Today I’m having a bit of a rant. I want to know whatever happened to saying thank you?
I’m often left wondering whether there is some unwritten law of business that you don’t have to say thank you to someone who helps you out free of charge. Or am I just too old fashioned to expect it?
Helping a prospective client free of charge can often be the start of a new business relationship and is a good way of showing that you have the expertise to provide the services they may require. Many of us are willing to help business owners who are struggling financially, or small business owners who need a bit of help dealing with complex VAT issues; either for a reduced fee or even free of charge. If you want to know the VAT liability of a specific type of goods or services and if I know the answer, or where to find it, I’ll tell you the answer or where to find it in the HMRC guidance.
But some people just seem to expect something for nothing and it really makes me mad. Sometimes I’ll receive an email which includes a list of questions, or a query about a particularly complex area of VAT. The queries can often involve a number of different technical issues and sometimes it can take me 10 to 15 minutes just to read the email, and then longer to get my head round the commercial arrangements and identify the VAT issues.
I usually answer by explaining the main principles involved and referring the sender to the relevant HMRC notice to help them find more information about the subject so that they can find the answer, offering my professional services if they need further help.
Usually, I’ll spend anything from 15 – 30 minutes, if not longer, writing a response, which means that I can easily spend up to an hour of my time on such queries.
Now I appreciate that’s part of being in business and that sometimes, dealing with such queries leads to a new client.
But what really bugs me is that most of the time, people don’t even bother to say thank you for the help I’ve given them.
So why not? Whatever happened to good manners in business??
The oddest thing about this is that the people who DO say thank you are nearly always small business owners who genuinely appreciate the help. But not from larger businesses. Over the years, I’ve had several such queries from accountants or directors working in large corporate groups who send queries about complex areas of VAT; from property to international services to VAT recovery. I don’t think that I’ve ever received a thank you from such people and I’m really fed up with it.
But you know the answers so it doesn’t take long to reply…..
And over the years, I’ve had some really bizarre reasons from people about why I should provide free advice. The best one really came from a business owner who contacted me with a load of queries. His email was very detailed so I called him and gave him an estimate of my time and costs for answering his queries. He seemed shocked and said that if I was an expert, then I knew the answers so why would it cost so much?
I pointed out that while I know a lot about VAT, I know nothing about his business and I can only give answers to specific questions if I understand the circumstances, because the VAT position depends on a range of factors. After a rather strange (and strained!) conversation, I also pointed out that he wouldn’t expect his accountant to prepare accounts or to receive legal advice from his solicitor without paying for it.
Needless to say he didn’t accept my proposal, but I don’t think I would have taken it on anyway. Somehow I couldn’t see that relationship being either productive or positive.
Now I’m not perfect and I’m sure that there are times when I’ve forgotten to say thank you or failed to appreciate someone’s efforts. If I have, feel free to email me and let me know. I was brought up properly and should know better.
And I’m always willing to help anyone with the occasional query, so please DO contact me if you’re stuck on a VAT issue, even if you have no funds or limited funds for formal advice.
But if you’re one of the dozens of people who I’ve helped out free of charge over recent years without bothering to say thank you, then I hope you feel embarrassed and remember that saying “thank you” is not only good manners, but also good business practice.
Okay, rant over. Next time back to VAT.
Marie
August, 2015