3 Questions That Will Help You Get On-Track

In order for your services to appeal to clients, they must focus on fulfilling their needs. This requires you to be dedicated to running a client-centered practice.

You’re familiar with the importance of good customer service because you yourself patron other businesses. You know what you like, and often the offer of a one-size-fits-all solution for your unique needs isn’t appealing. The same applies to your own clients. They want to feel as if your services are customized to suit their specific needs.

How do you do that? You must regularly step away from your practice and look at it from a client’s perspective. When you do so ask yourself the following three questions:

1. How will these services enhance my business?

Your clients aren’t interested in what you do as much as they’re interested in how it will benefit their business. While you may submit a mean tax return, they would find your ability to save them money in taxes much more appealing. So as you consider your demographic, ask yourself what they really want from you. Once you are able to answer that question, you’ll be better prepared to cater your services to meet their specific needs.

2. How much will it cost me?

While we’d like to think that clients are first interested in your services and second interested in your fees, that’s not always the case. Especially when you’re working with small business owners, they want to save as much money as possible, even when it comes to their taxes. When faced with this issue it’s often most effective to present them a per-project estimate rather than an hourly fee. They imagine those hourly fees adding up much more quickly than they actually do. When they can see how much the entire project might cost them (for example, tax planning by the month or tax preparation by the form), they’re generally more subdued and can see just how valuable your services are.

3. Do you offer any complementary services?

When you’re low on time or too tired to drive around, you can probably appreciate the convenience of a super store that has everything from groceries to pharmaceuticals to clothes to hardware. Your clients are just as interested in convenience as you are, and if you asked them they would probably admit they would prefer to have all their financials managed by the same individual.

Accounting services are the perfect complement to tax services. Not only would your current clients find your new services appealing, but you would be more likely to attract more prospective clients with the convenience of a one-stop financial shop.

The Professional Bookkeeper (PB) Program

When you enroll in the Professional Bookkeeper Program you can master small-business accounting skills in less than 60 hours. With a DVD program designed to help you review key concepts until they become second-nature, this self-paced approach enables you to complete the course on your own time. Not only that, but in addition to learning small business accounting you will also be trained in marketing those skills. After 25 years training professionals in small business accounting we know which marketing strategies are most successful in actually attracting and retaining clients.

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned accountant, this course will teach you everything you need to know to service your small business clients. Here is what some of our graduates are saying:

I can’t believe the accounting knowledge covered in four short weeks. I spent years in school and did not get the same education I did this past month… - L.C. Westergard

I knew nothing of accounting before I took this class and now I feel I have a good working knowledge of bookkeeping and starting a business.- S. David

My current clients have recognized the changes and appreciate them greatly. - S. Christensen

You gave a stay-at-home-mom the knowledge and understanding of accounting needed to go out and get work that can be done from home.- I. Snow

In order to best serve your clients you must consider all their financial needs. Once you master small business accounting you can manage their books as well as their taxes. This is incredibly appealing to clients who are looking for a one-stop financial shop. Expand your business before tax season hits again. Enroll in the Professional Bookkeeper Program today.

6 Steps for Turning Prospective Clients into Current Clients

You’ve made a good first impression and now you want to deliver your sales pitch and seal the deal. That may be easier said than done. But when you attend to the client’s needs and follow 6 simple steps, it can happen, and quite possibly, before the bill arrives.

1. Arrive early

It’s important that you properly set up your meeting. Most sales pitches are delivered over a meal; it’s a great way to lure prospective clients from their own businesses in order to discuss your services. In that case, you should ensure the restaurant is aware that your reservation is for a business breakfast, lunch or dinner. Give them your card before the clients arrive in order to avoid that awkward moment when the bill is presented. You can also determine seating at this time, which is important when meeting with more than one prospective client.

2. Build your professional relationship

Set the meeting’s tone by getting to know the client better before jumping into your pitch. Ask questions and listen to their answers. Just about everyone likes to talk about themselves, their families, their businesses, and even the weather. Exhibit genuine interest in your client’s life and you’re sure to build a solid base for your professional relationship.

3. Time your pitch

You want to avoid interruption and ensure adequate time to deliver your pitch. If you’re having breakfast, you don’t have much time and will want to start fairly soon. Lunch appointments are a little longer and you should wait until everyone orders before you start. Dinner appointments are the most leisurely and you should wait until everyone has finished their entre before you start talking business.

4. Ask the right questions

It’s important that you determine your prospective client’s needs. What are their current accounting needs? Do they already have an accountant? Are they satisfied with their current accountant? What services would they find most beneficial? The more you learn about their business and corresponding accounting needs the better equipped you’ll be to cater your pitch to align with their business objectives.

