As a tax professional, expanding your client base is a constant goal. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to take your practice to the next level, attracting and retaining clients requires more than just providing a great service—it’s about consistently demonstrating value and building trust. In this blog, we’ll explore tips on how to get tax clients for a tax practice, ensuring you attract and retain a steady stream of clients in need of your expertise.
From expanding service offerings to marketing and sales activities, the tips below are proven ways to grow your tax practice, generate more revenue, and stand out in a crowded marketplace. Implementing these strategies can significantly increase your client base and create a more robust practice, giving you a sense of optimism and potential growth.
How to Get Tax Clients: No-Fail Tips for Tax Pros
Offer Free Consultations
Providing free initial consultations (or a low fee to weed out the looky loos) is an effective way to attract new clients. Use the consultation to explain the value of your services. Begin by assessing the potential client’s needs and demonstrate your expertise and willingness to help. This gives clients a risk-free or low-cost way to learn about your services and can lead to higher conversion rates.
Offer Annual IRS Transcript Monitoring Plans
Let new and existing clients know that you do so much more than tax prep. Expand your offerings and generate passive year-round income when you offer IRS transcript monitoring with our exclusive IRS Advance Notice™ (IAN). IAN silently observes activity in the IRS system 24/7. It automatically alerts you to transcript changes, including impending audits, often up to six months before official IRS notices, protecting your clients and keeping them financially healthy.
Share the news about this service in a dedicated brochure included in your annual packets each December.
Improve Your Website
Your website is often the first point of contact potential clients have with your business, so it must make a strong impression. Create a professional, easy-to-navigate website that provides clear information about your services and update it regularly. Include case studies and testimonials from satisfied clients to build credibility. High-quality content that addresses common tax issues will help demonstrate your expertise and improve your search engine rankings.
Publish Educational Content
Create and share educational content to establish yourself as an authority in the tax resolution field. Write blogs, produce videos, and create downloadable resources that address common tax issues and offer solutions. This content will drive traffic to your website and provide valuable information to potential clients. Regularly refresh your content to keep your website fresh, improving SEO and attracting more visitors.
Utilize Paid Advertising
Invest in online advertising to reach a broader audience and attract more clients. Google Ads and social media ads can be targeted to individuals and businesses needing tax resolution services. Use compelling ad copy and visuals to capture attention and direct potential clients to a landing page where they can learn more about your services and schedule a consultation.
Establish a Social Media Presence
Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter offer powerful tools for reaching potential clients. Create and maintain active profiles on these platforms, sharing valuable content such as success stories, tax tips, and updates on tax laws. Engage with your audience by promptly responding to comments and messages, and join relevant groups and discussions to increase your visibility.
Create Directory Listings
Remember when people were told to “let their fingers do the walking” by searching for services in the Yellow Pages? They’re still using their fingers to find new service providers, but now they do it with their keyboards. List your practice on local online directories, such as one provided by your Chamber of Commerce, as well as on major online directories like Google Business and Yelp.
Implement Email Marketing Campaigns
Email marketing is a powerful tool for staying in touch with current clients and reaching out to potential clients. Develop targeted email campaigns that provide valuable tax resolution tips, updates on tax laws, and information about your services. Personalize your emails to make them more engaging, and use strong calls to action to encourage recipients to contact you for help with their tax issues.
Create a recurring e-newsletter that provides valuable information. According to a TaxRep LLC survey, 83 percent of B2B companies use e-newsletters as part of their content marketing program versus 8 percent of accounting firms. There is a tremendous opportunity to stay top of mind with email marketing.
Leverage Client Testimonials and Reviews
Client testimonials and reviews are powerful tools for building trust and credibility. Collect testimonials from satisfied clients who have benefited from your tax prep and tax resolution services and display them prominently on your website and social media profiles. Encourage happy clients to leave reviews on platforms like Google My Business and Yelp. Positive feedback from real clients reassures potential clients that you have the expertise to help them resolve their tax issues.
Ask for Referrals
When you provide excellent service, satisfied customers are happy to recommend you. Leverage this outstanding (and no-cost!) advertising stream. Ask directly for referrals when communicating with your client base before and after-tax prep. Tell them about all your services, including tax resolution and annual monitoring with IAN. Offer an incentive for their referrals, such as a gift card or credit toward their next service.
Increase Community Involvement
Getting involved in your local community is a great way to build your reputation and connect with potential clients. Participate in local events, sponsor community programs, or offer free tax resolution workshops. These activities raise your profile and demonstrate your commitment to helping people in your area, which builds awareness of your practice and may lead directly to word-of-mouth referrals.
Network with Other Professionals
Building relationships with related professionals, such as financial advisors and attorneys, can lead to valuable referrals. Attend industry events, join professional associations, and participate in networking groups to connect with other professionals. Offer to collaborate on client cases or provide mutual referrals to create a win-win situation that expands your reach and brings in new clients.
Specialize in Tax Resolution
Specializing in tax resolution is a great way to enhance your practice, and IRS Solutions Software makes it easy to manage a tax resolution case. The complexities and stress associated with tax issues keep tax resolution services in high demand.
Engagements often require less time than traditional tax preparation and are usually more lucrative. The specialized knowledge and skills needed to resolve complex tax issues allow you to command higher fees and tax resolution clients are often willing to pay a premium for expert help in dealing with the IRS.
Resolving tax issues is deeply satisfying as you help clients navigate stressful situations and achieve financial relief. It’s also typically less seasonal than traditional tax preparation. While the tax season rush can overwhelm many CPAs and other paid preparers, tax resolution cases arise throughout the year.
This provides a more stable income stream. After successful resolution, you can build even more steady year-round income as you move clients onto a renewable financial health plan that includes annual IRS transcript monitoring.
Expand Your Tax Practice and Service Offerings with IRS Solutions®
Attracting more tax clients requires a strategic approach that combines online and offline efforts. Use these tips to grow your client base and expand your practice beyond traditional tax prep. Learn more about how IRS Solutions helps tax professionals provide superior service while earning more in less time than ever. Schedule a demo today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Suzanne Stone
Managing Partner at IRS Solutions | Tax Resolution Specialist| Enthusiastic Community Leader
Suzanne Stone, Managing Partner at IRS Solutions Software, combines 16 years of expertise in tax resolution with a passion for community service. She has been pivotal in developing software solutions that significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of tax professionals. Beyond her corporate achievements, Suzanne is passionately involved in philanthropy, working with organizations like Soroptimist International and Project Delta. Her efforts in these groups are focused on creating meaningful changes in the lives of women and veterans. Suzanne is committed not just to business success but to fostering a supportive professional community.
