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Year End Business Checklist

The time is drawing close for the next tax season to start. For most of us this is a time that is fast paced in our personal and professional lives. The holidays seem to come and go quicker each year and so does the start of the tax season. Because this time of year can be so hectic, here's a checklist that you can refer to and see if you have all your bases covered once the clock strikes midnight New Year's morning. 

Office Supplies - Nothing bothers me more when I have set down to do work, when I find that I don't have the paper, or the letterhead, or any other office supply that is needed. Create yourself a "Supplies Checklist" and go and get those materials that you need on hand to make doing business in your day a smooth experience for you. Paperclips, staples, and even staplers can be things that we don't readily think about, but often need when we are working with a customer.

Marketing Materials - Speaking of materials, business cards, referral cards, post cards, flyers and brochures are all tools that can be utilized within the framework of working with your customers. Especially if you are concentrating on the individual tax return preparation, you can grow your company if you have an active business promotion that you can spread word of mouth through your own current customers.

Getting these materials created, designed, and produced takes time. On average 3 to 4 weeks minimum. Start thinking and getting into your local printer what you want to be handing out to your current and potential customers both to individuals and companies.

Advertising Spots - Odds are you are not going to be blitzing your local media with tons of commercials and full page ads in the local newspapers, however, if you plan it correctly you may be able to grow your practice as if you have. If you are shooting for the individual side of the tax prep equation, look into sponsorships of local talk radio. If that's too rich for your blood, look into the local "nickel" ads and having a prominence in that.

If you are looking to gain additional business clients it can be possible to run an ad or two in your local business magazine, up to a quarter page to as small as and in-column "classified ad". In anything you do try to get their number of the publication's distribution and break it down to how many clients you need to get from the form of advertising to pay for the advertising.

Customer Service Calls - Nothing better pays off than to be proactive with your clientele. Your current, or last year's customers may have placed this in the back of their minds and my not know who they are going to to get their taxes done this year. When you are in the "front of their minds" with a customer service call (a couple tips of what to bring to the tax prep meeting, possibly even scheduling out that tax preparation meeting between you and them) you'll be able to refreshen the good thoughts, times and experiences they had with you last year. Even if you have kept contact with them over the year through various ways a customer service call is agreat way to keep them prepared to visit you.

Training - Probably the last on your list, but most essential is the training you have for the upcoming season. If you have gone through UAC's Professional Tax Preparer™ Certification, have you been able to keep up on the latest changes coming out of the tax code. We have tried to keep you appraised of what's happening nationally, have you kept current with local and state tax changes?

Perhaps you are bringing in a new person to help with the load of clients walking in your door, do they have the training you are comfortable with? Perhaps you have yet to gain the training for tax preparation that makes the difference in business success? What ever it may be, you need to be looking into and purchasing the training that makes sense for you and your employees.

These are just a few ideas of a checklist you can be creating and taking care of right now! Hopefully, this will stir something up for you to remember and to get for your Tax Practice's success. To become a Professional Tax Preparer, Universal has what you need.