5. Emphasize benefits

Before you even practice your pitch try to take on your prospective client’s perspective. What would they most want from an accountant? While you probably offer everything from standard bookkeeping to payroll services, the client is more interested in how those services will benefit their business. It’s much more appealing to hear that you’ll help them cut costs and increase profits than it is to know that you can manage their accounts payable and accounts receivable.

6. Listen to and answer questions

This step is often overlooked. We can be so focused on delivering our pitch that we forget to listen to our prospective client’s questions and thoughtfully answer them. This will help you best determine what their deeper concerns might be. Often this is where the deal is sealed as the client comes to realize that you’re genuinely interested in what is best for their business.

Enhancing Your Sales Pitch

You’ll be better equipped to seal the deal when you have a professional designation to back your experience and expertise. Not to mention, when you receive training in small business accounting, you will enhance your service offerings and become a full-service financial provider! What client wouldn’t want their tax preparer to become a one-stop shop for their financial needs?

And when you enroll in Universal’s Professional Bookkeeper Program, you learn how to become a client’s Profit Expert, enabling you to contribute to a client’s profitability - a skill that makes your services invaluable. Imagine how that will enhance your sales pitch!

Get started today! UAC has been training professionals like you for over 25 years. Benefit from our experience and expertise. Enroll now and gain the skills and confidence necessary to secure more clients and seal countless deals!

Building a Lucrative Business So You Can Quit Your Day Job

If you are a tax preparer, this is the most lucrative time of year for you. Within the next few months you’ll probably make more money preparing taxes than you do year-round. Whether you do this on the side or work for yourself full-time as a tax professional, chances are you’d be interested in ways you can continue to generate a significant income, even after tax season ends.

Do you want to earn this kind of money year round? Do you have customers that you know would do more business with you if you could just figure out how to provide additional services for them? Do you yearn to build your business out and upward in the same type of work you are doing now?

Small Business Accounting, a Sure Profession

Chances are you make good money this time of year. Unfortunately, your client base probably peters out come May. That still leaves you with more than half a year to fill, and we’re guessing you’d like to fill it with lucrative projects.

Every small business must perform accounting tasks in order to survive. Unfortunately, more than half of them fail due to poor financial management. And because there are so many small businesses, more and more everyday, being a small business accountant is a lucrative profession.

UAC: the Small Business Accounting Experts

Alf Bostrum, founder of Universal Accounting Center, spent more than a decade of his life saving small businesses from financial failure. In that time he realized that the majority of accountants are not trained in small business accounting. With this knowledge, and years of experience, he started UAC in hopes of teaching accounting professionals small business accounting and a method for marketing these services. Since 1979, for more than 25 years, UAC has trained countless individuals to become successful small business accountants. They’ve also taught them how to generate a substantial client base so that their small business can thrive.

The Professional Bookkeeper (PB) Program

You can spend years in a university environment and never learn the practical application of accounting principles as they relate to the small business. That’s years of seat time and tuition costs that will not sufficiently prepare you for the more than 85% of accounting opportunities that reside in the small business sector. Wouldn’t it be nice to find a program you could complete in less than a year, on your own, at your own pace?

UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper Program can be completed in less than 60 hours. But those 60 hours are packed with practice in the true application of accounting principles. You won’t have to listen to hours of useless lecturing; you’ll be given valuable worksheets where you will complete real-life accounting tasks. And at the end of your training you’ll be able to earn a professional designation, proof to clients and potential clients of your newly-earned expertise.

Look into providing that invaluable service of year round tax and accounting advice to those with whom you have been doing business as a tax preparer. Expand the great working relationship you have established each tax season and become a year-round asset. Gain the training that will add that essential component to growing your business by enrolling in the Professional Bookkeeper Program today!

7 Tips on Forming a Good First Impression

Meeting with a prospective client in order to pitch your services can be intimidating and nerve-wracking. Does it help to know that much of your prospective client’s decision will be influenced by their first impression of you? In fact, your contact will form that first impression within mere seconds of meeting. It’s important that you do your best to make it a good one. We recommend you consider the following when meeting clients to discuss your services.

1. Looks matter

We’re not suggesting that in order to succeed you must look like a contender for a beauty pageant or the cover of GQ. But we are saying you need to appear well-groomed and professional. Depending on the setting, a formal restaurant or a casual bistro, you should dress appropriately and ensure that all the details-from your hair to your shoes-are attended to and project a positive image for your practice.

2. Consider the contact

You don’t want your contact to feel out-of-place or uncomfortable. When selecting a meeting place you should consider the prospective client and what would put them at ease. This includes how you dress as well. You would probably select different attire when meeting a tattoo artist than you would when meeting a stock broker.

