Thursday, January 07, 2010

Writing to new clients acquired on a merger

I was asked for my advice recently ie: What should be in the letter that an accountant was sending to the clients of the old practice that he was acquiring through a merger (in reality it was more of a mergeover).

I suggested that the starting point was to consider what the clients would want to hear/see and what messages the accountant wanted to get across.

The accountant said he wants clients to:
  • confirm they'll continue to pay him at least what they paid the predecessor practice
  • supply all their information promptly
  • not phone him daily
  • pay extra fees if they supply tax return information in January
  • not look around and move elsewhere without giving him at least a chance
We concluded none of the above could go into the first letter from new accountant!

What would you like to say to new clients acquired on a merger, takeover or mergeover?

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