Where does the universe come from? What is the purpose of life? Will tax season ever end? And what do clients really want?

The only thing we know for sure is that Tax Season 2007 ends next week. Hooray!

The rest is fairly murky, especially when considering the question: “What do clients really want?”

If the tax season is any guide, then clients want to be late and unprepared, which is one of the year’s top gripes, and is second only to the nagging staff shortage (see the Tax Season 2007 tracking poll).

These are the questions of the ages, the ponderings of sages and the mysteries of the deep, dark unknown.

In search of answers to the question of client expectations and desires, we asked CPAs and corporate financial managers (on the client side): “In a nutshell, what do clients really want?”

And how the nutshells are coming — over 1,957 responses, so far. Many of the nutshells are from wizened CPAs who claim to have figured out how to do their jobs and keep their clients satisfied. If you haven’t already joined the study, you can take the survey and receive its complete results.

As we looked for trends in these open-ended responses, we noticed several words that continuously appeared:  Value. Timeliness. Care. Attention. Proactive. Service. Price. Quality. Knowledge.

But you already knew that, right?

A few responses went a little deeper, drawing perspectives from other angles.

Douglas A. Sutton, CPA, Olathe, Kans., stepped out of his auditor’s shoes to write this response: “Very few clients contact me without engaging my firm. I explain that I am a social worker (my original college major). Financial statements and tax returns tell a story about the lives involved … Our philosophy is that the client does not know how to manage a business, the tax laws, labor laws, cash flow, etc. If we are only bookkeepers, the client's chances of succeeding are reduced.”

Another midwest nugget, proffered by Ron Dickinson, Dickinson & Clark, CPAs, Council Bluffs, Iowa, bore a similar message: “Clients don't care that we are technically accurate or even smart, all that's a given. They are looking for a sounding board, someone who can help them with sound business fundamentals, strategic thinking and proactive ideas to help them become successful (however they define success).”

Mark D. Estes, a CPA in Columbia, S.C., runs a part-time bookkeeping and tax prep service when not at his regular job. Estes recognizes the psychological aspect of accountancy: “They want accuracy, but, most of all, they want to feel important.”

Mary F. MacDonald, owner of a firm in Bakersfield, Calif., had similar sentiments about competency crossed with care.

A certain partner in a small CPA firm boiled all these poignant pensées down to a more fundamental essence: “What clients want most is to stay out of trouble.”

“Someone who will think out of the box,” said Mary Glenn, Glenn Prather & Company, Midland, Texas.

“Someone to do some serious handholding,” said another.

“Someone who can walk in their shoes and help them go through things together,” said an anonymous small-firm partner.

“Most small businesses don’t really know,” said Wade Larkin, Larkin & Gibbs, Buffalo, N.Y.

“God knows,” said Stuart Jones, 3CA, Kendal, Cumbria, UK.

Frank J. Casey, Tampa’s Vigilant Consulting, had an interesting angle on the question. “Depends on the company,” he said, as he leaned back in a squeaky old banker’s chair, puffing on a pipe and scratching his chin. “A successful company will want a big picture accountant who is mindful of the details, whereas an unsuccessful company will view the accounting function as a necessary evil. In other words, good companies want to partner with the accounting function, bad companies want to distance themselves.”

Here at Bay Street Group, we take an uncompromised position to support all of the above.

ONLY 7 DAYS AND COUNTING: Join the tax season tracking survey. Check the Stress-O-Meter.

COMMENTS: Rants, raves, idle thoughts, or questions? Contact Rick Telberg.

COMING SOON TO A CITY NEAR YOU: Rick Telberg is appearing around the country this year. You’re invited to connect while he’s in a town near you.

• Orlando, Fla., May 13-16, Sage Insights 2007, Sage Software’s annual business partner conference.
  
  

• New York, May 16-17, CPA Business Tech Expo, the New York State Society of CPAs’ annual business and technology Conference.
  
  

• Secaucus, N.J., May 23-24, The 13th Annual New Jersey Accounting, Business & Technology Show.
  
  
  
• Kissimmee, Fla., May 30-June 1, Florida Accounting and Business Expo, for a presentation, “Trends in Accounting: Challenges and Opportunities.”
  
  
  
• Savannah, Ga., June 5-8, Association for Accounting Marketing Summit 2007, for a panel discussion, “How You, as a Marketer, Can Help Your Firm.”
  
  

• Rosemont, Ill., Aug. 21-22, Illinois CPA Society, Business & Technology Solutions Show.