TaxCoach Briefs:    August 21, 2008

Volume 3, Number 33

TaxCoach Briefs archives.

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MARKETING MINUTE (EAL)
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GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Keith and I apologize to those of you who missed last week's Briefs. That's because we didn't send them! We both took time off for vacation, and we hope you're enjoying these last days of summer yourself.

My wife Mary and I took some time away from our four kids in New York City. When I travel for business, I don't spend a lot on hotels. But when Mary and I travel together, we look for nice hotels. (Her philosophy is simple: if the room doesn't have a minibar, it's camping. And she doesn't camp.)

We spent time looking at hotel reviews on www.tripadvisor.com. I was surprised to find some unexpected hotels with top ratings. Marriott's residence Inn on Times Square ranked ninth of 349 hotels. Marriott's Courtyard on Third Avenue in Midtown ranked twelfth, and the Hampton Inn on Times Square ranked sixteenth.

At the same time, several of the city's five-star hotels ranked far below where we expected. The Ritz Carlton on Central Park South ranked just 18th. The Four Seasons on 57th Street ranked 61st. And the legendary Waldorf Towers, where we stayed in a gorgeous room directly upstairs from Frank Sinatra's old apartment (for rent now for just $140,000/month) ranked 88th.

I've stayed at more than my share of Hampton Inns. They're predictably clean and comfortable, rarely disappointing in any way. But is the Hampton Inn on Times Square really that much nicer than the Waldorf Towers?

It didn't take long to discover why so many reviewers gave the top properties low marks. They had such high expectations to start with, that almost no hotel could satisfy them. If you step foot inside with great expectations, it's easy to be disappointed. At the same time, if you walk in expecting less, it's easy to be impressed.

That lesson applies to us looking to grow our businesses too. We need to understand exactly what our clients expect of us to avoid disappointing them. We need to know how quickly they expect us to complete their work, to return phone calls, and to make ourselves available for appointments. We need to deliver what they expect, or we can expect to see them go.

But meeting expectations just keeps us in the game. We should also look for things they don't expect -- and deliver those too. Exceeding expectations is what makes us heroes.

Tax planning lets you wow clients with something they don't expect -- specifically, immediate and measurable savings. Let's face it -- clients generally don't expect proactive tax planning. They're surprised and delighted when they find it!

The "expectations" game is like any other game. You can make sure you meet your clients' expectations. That's playing not to lose. Or you can make sure to exceed them. That's playing to win!

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MEMBER EVENT (EAL)
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"POWER USER" ROUNDTABLES

Keith and I are pleased to announce that we'll be hosting a series of six "PowerUser" Roundtables across the country this October.

PowerUser Roundtables are full-day meetings in a small-group setting -- dedicated to exploring TaxCoach's unique combination of tax-planning and business development tools. No outside speakers. No outside sales pitches. Just Keith and I, walking you step-by-step through using TaxCoach from start to finish.

Not sure what TaxCoach is capable of, or exactly how to put it into practice in your business? Take a look at some of the topics we'll be digging into:

We want you to be involved in the discussion -- immersed in how you'll differentiate your business from your competition. Not just listening to a sermon.

We've chosen locations to make day trips practical for as many of you as possible:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, space is limited, right? In this case, it sure is! That's because it's a roundtable -- it's limited to the people who fit around the table. This isn't a day of lectures, it's a close-in, interactive working session.

So, if you're serious about putting TaxCoach to work, then click here for complete details!

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MEMBER EVENT (EAL)
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TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME

Thursday, September 4, Keith and I will be leaving the office early for our last "Take Me Out to the Ball game" event of the season. We'll watch our beleagured Reds take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park here in Cincinnati. It's a Business Day Special, with the first pitch at 12:35 PM. And you're invited to join us!

As I write these words, the Reds are 56 and 72 on the season, 22.5 games out of first place, with sole possession of the NL Central cellar. But we are just one and a half games behind the Pirates -- and win or lose, we can at least look forward to an evenly-matched game and a beautiful late-summer day.

Once again we're expecting an out-of-town member to join us -- this time, from Detroit. So why don't you join us too! Call Catherine at 513/321-2820 or support@taxcoachsoftware.com by Friday, August 29, to guarantee a seat. We'll look forward to seeing you at the ball game!

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MEMBER Q & A (EAL)
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Q: I'm getting a great response on the seminars. I had one association say that they are interested and and wanted to know what my fee is? My question to you is do I respond with a fee, or do I structure it that I am doing it for free to get my name out there in the business world?

A: Glad the seminar kits are working for you! I've generally found the real value in speaking to be the chance to establish your credibility -- and pitch your service -- with the implied endorsement of the organization sponsoring you. For that reason, I generally don't ask for a fee to deliver a presentation. (There's nothing wrong with accepting a fee, of course -- but some sponsors might resent if you accept a fee to speak then "pitch" yourself on their dime.)

The real key to making seminars work is structuring a close that motivates the audience to set up an appointment with you. We've worked with several TaxCoach members to do just that. We have one member in Colorado who gave his first realtor seminar to 15 attendees last November and set appointments with 13 of them, right on the spot. We have another member outside Detroit who spoke to his local real estate investors association and generated 65 tax return clients.

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We're happy to answer your questions on TaxCoach content, features, or marketing. While we give first priority to our All-Star and Hall of Fame members, we work to answer all questions. For best response, email support@taxcoachsoftware.com. If we can't answer immediately, or we think the answer will be useful to all of our members, we'll publish it (anonymously) here in the 'Member Q & A' section of TaxCoach Briefs.

Regards,

Ed Lyon
Keith VandeStadt
www.taxcoachsoftware.com
(513) 321-2820

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