TaxCoach Briefs:    September 17, 2009

Volume 4, Number 39

TaxCoach Briefs archives.

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MARKETING MINUTE (EAL)
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"BACK TO SCHOOL" PROSPECTING

I'm writing these words from Room 63 of the Kensington Park Hotel, just steps from San Francisco's famed Union Square with cable cars clanging up Powell St. just half a block away. Keith and I are here for the September Roundtable. Due to a registration snafu on my part, this will be our biggest Roundtable ever, with 22 participants in each session.

September is a big month. Summer's heat fades away. The mighty Cincinnati Bengals (0-1 for 2009) kick off another stellar season. And the kids go back to school. My daughter Mary Claire and Keith's son Kees are attending the same school this year, and we both expect big things from our scholars.

But it's not just back-to-school season for the kids. It's back-to-school season for all of us who want to build our businesses, and there's always something new we can learn and put to work. If you're looking for basic training, learn as much as you can about potential tax hikes for 2010. If you're looking for more advanced training, consider becoming a Certified Tax Coach. As Rodney Dangerfield said in the comedy classic Back to School, "without an education, a man is nothing." (Of course he also said, "Call me when you have no class.")

Beyond just the learning, though, how can you use the season to build your business? Why not send out a "Back to School" prospecting letter? We always say that tying your marketing to the news will get more attention. Your letter might read something like this:

Prospect Name
Prospect Address
Prospect City, State, ZIP

"Back to School" Tax Planning
Beats an Apple for the Teacher!

September is almost over, and school is back in session. If you have kids, you've probably already met the teachers. You may have even watched a football game or two.

It's probably been a long time since you've sat in a classroom yourself. But school is never out if you're looking to make the most of your money in today's challenging economy.

What classes would you take to keep more of your income in your pocket? Try these:

If you want to keep the most of what you make, you can't wait 'til finals for answers. You need to study now. Putting tax-wise ideas and strategies in place today could help avoid an ugly surprise when "Report Cards" come due April 15!

Call me today at (xxx) xxx-xxxx for your free Tax Analysis. We'll find the mistakes and missed opportunities that may be costing you thousands today, and show you how "back to school" tax planning can save thousands more tomorrow. We guarantee you'll leave with valuable new lessons, or we'll donate $50 to your alma mater. So call now to schedule your Analysis!

Sincerely,

R. Dangerfield, CPA

(TaxCoach members, you'll find this letter in MS Word format in the Playbook, under the Sample Letters heading.)

Cute? Sure.

Hokey? Maybe.

Attention-getting? Give that kid a gold star!

Here's the "lesson." Your prospects and clients are talking "back to school" right now. So appeal to them with a message that joins the conversation they're already having, and maybe even gets them to smile about tax-planning. What better way to get yourself some extra credit?!

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MEMBER RESOURCE (KAV)
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MEMBER CALL-IN WITH ED AND KEITH

As we mentioned, Ed and I are hosting the Roundtable meeting in San Francisco this week, so we did not hold a Member Call-In yesterday. However next Wednesday, 9/23, we'll resume our usual almost-weekly schedule, with a Member Call-In at 1pm Eastern. Bring us your marketing and tax-strategy questions, and let us help you make the most of the TaxCoach system and resources to build your business. Check the "Contact Us" button within TaxCoach for registration instructions.

Please note that while our elite members (All-Stars, Press Club, and Hall of Fame) can still schedule time directly with Ed as part of their coaching programs, we simply cannot answer marketing and tax-strategy questions via email or unscheduled calls. We'll have call-ins as many Wednesdays as we can, and we'll talk to you then.

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DID YOU KNOW . . . (KAV)
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TAILORABLE PRIVACY STATEMENT

. . . TaxCoach lets you tailor the privacy statement on the front cover of your TaxCoach reports to fit your practice? You'll find a textbox for it on the Planner Information screen, which you access from the blue side of the Home Page, once you sign in to TaxCoach.

The Privacy Statement field is pre-filled with default text, but you can customize it as you see fit. One common example is where many subscribers who are sole proprietors change the 'we' to 'I'.

You'll also find a checkbox on the Planner Info screen that tells TaxCoach to include the Circular 230 disclaimer on both the main tax plan report and the summary report, if you're subject to that regulation.

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MEMBER Q & A (KAV)
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"BURST-MODE" QUESTIONS ON CERTIFIED TAX COACH™

Ed and I included the Certified Tax Coach™ program letter as an insert in this month's Lineup. Since we've recently gotten a barrage of questions about it, I'm assuming the September Lineup has successfully navigated the US Postal Service to your mailbox.

If you aren't a TaxCoach member and didn't receive the Lineup, click here for details about CTC. Certified Tax Coach™ is a new designation that lets you demonstrate to clients in one glance that you are the proactive advisor who will cut their tax bill. CTC is a comprehensive system offering you advanced expertise in tax-planning strategies, a designation to use in your marketing and client communications, and placement on a searchable national listing site.

As for the questions — one member in particular wrote a long list, which were such good points that I can tell the program would be a great fit for him, and hope he enrolls. CTC Director Dominique Molina wrote the answers, and I've included a sampling of them here because I think they will be on many peoples' minds.

Q: Currently the website (www.certifiedtaxcoach.org) is the PDF advertising the program. When the website is up what will attract potential clients to it? And what will encourage them to keep returning to it?

A: The website will be up in October and will contain much current events type tax planning copy to keep users interested. We will be posting tax topic articles and information. We will be building a database of visitors who opt in for our weekly email and will be able to market directly to the leads generated from the site with current relevant tax topics and updates.

Q: How many Certified Tax Coaches will there be for [City], [State]?

A: There are not currently any members from [State], so you would definitely have an advantage being the first! We don't anticipate overwhelming numbers for CTC, which adds to the value of the designation, but there will be multiple members from each state.

Q: Will there be find an advisor feature for clients?

A: Yes, absolutely! The objective of the website is to do the “marketing” for you so that you can have access to a list of hungry prospects all looking for a Certified Tax Coach. The current draft of our live website includes interesting tax planning topics, a search button so users can click to find the Certified Tax Coach nearest them, they opt-in and gain access to the directory of Certified Tax Coaches.

Q: Will the website offer potential clients’ webinars much like Dominique is doing currently?

A: Yes, we will be offering many opportunities for prospects including webinars, articles, alerts, etc. to generate interest.

Q: Will there be process to make sure the website is maximized for search engines?

A: Absolutely, we will be actively marketing the website through SEO, organic searches (content driven), adwords, pay-per-click, and other marketing efforts such as public appearances by Dominique, television and radio interviews, media articles, books, seminars etc – all to generate traffic for our CTC website and to ultimately get the prospects to our members!

Q: I currently have annual subscription to the Tax Coach Software if I sign up for the Certified Tax Coach Program will I be given credit for the remaining months on my subscription?

A: Yes, the CTC membership includes your TaxCoach Software subscription. The way it works is your monthly CTC fee would be discounted by $69/month until the expiration of your "MVP" annual TaxCoach membership.

Q: Are there plans to make Certified Tax Coach a national brand?

A: It is a national brand! The marketing we will be directing to the public will be on a national scale. Those who are currently registered for our inaugural live training are from all four corners of the US so far! It’s a great way to network with professionals from around the country! What I love about the networking opportunities is that you instantly upgrade your peer group so that you can rely on resources from around the country when questions arise. I’ve often called professionals I’ve met from other states when dealing with new out of state tax issues. It’s an invaluable resource to have!

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We're happy to answer your questions on TaxCoach content or features. (Save marketing and tax strategy questions for Member Call-Ins.) 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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