Power

Many years ago a young man entered my office wanting to see me. He had a fan folder filled with documents and needed his tax return prepared. In a weak moment I allowed him a meeting without an appointment. As I always do with a new client, I started to ask questions. It is my firm belief that you must know your client before you can help him.

Opening a file for a new client requires their Social Security Number. He questioned my need for this information. I explained how I cannot even open a file for him without the SSN. He grudgingly provided the number. As I continued asking questions to understand my new client I was met by a wall of resistance. Finally, the young man had had enough of my questions. He informed me I was on a need to know basis, to which I replied, “You need to know you need to leave.”

An excited young man calls for an urgent appointment to see me and only me.  My schedule is tight. Normally, appointments are set for me two or months out. (A lot of people want my advice/opinion.) The urgency of the matter caused me a momentary lapse of sanity and I stuffed another appointment into an already overcrowded schedule. Next Tuesday would be the big day.

There are only a small number of issues that are really urgent: IRS letter, inheritance/death, purchasing a home, divorce (you would be surprised how many people I know who came this close to getting divorce papers and didn’t), and either buying or selling a business or major asset. Periodically something new shows up, but 95% of urgent calls fall into the above mentioned categories. Today we have a client purchasing a business.