Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series. View all the articles in this series here: Dear Deb Series
Dear Deb,
I just lost a client I have served for more than 20 years because another accounting firm promised to do the work for less. They said AI allows them to charge a lower price. I use AI too, so that explanation does not impress me.
What frustrates me is that the new firm quoted the work without knowing what we actually do for this client. They do not know the history, the problems we have prevented, or everything we handle behind the scenes.
I am angry. After 20 years, I thought the relationship and the value we provided meant more than the lowest price.
Should I offer to match the other firm’s price? Should I try to convince the client to stay? Or do I let them leave and accept that loyalty apparently has an expiration date?
Signed,
Priced Out and Peeved
First, you are allowed to be angry. This one stings. It is not only the lost revenue. It is the feeling that 20 years of work, judgment, and history just got tossed onto a yard sale table next to a chipped lamp, three lonely mugs, and a box of cords nobody can identify.
You served this client for more than 20 years. You probably answered questions that were not in the engagement letter, caught mistakes before they became expensive, and remembered details the client had forgotten. Then another firm wandered in, asked what you charged, and waved the old “I can beat that price” routine like a coupon for cereal nobody buys unless the good stuff is gone.
That hurts. It also feels insulting. But do not match their price.
The moment you do, you confirm that the two firms provide the same thing and price is the only difference. You turn 20 years of knowledge, judgment, and trust into a commodity. You also create a terrible new question in your client’s mind: “If you can do it for less now, why have I been paying more all these years?” There is no graceful answer to that one.
Let the client leave. Do not prepare a presentation explaining everything they will lose. They will find out. Maybe the new firm will do a wonderful job. Maybe it will discover that the work involves far more than the client described. Maybe it will increase the price later. Maybe it will deliver exactly what it promised, which could be considerably less than what you delivered.
You do not need to predict which version will happen. Handle the transition professionally, protect your dignity, and leave the door open without becoming a beggar.
I would say, “Thank you for the opportunity to serve you for more than 20 years. While we are unable to match the other firm’s price, we respect your decision. We wish you continued success.”
Then stop.
Now, a brief word for the firm that asked what the current accountant charged and then promised to beat the price: You did not price the work. You promised to do it cheaper. You reduced our profession to a bargain-basement big-box store where the only question is, “Can you beat this price?” Shame on you.
The client made the decision. Your job now is to look at the clients who stayed. Make sure they understand your value before another firm walks in with a cheaper number.
We blame price for a lot of client losses. I’m not convinced price deserves all the blame. Two 2025 customer experience studies make the same uncomfortable point: clients may not complain before they leave. They may simply smile, nod, and go shopping.
Qualtrics found that communication problems drove more bad customer experiences than pricing concerns. PwC found a similar blind spot: executives believed loyalty had increased, while far fewer consumers agreed. Translation for accountants: if clients cannot see your value, they may quietly compare you to the next cheaper option.
Accountants perform valuable work quietly. We correct payroll setups, catch duplicate payments, notice slipping margins, and prevent penalties. We answer the question that keeps a client from making an expensive mistake. Then we send the financial statements and assume the client understands everything that happened behind the scenes. They do not.
The client sees an accurate report. Another firm promises an accurate report for less. If that is the only difference the client can see, price wins.
Make your value visible by showing clients what you noticed, why it matters, and what you recommend they do next. The conversation can be simple: “Here is what we noticed. Here is why it matters. Here is what I recommend.” You are not bragging. You are helping the client understand the thinking behind the work they are paying you to perform.
But please do not stop there. Ask about your client’s life. Find out what matters to them personally. Ask about their children, hobbies, vacation plans, or the business goal that keeps getting pushed aside. Remember the daughter who just graduated. Ask how the golf tournament went. Find out why they started the business and what they hope it makes possible.
They are people before they are clients. I am not suggesting that you become their best friend. You do not need matching bracelets or a standing invitation to Thanksgiving dinner. Just be a friend. Pay attention. Remember things. Ask because you genuinely want to know.
We have defined professional so narrowly that some of us think it means keeping every conversation formal, efficient, and about as personal as another QuickBooks update we are supposed to read, understand, and accept before the program lets us get back to work. I would like to redefine professional as simply being a really nice human being. You can be smart, reliable and accurate while also being warm, interested and human. That mix may become your greatest competitive advantage.
AI can analyze transactions, prepare reports, and draft the email explaining those reports. It cannot care that your client’s son finally joined the business. It cannot understand why selling the company feels like giving away part of the family. It cannot hear the hesitation in your client’s voice and ask, “What is really worrying you?”
Take an honest look at each client relationship. If someone asked why they work with you, what would your client say? Would they explain the difference you make, or list the tasks you complete? In the past 90 days, have you shown them what you noticed, prevented, or helped them decide? Do you know what matters to them beyond the financial statements?
If your client can only say, “They reconcile my accounts and file everything on time,” you have a visibility problem. Those things matter, but they are the starting line, not the parade. Most clients do not know what a bank reconciliation is. They only know you sent another PDF they did not read.
The firms that win will use AI to create more time to notice, think, ask, and advise. Most importantly, they will use that time to make clients feel known, not processed.
You cannot prevent every client from leaving. Do not become cheaper to prove you are valuable. Make your value visible. Be the really nice human being your clients do not want to replace.
Editor’s Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author are solely their own and do not reflect the views of The Woodard Report, Woodard Events, LLC, or any affiliated organizations. The content is provided for informational purposes and should not be interpreted as an official position of any Woodard entity.