december2021 - 11

FEATURE
How to be Proactive vs. Reactionary as a Tax Pro
By Jasen Stine and Robbie Randall
ONE OF THE biggest complaints from clients is that their tax
pros react to their problems only when the house is on fire.
And on the other hand, tax pros can get frustrated when clients
only come to them at tax season. There is a disconnect, but
it doesn't have to be that way. What most clients don't know,
is that tax pros can and often do offer proactive measures in
the form of advisory services. Here are the first steps to take
when educating clients on the many services your firm offers.
INTRODUCE ADVISORY
SERVICES
Start by aligning your services to
your clients goals and needs by
having a conversation with your
clients about their future and the
offerings your firm has to ensure a
proactive-based mindset. As you lay
out different plans, educate them on
advisory services and the benefits of
creating a specific plan designed for
them and their finances. This initial
meeting will help clients understand
the partnership built through
advisory services and the act of
proactively planning for success, and
having plans in place for unforeseeable
events. Life can change quickly
and having a year- round advisor can
help adapt through those changes.
SET A MEETING CADENCE
Once clients are on board with adding
advisory services to their contract, set
up a meeting cadence to showcase
your dedication to their success and
to get a better understanding of what
it is they want. By meeting with them
regularly, tax pros are able to create
curated content for each client and
ensure a better future. This cadence
will also allow you to have a pulse on
each client's mindset at all times and
be able to proactively predict changes
to their goals.
CREATE A LONGTERM
PLAN
After conducting a few meetings
with each client, start introducing
longer-term planning. Once you
have a better understanding of
where they want to end, you can
start creating a guide on where to
begin and how to achieve certain
goals. By doing so, tax pros are able
to create gameplans to not only help
clients succeed, but also to help
combat unforeseen problems that
arise, like a pandemic, and have
a proactive plan in place to help
decrease negative impacts.
STAY ON TOP OF TRENDS
AND INVESTMENTS
Clients look to their tax pros for
expert advice. To showcase your
proactive mindset, start sharing
your expertise about broader topics
and investments in their business
you believe are the best for your
clients in the long run. This can
be a simple article you share over
email with commentary, or a bigger
discussion in one of your regularly
scheduled meetings. Showing your
clients they are always top of mind
goes a long way in ensuring their
trust in you as their tax pro.
All in all, clients rely on tax
pros to be proactive with their
recommendations. By introducing
advisory services, your clients will
have confidence that you have their
best interest in mind and have a
plan in place to help them not only
succeed, but navigate unforeseen
troubles. ■
Jasen Stine is tax and accounting education
leader at Intuit. Robbie Randall is a
member of the Intuit ProConnect product
specialist team.
DECEMBER 2021 ■ www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
11
http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
december2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of december2021
