daily time sheets so billing can be done in real time. Engage firm leadership with problems at the earliest possible time – there is no upside in trying to be a hero – much more to be gained with transparency and being a team player.

3. Be people-centric – your two most valuable assets, clients and personnel, share a very important common denominator - they are people. As accountants, we excel at noting shortcomings, but we fail at packaging our comments for corrective upside and in delivering these comments in a timely manner. During prime time, you need to have staff performing at their best, which means you need to be alert and communicative. It is very important that your clients know that you care about your performance, so you should be including your clients in a performance feedback process and telling them that they will be asked to contribute. In today’s economic climate there is enormous pressure on fees, and if clients feel uncomfortable with your staff, the pressure mounts even more so. The economy also makes firms mindful of their investment in personnel. While cutting labor costs is a common post busy season exercise, it is in the best interest of all that you be aware of the full potential of your staff. Clients will have a view on the aptitude and skills of your staff that may result in deploying your personnel differently and more profitably. Post tax season you will need to present value-added deliverables to your clients and prospects. You may find that some of your personnel may be better suited for new areas than the old ones.

4. Be aware – the well being of the firm is not just the responsibility of the managing partner - it is the responsibility of all of the partners. Take note of the good and the bad that is going on and keep a list so that you can prioritize it after the busy season. Be very visible and alert – the more that people think you are watching, the better they will perform and the greater respect you will enjoy from your partners and peers.

5. Plant seeds – take advantage of the high level of engagement that you are experiencing with your clients and staff. On the staff side, ask them to keep a running list of the highs and lows and to be alert so you can improve next year and be a better organization. On the client level, tell them about areas that you want to explore with them in the post busy season to both whet their appetites and to position the firm for growth. Make every effort to schedule the post busy season meeting when you are discussing their taxes or financials - and follow it up with a personal note.

The mark of an organization is best determined when they are functioning under stress during peak demand. Your clients, personnel and centers of influence are very alert as to how you perform - especially during busy season. Your job during the heart of that season is to give them things to be impressed with.