My boss's business partner went out on his own and I have to write a letter to the clients.?

Question

Here's the situation: This is my first day in a small accounting firm. My boss "Monty" had a business partner "Bub" who went into business for himself, and there are clients that could be concidered either Monty's or Bub's. Monty wants me to write a short letter to the clients saying that Bub has left, and Monty would still appreciate their business, however, he still understands if they want to go with Bub. Do you have any ideas on how to go about this letter?

Answer 1

You really can't do that without sounding awfully funny. It is understood that clients have the right to take business where ever they want to. But you can say at minimum:

Dear valued clients:

would like to inform you that Bub has left our firm to start his own business. Please be assured; whoever, I, Monty, is committed to the business, willing and ready to do whatever it takes to serve your present and future needs.

If you really want to, you can add:

Soon, you may be recieving information from Bub to introduce you to his new business. As a respectable business man, I encourage you to give his offer a fair chance. Please know that Bub and I are still friends. Please be assured, there will be no hard feelings should your decision takes you to Bub. We will be ready and willing to work for you should your needs change in the future.

Answer 2

Weird. That should be Bubs deal. Monty should sit back and let the clients come. Is there a name change now? Maybe there should be, and he could send out an announcement with the name change. Accounting is like Sales. When you leave, you go, and the people will follow if they want to.

Answer 3

Utmost professionalism.
Assume they all want to stay with Monty.
Some such as this:

Dear Mr/Mrs Jones,

The purpose of this letter is to announce the reorganization of the XYZ Accounting Service upon the amicable departure of Mr Bub, whose leadership and expertise will be missed.

To ensure no interruption of service, I have assumed complete servicing of all your accounting needs and pledge to you the same quality service and attention to detail that you are accustomed to.

Please don't hesitate to call me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Monty