The WORST kinds of bookkeeping clients

In my many years as a bookkeeper, I’ve worked with some really great clients. But I’ve also had some that were … less than ideal. Here’s my list of the five worst types of bookkeeping clients, and how you can help (or avoid!) them.

Disorganized client

This client is trying their best, but they have too much on their plate. They just can’t be bothered to organized their receipts, paperwork or communication.

Solution: try to help them understand that being organized will actually make things EASIER. Talk to them about their pain points, and then come up with a feasible solution. Hopefully, with a little guidance, the disorganized bookkeeping client will be able to make that positive change.

Client who won't communicate

Things started out well with this bookkeeping client. You had a great repertoire going the first few months, but now they never reply to your emails and don't get back to you if you call. Like all of us, they started out excited when they hired you, but then got busy. They are probably overwhelmed.

Solution: be a gentle, yet persistent force. Get paid UPFRONT, before you do the work. If the client realizes they are paying you, but you aren’t able to complete work (because of their lack of communication), that will hopefully motivate them to get it together. Make their interactions with you a positive experience, so they look forward to financial meetings.

No-tech client

This client has had the same systems for ages, and don't want to change. They’re more comfortable with paper checks, and have never used an Excel Spreadsheet.

Solution: I find this shift works best little by little. Change one thing at a time and make the digital workflow mirror their old way. It can also help to find someone in the organization who is willing to update the tech with you and use them as an ally.

Mixed personal and business expenses

Hopefully, this client is trying to be honest, but they are just disorganized. They just can’t manage to remember to keep their expenses separate. It is likely someone who is a newer entrepreneur, and don’t have all of their systems ironed out. They don’t think the separation of personal/business is important—but you, as the bookkeeper, need to make them understand that it’s essential.

Solution: insist that they get a separate business account. Separate all of the shared things: Venmo, Amazon Prime, phones, etc. Send them a monthly list of "what is this for?" and make them sort it out. Eventually, they should get sick of seeing this list every month. It will take time, but in my experience, these clients want to do a good job, they just haven't made it a priority.

"Above the rules" client

This client is constantly looking for loopholes, and ways that you can “save them money” in possibly sketchy ways. This one is less “loveably disorganized” than the others—they can become a pain.

Solution: Stick to your morals. It’s not worth jeopardizing your bookkeeping business in order to help a client pay less taxes than they should. If this is a repeated problem, and they aren’t listening to you, don’t be afraid to cut ties with this type of client.

5 worst types of bookkeeping clients

Resources for finding clients:

• (Free!) Bookkeeper Marketing Masterclass

• Marketing Course: Bookkeeper Marketing Coach