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Why Don’t Clients Take Our Advice?
I've been an accountant for more than 30 years, and if there's one frustration I've heard and experienced countless times, it's clients who don't take our advice. We spend time reviewing their numbers, identify something that needs attention, explain what they should...
Leadership Means Going First
I came away from a recent accounting conference thinking about two things that, initially, seemed quite separate. The first was what small business clients are telling us they want from their accountants. They want to feel understood, and not just through their...
Are We Starting Advisory at Step 4?
Over the past few months, I’ve had a number of conversations with accountants that have made me think differently about why advisory continues to feel so difficult to implement. When we talk about advisory, we tend to jump fairly quickly to the work itself. What...
Every Profession Has a Framework. Why Doesn’t Advisory?
Why professional judgement needs stronger foundations than software can provide. TSBP Thought Leadership Series Every profession has an underlying framework that quietly shapes the way its people think, make decisions and deliver consistent work. In accounting, it's...
The Year Things Change
Your clients deserve better. Small business deserves better. So do you. Another financial year is drawing to a close. Across the profession, firms are wrapping up tax planning meetings, reviewing team performance, discussing salary increases and career progression,...
Tax Planning is Advisory. But is it Actually Working?
1. The Season That Should Work It’s tax planning season, and for most firms that means a full calendar and a steady stream of client conversations focused on what’s coming next, not just what’s already happened. On paper, this is exactly what advisory is supposed to...
When Doing It Right Still Isn’t Enough
Something Has Shifted I’ve found myself stopping more often lately when I’m scrolling. Not because of something new or exciting, but because of what accountants are quietly sharing. Posts about being exhausted, feeling undervalued, wondering how much longer they can...
Advisory Feels Heavy — Until You Separate the Conversations
Compliance Relationship vs Advisory Relationship Every client in your firm has a compliance relationship with you. It is largely historical. Tax returns, BAS, financial statements and lodgements confirm what has already happened and ensure obligations are met. It is...
I Got Caught In My Own Advisory Trap
I was at a conference recently talking with a group of partners and directors about advisory. The pattern was familiar. All the ownership and responsibility sat with them. They were having 100% of the advisory conversations, making 100% of the offers, and carrying...
Why Advisory Isn’t Sticking – And It’s Not You or Your Team’s Fault
You can have great people, joint meetings, and plenty of training, and still struggle to build advisory confidence. The issue isn’t effort or capability. It’s the missing structure that turns exposure into confidence. Advisory Sounds Right But Feels Harder Than It...