Explained that he's thinking of changing firms because the partner he deals with at his existing accountants is retiring and isn’t overly happy with the service he receives from other sections of the firm. He wonders if more could be done from a tax planning angle and said that penalties have been imposed on the business due to the firm's mistakes, which has rocked his confidence. His main bugbear is what he regards as a lack of proactivity with regards to tax planning, and I suspect that will be the main talking point. He suggested that sending someone with manufacturing experience would preferable. He also seems to think they’re on the cusp of requiring an audit – they don’t require one as things stand, but with the company growing he feels it’s a possibility next year. [...]

Immediately interested in our call. He’s used (named redacted, top 50 firm) for years but the partner he dealt with retired and since then the service has gone downhill. They’ve been fined for late returns and the general approach is nowhere near as proactive and personal as it once was. He’s been thinking of reviewing for a while and was happy to settle on the above date and time to see what you might be able to offer. Interestingly, his sister looks after the financial side of her husband’s business and they also use (same firm). Apparently they’ve become disgruntled too, so there’s a potential chance of picking up two clients. [...]

Said he, “Wouldn’t normally meet with people off the back of a phone call”, but was curious about our approach and pulled up your website while speaking, and after a general conversation was fully behind the idea of meeting. He’s using a top 20 firm at present and ultimately wants a more personal service - more proactive and with a greater degree of involvement. [...]

Explained they’ve been thinking of changing accountants as the sole trader they use has moved out of the area and they’d prefer to use someone more local. Not only that, but they’ve made mistakes with VAT returns which has rocked her confidence. She also says they don’t get any proactive advice and wonders if another firm of accountants might be able to help them with tax planning. [...]

Was quick to agree to a meeting, explaining that he’s been with his accountant for the best part of 10 years and questions the amount he pays. They pay a standing direct debit each month, but he also gets billed on top of that for ad-hoc pieces of work. It’s also quite complicated because he has two other business; one that’s involved with acquiring commercial property and another which is involved with construction. His bookkeeper is on the cusp of retirement so he is open to a holistic review. Collectively, he’s paying about £20k a year across all 3 businesses with reference to accountancy and bookkeeping services. [...]

He employs a part-time financial director who is on the cusp of retiring, and he sees this as a good time to explore the idea of outsourcing that role rather than employing somebody directly. The business once turned over closer to £10m but they have not been immune to the changes in retail over the last 20 years, and they’ve now downsized to £2M turnover across four outlets, although he is generally happy with the position they're in. When the company was bigger, they required a financial director but now he’s keen to explore outsourcing that function to someone who can help with management accounts and strategic advice. His present accountants don’t offer that service and the partner he deals with is also due to retire, so now is a very sensible time to take stock and have a full review of everything. Given the previous size of the company, they required an audit. They don’t any more but they still have one as he likes the level of financial information it provides, although he's open to the idea of an assurance report if you feel that would be a better/cheaper option. [...]

Explained that he has been considering reviewing his accountancy setup as he believes more could be done with tax planning. The accountant he uses isn’t very proactive and he wants to work with a firm that are going to position the company to be as tax efficient as possible. He owns several other companies that are potentially up for grabs, but for now the main agenda will be around the main Consultancy business. [...]

Said his accountants are often slow to complete work and it frustrates him when they take ages to complete his annual accounts. He’s often thought of getting a second opinion and welcomed the opportunity to see how you might go about approaching his finances. He also stated that he’d consider paying a higher fee to receive a better service. [...]

Tom was instantly intrigued in our call, he explained they’ve never been completely satisfied with the service and advice they get from their accountant and would be very interested to see how another firm might go about approaching their business. Their existing accountant has made multiple mistakes over the years and he is open to the idea of change. [...]

Matt immediately agreed to a meeting. He explained the accountants they use are a small firm; it’s an informal relationship and very simple. However, they’re not very proactive and both Matt and his business partner have often chatted about seeing what another firm of accountants might be able to do for them. He liked the idea of a meeting to see how you might be able to help and is very open minded towards change. [...]