| One of my Saturday morning duties, nay, | | | | get stopped in the street by clients and asked |
| pleasures, is to trundle down to our largish village | | | | technical questions or for other advice. They |
| to buy a fresh loaf of bread at the local bakers, | | | | seem to assume that I have a photographic |
| which my wife and I will enjoy with our lunch. | | | | memory for every aspect of their tax affairs, |
| During the week we are both too busy working | | | | but unless they just want me to download and |
| and rarely have time for lunch together, so we | | | | send them a form for which they will take |
| like a little treat or too at the weekend. | | | | responsibility I have to ask them to talk to me |
| Passing the greengrocers I saw our local doctor, | | | | during office hours and when I am actually in my |
| trying to look invisible whilst waiting for his wife to | | | | office, or have arranged to visit them. |
| emerge, but being a sociable sort of chap, | | | | The difficulty for me and other professionals is |
| naturally I wished him a good morning, which was | | | | that mistakes or perceived mistakes can be very |
| of course reciprocated though in a gruff whisper. | | | | costly, and we have to avoid giving casual advice. |
| The question you might ask is whether the good | | | | In the doctor's case, a brief comment outsider |
| doctor is aloof, a complete cold fish, but that is | | | | the butchers could conceivably cost someone's |
| certainly not the case. If one goes to his surgery | | | | life, and for people like me who run a tax practice |
| he is friendly, and so chatty that at the end of his | | | | it could certainly cost a lot of money if the advice |
| sessions he overruns considerably; it is better to | | | | I give is wrong because I have not gathered all |
| have an appointment at the beginning of a session | | | | the facts or used my resources to check any |
| so that you might get into his room almost on | | | | advice I have given. We have to be strong, resist |
| time. | | | | our natural networking urge to be helpful, and |
| Why is the doctor apparently so withdrawn when | | | | remember that with a few throwaway lines we |
| we meet him outside? It is because he is afraid | | | | can cause more trouble than we save. |
| that his patients will accost him with their latest | | | | So, if someone accosts you in the street, a bar |
| ailment. "Doctor, my knee is really playing me up. | | | | or the golf club to pick your brain whether a client |
| Is there anything you can recommend?" It is | | | | or not, or if someone who is not yet a client |
| because our doctor friend is not on paid time and | | | | telephones to ask a question, ask them to make |
| because if he stopped to advise anyone he met | | | | an appointment. If they seem offended, explain |
| in the street he would never have a life or any | | | | that it is for their own good that they should rely |
| free time, and without his records and surgery | | | | on proper paid advice for which you will take |
| resources he might give hurried and poor advice | | | | responsibility, rather than your telling them a few |
| detrimental to the patient. | | | | things upon which they may act despite your not |
| Well we have all been there, haven't we? Only the | | | | having been given all the facts. It should make |
| other day a friend of my wife's and occasional | | | | them feel that you have their interests at heart |
| dinner party guest called and asked for help filling | | | | and you may well get some new business. If you |
| in her elderly mother's tax return; this when I am | | | | don't, at least you will have put of some |
| in the middle of paid work. Like the doctor I also | | | | freeloader who will not waste your time again. |