What Client Discussions Can Do To Make Tax Season Into Opportunity Season

Many accounting firms and CPAs focus on their client base during tax season to generate new business. Email and referral campaigns are excellent ways to maintain your current clients’ confidence while bringing in new ones through unbiased marketing strategies. While most conversations with clients revolve around compliance issues, these meetings also offer the opportunity to uncover ancillary services they may want to explore. Learn more about leveraging client conversations during tax season.

Ask Questions

Questions can be a powerful tool for enhancing the value of a conversation, whether professional or personal. Asking good questions is not just about being curious. Still, it also requires clarity of thought and emotional intelligence to respond effectively to the information provided by the person you are communicating with. Myrqb.com/ has implemented a proactive approach to communicating with their clients before tax season, which has helped to set a positive and productive tone for the interview process. It has turned a client’s busy season into an opportunity for growth. Open-ended inquiries often reveal unexpected changes, and frequent communication with your accountant can help them understand you better. Ultimately, this benefits both you and your accountant. It also applies to 3rd party finance managers that you’ll interact with from time to time. Bookkeepers and fellow accountants can all shine a light on your client for you, especially if they’ve worked with them longer. Promoting additional services during tax season is an excellent opportunity to change the discussion from a rearview-only tax interview into a forward-facing financial planning session. 

Ask for Feedback

As you debrief with your team, listen to what everyone says. Are there areas for process improvement? Does your firm have scalable processes that can be adjusted for heavier workloads?

It is also a great opportunity for firms to review their tech stack and partners. For example, modern digital invoice delivery solutions can automate billing and seamlessly integrate with practice management products to streamline payment. And, if your clients are banking on their refunds to pay off debt or meet other 2023 financial goals, two-way texting allows you to deliver a highly personalized client experience and collect payments in a way that best meets their needs. It can lead to greater satisfaction, return business and referrals.

Ask for Referrals

Whether firm clients arrive by referral, through the firm’s direct mail campaign, or have responded to a press release, tax season presents a unique business development opportunity. While delivering high-quality service to existing and prospective clients remains the firm’s primary goal, it’s important to consider this annual marketing opportunity to win new business.

Make it easy for clients to share your services with their network by incorporating a referral program into your client engagement platform with an uncluttered, user-friendly page layout. It makes the process quick and simple for them and ensures your program is accessible 24 hours daily. Additionally, offer loyalty discounts for returning clients to give them additional incentives to return next year. It will show them your appreciation for their loyalty and can also help persuade hesitant prospects to provide you with a try.

Ask for New Business

While focusing on meeting client demands during tax season is critical, firms must pay attention to ancillary business development opportunities. In particular, any firm’s marketing strategy should be part of identifying and selling the value of advisory or other types of services that can help clients meet their financial goals during the year.

Additionally, it is important to know how clients want to interact with your firm – whether online, through a portal, by email or over the phone. Knowing these communication preferences can be the key to winning new business from clients and retaining them year after year. The right communication processes, Practice Ignition automation, and tools like two-way texting can keep your client relationships healthy throughout the year. It makes it more likely that they’ll contact you when they need your help next year.

Listen

When clients file, they expect a quick turnaround. And if refunds aren’t received on time, irritation levels might rise, especially if people need them to accomplish other financial objectives in 2023, like debt repayment or opening a new branch. Listening “between the lines” helps you understand client issues and identify ways your firm can help. And it prevents clients from countering your solutions with additional concerns. Stay open on tax season; move on to recurring services until you debrief your team. It allows staff to be candid about the good, the bad and the ugly – and provides fresh ideas for making tax season better next year. You’ll also understand which non-ideal clients are ripe for transition to productized services. That way, you can focus on your ideal work.