Dear Customer :
Your invoice is attached. Please remit payment at your earliest convenience.
Thank you for your business – we appreciate it very much.
Sincerely,
Now I suppose that I should customize the email greetings but this is the case of the accountant who has very little time to do her own accounting and really has just set up the basic defaults, also is the case where I just don’t want to do my own accounting after doing 10 hours or so of accounting. I don’t mean any harm by it nor have I had complaints from any clients about the genericism (not a word huh?) of the default template….until today when I got this email back from a client. Seriously, I don’t take offense when I get emails from vendors that say “dear customer”
If you wish to retain me as a client, I would prefer that you make it more clear what the time estimates are for your work. blah blah blah. If I wanted a big corporate accounting firm to treat me this way, I would certainly hire one to do so. “Dear Customer” rather sums it all up.
Now hold on a minute, I had originally estimated 200/month for the accounting but that had alot of assumptions factors in, like for example, personal accounting, he had maybe one or two accounts and that their scheduling system was fully integrable with QB, neither is the case however, it was an initial estimate only, not set in stone.
Lets go over some big words: Estimate means an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth, does not mean that the amount is set in stone, it means that might be the cost. Lets go further, might means it could happen, a possiblity or chance, still not set in stone. When the weatherman says that it might rain, that just means there is a possibility of rain, not that it will rain. Possiblity means that its likely to occur. Therefore an estimate only means that its an approximate calculation that it is likely to occur, not that its set in stone.
Lets back up to this email I received this morning, because I know how certain potential clients are going to act about receiving their invoices, I followed up a few hours later with an explanation email about the invoice. I sent the invoices out at 2am, followed up at 6am. I had to sleep, I should be allowed to sleep don’t you think? Instead of jumping to conclusions and sending out emails, one should really check their emails and then again this is where the concept of estimate rears its ugly head for those that have difficulty with big words.
Even on my engagement letter, it states: Our initial monthly estimate of total fees is $150.00 to $200.00 per month for accounting services but still its only an estimated amount of time/money not set in stone or simplier terms: its an approximation calculation of money.
I’ve actually spent a hella of lot more time on the accounting but because I knew this particular client wouldn’t pay me for all of it, I discounted it out or just didn’t bill it out. Honestly, it should have been doubled what I billed, by now you’re probably shaking your head thinking why does one retain such a client? simple and honest truth: money.