Business Growth

[Roberts]

What are you doing this time of the year to grow your tax business?

I'm working on a flier, a letter of introduction for some professionals and business owners in my area and have made a list of advertising contact for the limited print advertising I do.

What else should I be doing? I've got evenings free this time of the year and can get started on some of this stuff.

[JoshinNC]

Chamber events, free seminars

and word of mouth.

Our local Chamber has a networking breakfast every month that works like speed dating. We're in groups of 4 business owners and you get 90 seconds to give your intro. Then, after each person speaks, you rotate to another group. I pick up 1 or 2 clients every time.

I also do estate tax, income tax and general investing seminars for non profits, senior centers, etc.

I also just started sending out a weekly market update via email to all of my clients just to stay on their minds throughout the summer. So far the response has bee good.

And, I try to call 10 -15 clients per month for no reason whatsoever other than to just say hi and ask if there are any questions or concerns they want to discuss.

[Lion]

Call

Josh had good ideas. Definitely call your good clients to chat. Ask them for referrals. And, call your providers -- lawyer, broker, insurance agent, etc. -- to discuss business and ask for referrals. Give free talks on year-end planning or whatever is of interest in your area to groups you want to attract, retirement communities, clubs you belong to, Mensa dinners, anyplace people gather that want free speakers. Give time for questions from the floor. Tell everyone you know what you do. Hand out lots of business cards and informational brochures.

[JohnH]

If you do tax presentations at Mensa dinners, be prepared for half of them to tell you they know more about taxes than you do, half of them to tell you they don't pay taxes because the tax system is unconstitutional, and half of them to tell you they don't trust anyone else so they do their own tax returns. All this because they are smarter than everyone else and they are all great at math.

[oceanlovin'ea]

I just sent out emails to most of my clients with a few changes (mileage rates) and some things for them to be thinking about and preparing for. I will have to mail to some of my clients as I don't have email addresses for all of them.

I need to make some phone calls too. That is a good thing to do.

I am also learning sign language. I am hopeful that by the first of the year, I will be doing well enough to offer tax preparation to the sign language community. Mostly they don't have the service available to them without a speaking person going with them or doing their own. I have some friends who work with hearing impaired people and will recommend me. Once you get a few, you will get a lot.
I will be expanding my business but also helping a group of people that have probably been neglected.

Linda F

[sea-tax]

Generally speaking I try to do two seminars a year for existing clients and ask them to bring a friend they think would enjoy it. Usual topics are retirement plans for small businesses, itemized deductions facts and fiction, women and investing and many others I have given over the years.
Also I have joined the local chamber to meet and great the local businesses, it is more pleasure than business but people know I am there.
I also call my clients just to say hi and send out birthday cards and thank you notes when applicable.

[oceanlovin'ea]

emails

I think the emails to clients might just be a really good idea. I sent out the emails yesterday afternoon. I have had replies from several of them. Some were just thanking me for the information. Another had a question about some money she is getting. Another owed me some money and the email prompted her to pay.

I think it makes them think about us when it is not tax time and if they have questions, they will respond and ask.

Don't want to be a pain and send them too many. But a couple of times a year might be good.

Linda F

[JohnH]

I think establishing and reinforcing the email connection to clients is one of the most efficient things you can do to streamline your practice. Email is much more efficient than telephone calls, and it helps with what I consider the most important part of practice management - maintaining communication while keeping my clients out of my office and off my telephone.

[Roberts]

I am also learning sign language. I am hopeful that by the first of the year, I will be doing well enough to offer tax preparation to the sign language community. Mostly they don't have the service available to them without a speaking person going with them or doing their own. I have some friends who work with hearing impaired people and will recommend me. Once you get a few, you will get a lot.
I will be expanding my business but also helping a group of people that have probably been neglected.

Linda F

Holy Cow. That's impressive. How long and how much work is it to learn sign language? Are you doing this for a family member also or is it just for work? I gotta say, that's seriously impressive. Plus a serious business niche. Congrats.

[Burke]

I am also learning sign language. I am hopeful that by the first of the year, I will be doing well enough to offer tax preparation to the sign language community. .

Linda F

Wow. Wouldn't it be easier to learn Spanish?

[oceanlovin'ea]

There are plenty of Spanish speaking EA's and tax professionals. I don't think I am needed in that area.
Sign language isn't really that hard. At least, at this point I don't think it is.

Linda F