The Reasons Why Your Accountant Sucks!

This year’s tax season brings with it the same recurring questions. Why are my taxes so high? Where is all this money going? How in the world am I going to pay for this? And, of course the most popular question of all: why does my accountant suck?

In actuality, your accountant doesn’t really suck. Like the great majority of CPAs and tax preparers he (or she) is most likely competent, knowledgeable and professional.  However, you may still have complaints about him.  He’s not proactive.  He doesn’t seem like he understands the pest & lawn industry.  You don’t really see him very much until tax time rolls around. His fees to prepare an annual return seem a little high.  He doesn’t respond very quickly.  And when he does respond it always seems like you owe some receipt or document that’s holding up the whole process.  If you’re experiencing this, you’re not alone.

No matter how competent your CPA is, today’s clients are expecting more – a whole lot more!  Being a tax expert or having a good financial mind isn’t enough these days. The accounting firms that will succeed in the next few years will be the ones who combine their expertise with good, laser focused, industry specific experience, insight and advice – like PCO Bookkeepers!

For example, you need an accountant that knows the in’s and out’s of your scheduling software like PestPac, PestRoutes, RealGreen, Gorilla Desk and others specific to the industry.  This is not to be confused with an accounting software like QuickBooks used for maintaining the financial side of your operations. Unfortunately, most CPA firms have no working knowledge of your scheduling software and thus are relying solely on your knowledge in ensuring everything is properly entered, journalized, categorized and accounted for in QuickBooks. One slip, one missed entry, a transposed number or non-reconciled bank statement could skew your true numbers ultimately affecting taxes owed or missed opportunities for a tax break.

Enter PCO Bookkeepers…the beauty of working with PCO Bookkeepers is that we provide a wide umbrella of personal and corporate knowledge we can share from taxes to personal financial planning to financial statement analysis to succession planning.  We emphasize regular communications including monthly and quarterly reviews with clients.  Giving advice. Helping our clients make more money.  Improving the quality of their life.  Wow! An accounting firm that’s frequently and consistently providing industry-specific information that helps clients’ grow their businesses and live a better life!

Is your accountant able to provide you with Industry-specific Benchmarks and Key Performance Indicators?

PCO Bookkeepers knows the YOUR industry! We provide monthly benchmarks and key performance indicators to help you see how your company measures up to others in the industry. Why is this so important? Benchmarks are one way to readily identify areas where you need to improve. Key performance indicators (KPI’s) can help you in planning and they can be useful for evaluating employees.  Benchmarks and key performance indicators can also assist in motivating employees, giving them measureable goals to achieve.

Does your accountant embrace social media?  Name one person using Facebook that wouldn’t like to gain advice or discover ways to save on their taxes. Name one person on LinkedIn who isn’t looking for someone to share industry-specific KPIs to increase their knowledge-base and better their operations.  Name one person on Twitter who isn’t interested in an article about cutting their insurance bill or increasing “revenue per tech.”  

This all has to do with money and because it’s in our wheelhouse at PCO Bookkeepers, our social media posts and podcasts have become a daily and important resource of information for not only our clients but anyone serious about building a successful company in the pest and lawn industry! We are connected and provide a plethora of useful information that helps the pest and lawn industry as a whole.

Industry knowledge – Expert advice

As a business owner, you need better, more timely reporting and deeper insight into your entire operations. Sure, you create financial statements from your software but do you truly understand the numbers? 

Does your current accountant understand the numbers? Does your accountant understand the types of services your company offers? Does he or she understand the service frequencies and how they can impact your business and affect your bottom-line? How does cancellations and callbacks affect your bottom-line? Do they have the knowledge to consult when to hire a new technician? To purchase or post-pone vehicle purchases based on current revenue and projected growth? Are your tech’s production numbers at or above what your peers are realizing? Are you aware of the clients you lost last quarter and why?  

These are the typical reports that senior managers get at successful companies all around the country. But for some reason, most accounting firms don’t provide to their clients or worse yet, can’t provide because they don’t know YOUR industry and thus can’t delve into your company’s numbers like PCO Bookkeepers can!

Most CPAs and accounting firms are not making their clients happy! And thus, the title of this letter – The Reasons Why Your Accountant Sucks parlays into Why You Should be Looking for a New Accountant!

