There may be 50 ways to leave your lover (according to Paul Simon), but only seven reasons clients leave their CPAs:

1. My accountant (CPA) doesn't treat me right (two-thirds of the responses).
2. CPAs ignore their clients.
3. CPAs fail to cooperate.
4. CPAs let partner contact lapse.
5. CPAs do not keep clients informed.
6. CPAs assume clients are technicians.
7. CPAs use clients as training ground for new staff.

These are from a great book and highly recommended read, The Firm of the Future: A Guide for Accountants, Lawyers, and Other Professional Services, by Ronald Baker and Paul Dunn

This is further backed up by customer loyalty research from the Rockefeller Corporation, which found 68 percent of customers defect because they believe you (or the company they do business with) do not care about them.

The good news is that you can fix this by focusing on the top 2 reasons -- treating your customers right and showing you (and your firm) care about their success. Given the uncertainties of the marketplace, these are more important than ever.

What are you doing to stay close to you clients in these uncertain and turbulent times?