TaxCoach Briefs:    November 5, 2008 — Early Edition

Volume 3, Number 44

TaxCoach Briefs archives.

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MARKETING MINUTE (EAL)
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POST-ELECTION MARKETING TOOLS

Campaign 2008 is finally over. Democrats are stunned that they haven't blown it again, and Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States. He'll take office in January with strong Democratic majorities in both the House and Senate and the most sweeping tax proposals since the 1986 tax reform.

Keith and I have published these Briefs on Thursdays -- and only Thursdays -- since we first launched them back on June 1, 2006. But this week's issue demands early publication. That's because we want to give you immediate access to our new election tools.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Your best prospects and clients are terrified that Obama is going to hike their taxes.

Obama himself promise to cut taxes for families making less than $250,000 per year. But who knows how long that promise will last? (Remember reading George Bush's lips when he said "No new taxes!")

Now it's time for Obama's campaign promises to meet economic reality. And one of those realities is that there just aren't as many Wall Street millionaires to tax as there were when Obama rolled out his plan!

What are your competitors doing right now to establish and reinforce their value in the face of impending tax increases? Probably nothing.

Today, less than 12 hours after McCain called Obama to concede, we're rolling out our first resources to help you use the election to grow your business. We'll refine these tools and add new ones as circumstances warrant. But please don't overlook this opportunity for you to take the lead and establish yourself as your area's go-to professional for nervous taxpayers. This is a truly historic opportunity that your TaxCoach peers are already using to make tax planning the core of their markeing -- and have it pay off big.

Consider these comments from Hall of Fame member Buzz Rose in Pittsburgh:

I wanted to share a quick TaxCoach success story.

I thought the headline you presented about the Obama tax hikes was great at the Roundtable last Friday. It stuck with me.

On Wednesday morning, I had the idea to combine it with Halloween.

Bottom line is that by continuing to be involved in the teleseminars, attending the Roundtable, and using the news with some TaxCoach marketing insight, I will net up to $3,000 with this group alone.

We can't promise results like that from a single email. But we can promise that your prospects and clients will be talking taxes under the new administration. And we can promise that you'll do better accomplishing whatever marketing goals you've set for yourself by bringing the news to your market rather than waiting for them to bring it to you!

Oh, and for those of you reading who aren't yet TaxCoach members -- what else can you possibly be waiting for? None of our colleagues in the tax marketing field have anything like these this available for you now. (Let alone the plain-English planning tool that helps you actually make a difference for your clients!)

The rest of this week's Briefs outlines the tools we're adding to help you take advantage of this historic moment and historic opportunity. For more information, be sure to check out these resources from the Obama campaign web site:

Full Obama Tax Plan
Key Facts About Obama and Taxes

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CLIENT ALERT (EAL)
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ELECTION RESULTS

Our first new resource is a Client Alert. Your clients obviously know who won the race. But you'll still score points by contacting them now while the news is so fresh (or the shock so great!), and reassuring them that you'll be there to help protect them from any tax increases.

When you click on the 'Client Alerts' button in TaxCoach, you'll see a list of alerts, with this latest on top. The file 'election08.doc' contains letters addressed to each of your clients that you've entered into the system.

You can download the file to your computer, and print on your letterhead using MS Word, or any word processor which supports Rich Text Format ('RTF'). You'll find instructions on the Client Alerts page.

(This is clearly an alert you'll want to send to all your clients. If you don't already have them entered into the system, now would be a great time to do so. Our new Client Data Bulk Loader makes the process easy. For more information, see the September 18, 2008 Briefs).

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UPDATED CONTENT (EAL)
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CAMPAIGN TAX PROPOSAL SUMMARY

We've updated the "Campaign 2008 Tax Proposal Comparison" we first introduced on June 12 (and re-released on October 23) to focus solely on Obama's proposals. You can use it to accompany this week's Client Alert or include it in any other client mailing. You'll find it in the TaxCoach Playbook, under "Sample Letters in Microsoft Word."

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NEW TOOL (EAL)
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OBAMA TAX SEMINAR KIT

We've created a new Seminar Kit you can use to outline the Obama tax proposals to prospects and clients. This resource, more than any other, lets you be the first kid on your block to exploit the election results for yourself and your clients.

The presentation is designed to run approximately 30 minutes. It's nonpartisan and nonjudgmental, with most of the specific information drawn directly from the Obama campaign website. Of course, you should feel free to tailor your delivery to your audience as you see fit.

The presentation starts with a review of tax rates over the years, then addresses specific proposals in these areas:

Some of your clients who fear higher taxes will actually come out ahead under Obama's published proposals. But much has changed since he first introduced the plan and more can change before he actually introduces legislation. So the seminar concludes with a "reality check" asking whether Obama can actually cut taxes and cut the budget deficit in the face of the current economic crisis.

As with all our seminar Kits, the goal is to motivate attendees to meet with you personally. There's plenty of opportunity for you to insert your own insights into taxes and the economy. And it finishes with a "call to action" urging attendees to schedule appointments before getting hit with an ugly April 15 surprise! We urge you to book appointments right on the spot. Don't wait for them to call you when you can lock them in now!

The seminar kit itself includes a customizeable PowerPoint presentation, customizeable script, and customizeable invitation postcard and flyer. To our knowledge, it's the only Obama tax plan seminar kit available today. Don't miss this chance to build your brand!

You'll find the new presentation in the TaxCoach Playbook, in the "Seminar Kits" section.

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UPDATED CONTENT (EAL)
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OUTLOOK LETTER

Finally, we're revising the Outlook Letter to incorporate the Obama tax proposals. The Outlook Letter is a great tool for keeping your name (and your value) in front of clients, as well as generating year-end planning engagements. The update will be available later today.

You'll find the updated letter on the Reports screen, once you've added or selected a client in the TaxCoach system. The Outlook Letter is the third orange button on the right. The contents of each letter depend on the module selections made for that particular client, just like with the Tax Plan Report and Plan Summary. This lets you highlight the proposals that affect your clients, without the "chaff" that doesn't.

The Outlook Letter is generated as a .DOC file, so you can either print it from TaxCoach or save it to your computer and edit it in your word processor. As it stands, though, it's ready to print directly on your letterhead and mail, giving your clients another key reminder of the proactive service they get from a trusted advisor like you.

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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 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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