Let’s continue –

In my years of filing both personal and business tax returns as a business owner, I’ve had the misfortune of meeting and witnessing first-hand how incredibly terrible some accountants can be. 

Speaking from personal experiences, if your accountant exhibits more than a few of the behaviors outlined below, it’s a good indicator that you should immediately fire your accountant and start looking for a new one before it is too late… before the taxman cometh your way!  

10 Reasons Why You Should be Looking for a New Accountant

1.    You’re unable to reach your accountant via any type of communication

When you can’t get a hold of your accountant it can be incredibly frustrating, even more so during tax season. How many times have you never been able to reach your accountant either by phone, email, text, or smoke signals?

2.    Your accountant doesn’t return your voicemail or email until several days later

When you leave a message for someone, you expect them to reply within a reasonable amount of time. Have you ever left a message on your accountant’s voicemail and didn’t receive a reply until a week later?

3.    Your accountant recommends filing an extension even before looking at your financials

Have you ever given your financials to your accountant and before even looking at them, your accountant suggests filing for an extension?

4.    Your accountant only has one pest control or lawn customer, YOU

You expect your accountant to understand your business so they can give you financial advice to improve your business. However, if they are not invested in the pest and lawn industry as a whole and also not investing in the well-being of your business there is no way that they’ll be able to you help long-term.

5.    Your accountant isn’t any better than a bookkeeper

The cost needs to justify the means. If your accountant doesn’t provide you more services than just filing your business taxes, you might be better off with a bookkeeper.

6.    Your accountant takes over a month to file your tax returns even after submitting everything he needs in a timely manner

Is your accountants pace equivalent to a sloth? Do you have to constantly follow up on his progress to ensure that your taxes were filed timely?

7.    Your accountant does not stay up to date on latest tax laws and tax breaks

One of the main reasons why you elect to use an accountant is because you hope they are well-versed about any and all new tax laws and tax breaks. If your accountant doesn’t continually educate themselves, you may be paying the wrong amount on your taxes or worse, missing out on the latest tax breaks offered to small businesses.

8.    Your accountant refuses to sign your returns.

An accountant’s refusal to sign your return or to give you a copy of your tax return is very suspect. Any activity that makes you uncomfortable should be an immediate red flag. If they’ve lied to you or they’re cheating or suggesting questionable behaviors, it’s time to go.

9.    Your accountant talks about his other clients

If you have an accountant that freely talks about his other clients and disregards accountant-client privileges, you have to wonder if they’ve ever said anything about your financials and taxes with other clients (especially if located in a small town!)

10. You have no clue what your accountant is saying

You want to have an accountant that speaks to you without the use of accounting jargons. If they can’t explain what and why they’re doing something, you’ll have no idea and will be kept in the dark concerning your financials and taxes.

 PCO Bookkeepers has over 20 years of experience serving the pest control and lawn industry! We have the expertise and know-how to help you manage and understand your financials for growth and profitability. PCO Bookkeepers offers customized services ranging from bookkeeping to expert CFO consulting.

In summary, when you hire an accountant to help with your business financials, you need to make sure that they are ethical, organized, and worth the money that you spend. The accountant that you choose needs to be professional and have integrity, because after all, they’re managing your financials. An accountant should help you understand your finances, save money, provide quality advice, and allow you to sleep soundly at night. If your accountant isn’t doing any of this, you need to find yourself a new accountant ASAP!

We work with hundreds of the most successful and largest pest control and lawn companies and business owners across the United States. We help you configure your company for success, focusing on developing and maintaining healthy, accurate operational systems that enable your business to grow.

The bottom line is that if you’re uncomfortable or believe your accountant is doing a lousy job – don’t hesitate to end the relationship and move on. These are your taxes, after all. People tend to stick around too long because they feel guilty leaving! No one should feel guilty about wanting to better their operations and work with an industry-focused, industry-leading accounting firm!

To learn more and to obtain a free, no-obligation quote to handle your bookkeeping and accounting needs for 2022 and beyond, call today! Or, visit www.pcobookkeepers.com or www.turfbooks.com to learn more and sign up to be contacted directly.

 Happy Tax Day!

Cheers,

Andrew de la Chapelle | Direct: 847-648-4580 | andrew@pcobookkeepers.com