• What do you expect from us?
• What is your current pain?
• What keeps you awake at night?
• How do you see us helping you address these challenges and opportunities?
• What growth plans do you have?
• If price were not an issue, what role would you want us to play in your business?
• Do you expect capital needs? New financing?
• Do you anticipate any mergers, purchases, divestitures, recapitalizations, or reorganizations in the near future?
• We know you are investing in total quality service, as are we. What are the service standards you would like for us to provide you?
• How important is our satisfaction guarantee to you?
• How important is rapid response? What do you consider rapid response?
• Why are you changing professionals? What did you not like about your former firm that you do not want us to repeat?*
• How did you enjoy working with your former firm?**
• Do you envision any other changes in your needs?
• Are you concerned about any of your asset, liability, or income statement accounts to which we should pay particularly close attention?
• If we were to attend certain of your internal management meetings as observers, would you be comfortable with that?
• How do you suggest we best learn about your business so we can relate your operations to the financial information and so we can be more proactive in helping you maximize your business success?
• May our associates tour your facilities?
• What trade journals do you read? What seminars and trade shows do you regularly attend? Would it be possible for us to attend these with you?
• What is your budget for this type of service?
* We never denigrate the predecessor. First, this insults you and reminds you of a poor decision. Second, it diminishes respect and confidence in the profession as a whole and lowers the public’s perception of our professionalism.
** Even though you are changing firms, it is almost certain that you liked certain characteristics of the predecessor. We want to find out what those were and exceed them. For instance, if you said the prior firm always returned phone calls within one day, we strive to return phone calls within four hours.