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TaxCoach Briefs: March 18, 2010
Volume 5, Number 11
Are you showing clients how to use a Section 105 Medical Expense Reimbursement Plan to deduct family medical costs as business expenses? If not, they may be losing thousands in tax savings and client referrals! Your TaxCoach membership includes everything you need to establish plans for clients. If you're not already a member, click here for your 30-day no-risk trial. ===================================================== GOOD DATES, BAD DATES Am I missing something, or is there an election going on? I ask because I've just noticed a new commercial for Chemistry.com, the online dating service. Here's the script:
(I know - you were wondering what a dating site had to do with taxes!) I would expect to see something like this in the fall, before the real elections. But maybe I'm just missing something. (I understand Congress is debating something to do with healthcare right now - but who has time to pay attention?) But here's the point - and I'll keep it short because I know you're busy. People hate paying taxes. A couple of weeks ago, I outlined five steps to building your dream practice. Step Three was to craft a message to attract your target market. Specifically, I said to appeal to your market's particular hatred of paying taxes. I said it doesn't matter if you're targeting business owners, professionals, retirees, or even kids with their first hangover. They all hate paying taxes. You're in the business of solving a problem your clients hate enough that advertisers who have nothing to do with taxes will use the fact that people hate paying taxes in their non-tax marketing! Shouldn't you take every advantage of that same opportunity to market services that actually are related to tax? Right now, you're neck deep in tax returns. And nobody really likes filing taxes. But do clients really hate filing their taxes? Or do they hate paying them? Some clients even like tax time. Why? Because it means a refund! This time of year, it's easy to get caught up in the taxes we file for our clients. And superficially, sure, that's what we're doing for them. But we really should focus on the taxes we save them. Where can you identify specific savings you create for your clients? How can you tell them how much you save them? Consider showing them by preparing a mock return showing what they would pay without your strategies. Then do it! That's how we get the big bucks. That's how we get the premium fees and make them stick! ===================================================== FINALLY FIREFOX! For those of you who care about these things, TaxCoach was developed using Microsoft's "Visual Studio" running a SSQL database. Ed says he has no idea what that means and he's just glad he's got me to do the heavy lifting. We chose Visual Studio because Microsoft rules the world. However, the original version we used made it difficult for TaxCoach to display in browsers other than Internet Explorer. Because guess who owns IE . . . Microsoft! Last Wednesday I was at the office into the dark hours again, for the umpteenth time, working with my tech guru Darren on a major upgrade to TaxCoach - specifically, upgrading Visual Studio to a more recent release. And that, in turn, means . . . . (drumroll) . . . TaxCoach will now run with, among others, Mozilla's FireFox browser, and even Safari on the Mac. Mon Dieu! While most of us do stick with Internet Explorer, there are a growing number of renegades among us who prefer an alternate browser. And given they've become increasingly vocal about it, we needed to address it! Now I know it's 2010. I know TaxCoach is in its sixth year. You are asking yourself, or me, what could possibly have taken so long?! Weeelll it should come as no surprise that a Microsoft development tool would want to create things that only run in a Microsoft environment. That's called "advancing a proprietary standard," you see or more to the point, monopolizing and it's a grand tradition in American business. There was even this one great example of a company that developed a computer operating system and then gave it away just so it would end up getting a huge installed base and becoming the de facto industry standard, which then set the company up as the undisputed king of the market. Oh wait, that was Microsoft, too! Yeah. So, the hue and cry eventually grew loud enough that even "Mr. Softie" had to relent, and re-engineer his equally universal product, Visual Studio, to support browsers other than his own. But the change is a lot like adding a basement to a house. And I don't mean just digging out the crawl space. It has taken a lot of work, and there are a number of minor tweaks to iron out. But these are primarily nuisances, like font sizes. We'll keep pounding on it, but the main thing is that the graphics now display properly - and as always, the report generators function properly - under FireFox and other browsers. ===================================================== Manhattan TaxCoach veteran Brian Goldglanz wrote us with this to say about the Certified Tax Coach™ program: "Thank you — it's a wonderful feeling being part of this group of elite proactive tax advisors. ===================================================== MEMBER CALL-IN WITH ED AND KEITH This week: "The Goodness" again, as usual. Another good mid-tax-season turnout, as before, with more excellent question threads. Here's an excerpt of questions and comments raised by callers this week, straight from the call log.
If you're looking for clarification on TaxCoach strategies or additional ways to profit from TaxCoach too, join us for the next call, on Wednesday March 24, at 1pm Eastern. Enter a question or just listen in on the repartee. Check the "Contact Us" button within TaxCoach for registration instructions. 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 can answer questions on using TaxCoach system features anytime. (Save marketing and tax strategy questions for Member Call-Ins.) For best response, email support@taxcoachsoftware.com. Regards, Ed LyonKeith VandeStadt http://www.taxcoachsoftware.com/ (513) 321-2820 TaxCoach SuperTable Certified Tax Coach TaxCoach All-Stars TaxCoach Press Club TaxCoach Closely-Held Insurance Company TaxCoach Cost Segregation TaxCoach Briefs archives . . . |