Being a freelance bookkeeper isn't just about the numbers. It sure would be easier if that were the case. Then you could peacefully crunch number and get your work done in record time.

But being a freelance bookkeeper is mainly about building relationships with your clients. And especially in the beginning of these relationships, there's going to be a lot of what I call babysitting. You have to teach them how to treat you - what's acceptable behavior. In the process you're teaching them how you're going to work together.

But what do you do when it things get way out of hand?

In a recent Q & A call with members of my Bookkeeper's Club we talked about new clients that are difficult to work with. We talked about how to handle it when you're getting calls from 3 or 4 people within one company besides the one who hired you. And what if they're all giving you different stories, or maybe it's the same story told many different ways?

As with good physical health, there are also two ways of solving problems in a difficult client relationship when you're a freelance bookkeeper:

1. The best medicine is preventative.

Everyone knows if you have a lifelong pattern of healthful eating and exercise you can ward off many diseases. It's the same with bookkeeping problems. If you have written policies that address possible problems upfront, and you communicate these clearly to your client, you can prevent a lot of problems.

So the first thing you'll want to do is examine your own policy. Clearly define to yourself what you feel is acceptable. From the beginning you need to set office hours for answering calls and firmly stick to that policy. You need to put parameters around not only the times you answer calls but also from whom you'll receive calls.

Next, you need a clear way of communicating this policy to your clients. An excellent way to do this is to incorporate this policy into your handbook that you review with your prospective client. It's not enough to hand them your book. You should also verbally go over it with them.

2. Remedy the problem with the most effective, yet gentle, solution available.

You don't want to ignore the problem, hoping it will go away. More often than not it will just get worse. You also don't want to overreact and amputate that relationship if it can be saved and strengthened with the proper supports.

Maybe the problem started because you didn't have a clear policy of communication, or didn't firmly stick to it because of the emotions attached to the situation. If that's the case, acknowledge it and do what you can to fix it.

Go back to the one who hired you and say: "In order for us to have a good working relationship, it's really difficult for me to be fielding all of these phone calls. We need to have one point of contact. Do you feel comfortable meeting with everyone to share information once I hand you the results of my work?" Then I would recommend that you incorporate a weekly meeting into your service offerings.

Good communication is what will keep both you and your client from stressing out. Giving in and not sticking to your policies will only make the situation worse. It can be hard to stick to your guns, but it's vital in order to keep your client relationships healthy.

Do you have a thorny and perplexing bookkeeping problem that you're not sure how to handle? Join us at the Bookkeeper's Club where we, as a group of professional freelance bookkeepers, freely discuss real solutions to real problems we all face.

Linda Hunt is the small business money mentor who understands the spiritual power and soul behind money and its effects on the business and the person running the business. Having run and sold a successful six-figure freelance accounting and bookkeeping practice for 11 years, Linda now works with other freelance bookkeepers who struggle with their cash flow, how to market their freelance practice, price their services based on value and teaches them how to build and sustain a profitable freelance practice. Are you ready to learn marketing strategies that work? Join Linda on a FREE webinar for bookkeepers - "Lead Generating Strategies that KEEP Your Pipeline Full" by visiting: http://www.sumsolutions.com/free-webinar-lead-generating-strategies/