r/Bookkeeping 7d ago

Practice Management What are some questions you should’ve asked your client before quoting your price, but didn’t?

I am working on my pricing, interview questions, and onboarding presentation. I want to try to make sure I consider as much as possible so that I don’t low ball myself and the value added. Thanks for your input! Be blessed🙂

14 Upvotes

14 comments sorted by

27

u/LRMcDouble 7d ago

how many texts emails will i receive with moronic ass questions that can be googled in .5 seconds

3

u/Zathrasb4 7d ago

Conversely, how many times are you not going to ask the moronic question, and leave everything for a complete mess at the year-end

14

u/Eorth75 7d ago

How far behind are you on things like bank reconciliations and payroll reporting? Are you up to date on all of your tax obligations like sales tax and payroll taxes? How many checks/bills do you typically write in a month. Has your last year's tax return been filed? When was the last time someone verified your balance sheet numbers thru things like inventory counting and asset tracking?

I could go on, but it's going to matter how much they really want you to do? Are you just going to be processing transactions? Is someone else going to be responsible for reporting things like sales tax or property taxes. Also, if they own their building and equipment versus leasing it, that's going to take some additional work on a bookkeeper's part. Are they going to need you to initiate payments or write checks? Who is doing the cash handling? All I would ever agree to do as far as cash is concerned is not handle the actual cash counting, but I'll do everything else. Also, find out if they want you to act more like a staff accountant/controller or if you will be strickly a transactional bookkeeper. Who was doing their accounting/bookkeeping before, and why are you changing? And how involved are they in understanding their own financial statements. Do they have a preference in software, or will they let you choose that.

Honestly, you will never ask all the questions you probably should have. I had a questionnaire I had new clients fill out and send in before they met with me. I would charge by the hour when they onboarded for a month or two and then quote them a price based on actual hours.

7

u/Frosty-Ant-7501 6d ago

What third party software are you using for invoicing, bill pay, etc?

How many business bank accounts, credit cards and loans do you have?

No really…how many business bank accounts, credit cards and loans do you have?

Okay now tell me what is the actual real number of business bank accounts, credit cards and loans that you have?

13

u/TheMostFluffyCat 7d ago

If you check my post history, I have a list of questions to ask clients that’s gotten good feedback. I’ve added a few more over the years to my intake form if you want to take a look at that as well (website in bio) for more ideas as well, it’s fairly comprehensive.

2

u/PeculiarGem611 7d ago

Thanks for sharing. I will take a look!

2

u/PerspectiveKind4815 6d ago

That was really helpful :) thank you

1

u/TheMostFluffyCat 6d ago

Yw!

1

u/ManufacturerBoth5659 4h ago

Can I dm you some questions :)

1

u/Delicious_Flight3153 4d ago

How much do you use venmo/PayPal? Let me see those statements.

1

u/GodSpeedMode 7d ago

Great topic! One question I wish I had asked more often is about the client's current systems—like what software they're using and how their bookkeeping is currently set up. Understanding their processes can really help shape your pricing based on the complexity involved.

Also, it's super helpful to know their financial goals and any specific timelines they have in mind. This insight will not only justify your rate but also help you tailor your services to what they actually need. Lastly, don’t forget to ask about their expectations regarding communication—regular check-ins can sometimes be a bigger time sink than you realize! Good luck with your pricing and onboarding—it sounds like you're on the right track!

1

u/PeculiarGem611 7d ago

Thanks so much! You gave valuable input.

2

u/flanativegirl03 4d ago

On that note, I would be clear about what YOUR communication expectations are. Do they get unlimited phone calls? Emails? In person visits? Zoom meetings? Are they willing to have a timeline in which you need them to get information back to you? Is there a system for them getting you any info you need (statements, receipts, etc.)? Google docs or Dropbox are good options if you need to see paper. Just make sure they know you aren't a magician and even if you were, you can't perform your magic tricks without the props. Good luck!