difficult phone calls are opportunities

what to say about fees.

by jassen bowman

if you are actively engaged in marketing your practice, it is inevitable that you will receive telephone calls with the dreaded, “how much do you charge for a tax return?”

more: 11 steps for handling client complaints | what you tell yourself matters | hiring, firing and the checklists you need | focus on your ideal clients | the secrets of multi-hit marketing | how tax resolution works
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what not to say …

  1. “we don’t provide fee quotes over the phone.”
  2. “tell me a little about your tax situation and …”

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the happier, saner, richer tax firm

scrambled thoughts enter man's head, straightened ones come outit’s not easy, but it is possible.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

i’m back. since writing the “relentless cpa – the new 21st century system for driving success at tax and accounting firms,” i have spoken to dozens of cpas and accountants, been called a dozen names (some of them deserved), and received a few death threats.

more: ‘quick questions’ and other client sins | how to train clients | how to reduce tax return errors | why your firm needs to attract more millenials | the fool in the room | the 3 biggest tech failures of accounting firms | 7 steps to effective project management
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

actually, the death threats came from my wife, who said she’d kill me if i said “yes” to any new projects. she watches lots of crime shows, so the fbi regarded her threats as serious. i am writing this to buy a bulletproof vest for when she gets out of jail. thank you for your contribution to saving my life.
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deadlines? ha! don’t make me laugh

blindfolded at computerwhen they’re missed, figure out why.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

distractions, distractions and more distractions, coupled with deadlines. ah, deadlines! those are the bête noire of executives, journalists, record producers, book authors and anyone else in the workforce whose deliverables are expected by a certain date.

more: 5 steps to better time management | a rapidly changing business environment requires flexibility | another meeting?!?! … sigh | organizational trust: top-down and bottom-up | building teamwork under covid pressure | listening: how a conversation works | political correctness or just common courtesy? | effective communications in the age of covid | syncing up for the covid era
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

and what about those dates? are they arbitrary or do they have the real urgency of, say, a court order?
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five time management tips to survive busy season

ask why you’re putting things off.

by ty hendrickson

tax season is already here and in full swing in our house. i know what you are thinking, “she doesn’t have tax season anymore!” but that is not true. some of you know that not only am i a cpa, but i’m also married to a cpa so i couldn’t manage to get away from tax season even with a career change. that means that this time of year is always a little stressful as everyone adjusts to new schedules and routines, but with a little planning and the correct mindset it does not have to be bad.

more: sales shouldn’t be scary | sell your services on value, not price | 3 steps to getting the most out of every meeting | why choose you? | the one big reason your hiring sucks | are you botching your first impression?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

each year we look for new ways to better manage our time and become efficient so that we can make these three and a half months as stress-free and easy as possible on everyone involved. today, i’m rounding up our top five time management tips to help make these crazy few months operate just slightly more smoothly for you as well.
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‘quick questions’ and other client sins

young businessman with forehead resting on handshow to quietly convince them to pay for tax planning.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

a well-known practice management expert, whom i greatly respect, advises cpas to never tell clients that you don’t have time for them. i disagree with the never part. you know how it starts. on march 25th, the call comes in.

“i know you’re busy but …”

more: how to train clients | avoiding projects hung up in process | teaching the meaning of ‘done’ | why millennials are the answer | calculating and cutting turnaround time | debunking the demise of the cpa firm
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

a request follows that could most certainly wait until after tax season. you are hip deep reviewing all the personal tax returns that got stuck in process while you climbed out of the march 15th corporate tax ditch.
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how to train clients

skip this, and both service and satisfaction decline.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

you’ll hate me after this post. i’m about to reveal that many of the behaviors that you rationalize as good client service are really just desperate measures to avoid losing bad clients. we’ll talk about getting out of that mess later.

more: avoiding projects hung up in process | when clients create errors | how we killed the tax season client meeting | why small firms can win the talent wars | there are no easy answers | how to thrive as a 21st-century firm | farm-aid for accountants? | whittle down wip
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

clients are trainable – at least as trainable as jack russell terriers. that is to say, they’re somewhat trainable. however, like jack russell terriers, you train clients or they’ll train you. somebody’s getting trained. here’s an example of how that works.
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11 steps for handling client complaints

they might come to you unhappy, but they don’t have to leave that way.

by jassen bowman

unhappy clients are a part of doing business. while we strive to deliver the absolute best customer service, provide excellent value in our services and run a first-class operation, it’s simply impossible to please everybody.

more: what you tell yourself matters | use checklists to get new tax clients what your tax resolution staff must do | are you quitting on leads too soon? | grow faster, be more efficient
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the key to properly and professionally addressing client complaints is to not be overtly defensive. adopting a defensive attitude usually just inflames the situation.
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peer-to-peer: your best advice for 2021

clockwise-from-top-left-raizen-wehr-paulson-swigert-anderson-stitely.png
pivoting to 2021 (clockwise from top left): raizen, wehr, paulson, swigert, anderson, stitely

‘clients still need us.’

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

keep calm and carry on.

that may be the best overall advice for the situation we’re in.

more in surveys & research: survey: a glint of optimism for 2021| accountants say: brace for a dismal 2021 | ppp client fraud: how much risk is too much? | ppp traps: 1 in 5 accountants report shady dealings | cloudy forecasts call for rainmaking

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

and by “we,” we mean “everybody in the world.” because everybody’s got it tough. whether covid has touched close to home or not, its presence is impacting everyone.

but… how should accountants carry on? we asked. and you – the readers of 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 – delivered. adapt, pivot, focus on the client, watch your expenses – just a few of the themes gleaned from the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 business barometer.

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what you tell yourself matters

why goals and affirmations are important.

by jassen bowman

every day, you should go through your goals checklist.

more: use checklists to get new tax clients | office safety and more: checklists for your tax resolution setup | how to build a tax resolution business | why lists are not leads | your sales funnel needs systems | need a new service line? consider tax resolution
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

whether you do this just at the beginning of the day, or also at the close of the business or actual day, be sure to include

  • empowering daily questions,
  • affirmations and
  • goals.

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use checklists to get new tax clients

don’t let marketing be an afterthought.

by jassen bowman

in an ideal world, every business day would feel like the movie “groundhog day.”

more: office safety and more: checklists for your tax resolution setup | hiring, firing and the checklists you need | focus on your ideal clients | the secrets of multi-hit marketing | how tax resolution works
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the same things would happen at the same times, day in and day out. your business would run like a well-oiled machine that simply puts out marketing, takes in clients and cashes checks.
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office safety and more: checklists for your tax resolution setup

woman turning door sign to "open"everything from client interactions to office safety.

by jassen bowman

the setup of your office environment is important for three primary reasons:

  1. ensuring workplace safety
  2. creating a positive client experience
  3. enabling maximum operational efficiency

more: hiring, firing and the checklists you need | what your tax resolution staff must do | are you quitting on leads too soon? | grow faster, be more efficient | 4 tax resolution industry flaws
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the following checklists will assist you in making sure that your office is set up to achieve each of these three objectives.
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