There are plenty of technically competent accountancy firms around. Although for some unregulated firms it is not, technical excellence should be a minimum 'table stake' for a professional service firm. We certainly regard it as such and so adhere to the strictest technical standards and procedures. We do not expect you to get excited about that, or expect any less. So let's take that as read (but do have a look at ' Things to ask a potential adviser').
Our aim with clients is to become an integral part of our clients' decision making process, providing the basis for them to make informed judgements on key business and tax issues. These might be on isolated decisions; how to buy a factory, how to structure a will to protect the children, or how much to pay for a new business. More often, it is part of the much bigger picture in setting the business direction of a company or the long term plans of a family. Clients will only let an adviser into that process if they are totally trusted. We use Business Navigator to help us with this planning process and you will find more on the Navigator page.
Unlike many of the "born again" business advisers and consultants, we approach such projects with the benefit of real technical knowledge and experience rather than some bought in marketing sound bites. The same goes for our newsletters and press releases which we write in-house. If you are comparing us with others, ask if you can meet who actually wrote their last newsletter. Then prepare for a long drive to another part of the country.
All of our advice is given from a background of certain core values, which we call the Rabjohns Vision. Through our commitment to Investors in People, every single member of the team is part of the implementation of these values which govern everything we do:
A client for life - we aim to give such outstanding service to our clients that they will always be a Rabjohns client in their heart. Some of our most successful clients have sold their businesses to organisations that are far too large for us to act for. But we have kept the clients on a personal basis, and invariably act for their new businesses when they start again (some people just can't help themselves!).
A team for life - we are committed to being a Learning Organisation. With the help of Investors in People, every member of the team is challenged to provide added value at their highest level for clients and the firm in everything they do. Just like our clients, some of our team will move on, and will be encouraged to if it is right for their career. When they leave, we want them to be a Rabjohns ambassador; wherever their career takes them, they will still be a Rabjohns team member underneath it all. We have further enhanced that process with our innovative Rabjohns Directors Academy. You will find more about our team on the HR page.
Real Business Advisers - the reporting of a historical financial position is simply not good enough in today's world. It is our mission to provide proactive business advice that is relevant, effective and in a format that our clients understand. We know what we are doing - apart from our professional qualifications, we run a successful business ourselves and have more than 70 years knowledge of other people's successes and failures. More importantly, we understand change, having re-engineered our own business over the last ten years.
True Professionalism (TP) - this underlies all that we do and is a concept developed by David Maister, probably the world's leading adviser to professional service firms. TP means taking the long term view instead of the short term gain if it is the ethical and morally correct thing to do. We will not compromise our standards for anybody or anything, even if it costs us money in the short term. In the long term, it is the right thing to do for us and for our clients. If that gives you cause for concern with your own affairs, then this is probably not the firm for you.
It also means knowing where our fields of expertise end - one of our great strengths is knowing when we need to call for outside help (a skill often lacking in provincial firms). We have a wide network of contacts in all fields which allows our clients to come to us knowing that if we do not have the answer, we will know someone that does. In particular, our membership of Kreston UK gives us the equivalent resources of a top ten firm to call upon when we need them (whilst avoiding the levels of client service associated with firms of that size). Even when we do call in outside help, our role is invariably one of minder, interpreter and confidant for the client through the process.
In summary, Rabjohns is a team of professionals following a business plan based around total client satisfaction. We love what we do and we think we're rather good at it.
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