3. Practice a firm handshake

Just about everything you do in that first meeting will reflect back on your business and the services you offer. A firm handshake projects confidence and strength while a limp handshake projects a lack of confidence and strength. If necessary you should practice your handshake until it becomes second nature.

4. Express thanks

Lydia Ramsey, in her article “Seal the Deal in Seven Seconds,” says that while only 7% of your first impression is formed by the words you use, it’s important that you choose those words wisely. She suggests focusing on your first 12 words by expressing gratitude for the opportunity to meet with the prospective client.

5. Use the client’s name

Everyone loves the sound of their own name. And when talking to a prospective client, especially within those first crucial minutes, it’s essential that you say their name. But don’t overdo it; you just might start to sound like you’re schmoozing which is never very appealing.

6. Smile

No matter how nervous you are be sure to smile. A genuine smile will put the client at ease and set a friendly tone for the meeting.

7. Be energetic and personable

Even your walk says something about you. If your demeanor is sluggish then your prospective client will think that’s how you work. Be energetic, positive and friendly. This effort will communicate volumes about your work ethic.

Almost as important as your pitch is the first impression you give a prospective employer. As you attend to your appearance and the way your present yourself, applying the seven tips described above, you’ll find it much easier to close the deal. Come back next week when we will discuss how to present the perfect sales pitch.

To enhance your sales pitch and learn crucial marketing techniques, you can enroll in the Professional Bookkeeper Program. You can add new services to your offerings and broaden your target market. If you would like to learn more you can order our video “Introduction to the Professional Bookkeeper Program” today. For less than $10 (or free when you watch it online) you can learn everything you need know about this amazing course.

References

Ramsey, Lydia. “Seal the Deal in Seven Seconds.” 2 July 2008 About.com

All the tools at my fingertips to make $100 per hour… and I don’t need a college degree?

That’s right. An exciting and rewarding career as a Professional Tax Preparer could be the perfect way to create the kind of lifestyle that you are looking for. There are several advantages of owning your own Tax Preparation Service and not the least of these is an ability to earn an incredible income.

Let’s take a look at some of the reasons you should consider this lucrative occupation.

Earn a Better Income

If you’re like most people, you’ve spent a good deal of your life working for someone else and putting money into their pocket. Wouldn’t it be nice to earn the same type of income your boss does? Would you like to do better than that? With a career in Professional Tax Preparation, you can. With the right training, you’ll be able to bill $100 per hour or more for your services.

Be Your Own Boss

Working for yourself can be one of the most rewarding things you can do. You’re in a position to provide for yourself the type of lifestyle you and your family deserve.

Stable Income

Owning your own business can provide a stable income? I thought it was just the opposite.

It sure can. If you plan and use a proven strategy for success, you will be able to create a very stable income and lifestyle.

In years past, you could work in a big corporation and find all the security of lifelong employment, but those days are over. Because of corporate restructuring, layoffs, downsizing, and countless other reasons, many people have found that the career choice they thought would lead them to a secure future didn’t. But don’t despair; you can experience that security by being in business for yourself. You just need to make the right choices.

Lewis Schiff, the “Armchair Millionaire” featured each week on CNN Money says, “There’s financial security to be found in nearly any employment situation–if you know how to build it. You’ll have to work … for that security when you’re self-employed, but the personal and financial rewards can make it well worth while.” We can all agree that the last person fired when a company fails is the owner.

Tax Benefits

When you own your own business there are a few perks that employees don’t get to enjoy. There are many things that you can either partially or completely write off as tax deductions. Your car, your home office, your computer and your office supplies to name just a few.

A Tax Preparation business is the perfect addition to a Bookkeeping service!

Adding a Tax Preparation business to a Bookkeeping service is just like adding Hot Fudge to Vanilla ice cream. It’s a perfect combination. By adding Tax services to your Bookkeeping services you are in a position to offer an even greater level of service to your clients. There isn’t any other person who has the day-to-day experience with your client’s financial situation that you do.

Nobody is better qualified to offer your clients the year-round tax planning advice and guidance that you will be able to offer them. And you will be able to positively affect their bottom-line profits as you help them make well-informed decisions and how they impact their tax particular tax situation. And that’s not all, your clients will see more and more value in your services and advice; and be willing to pay for that value.

Why should I learn Tax Preparation for Universal Accounting?

That’s easy. We’ve been teaching Tax Preparation and Bookkeeping since 1979. With thousands of our graduates in successful careers as Accountants and Tax Preparers we will provide you with all the “nuts-and-bolts” of Tax Preparation. You will be prepared to offer your clients the finest tax advice that they will be able to find anywhere.

Not only that, but you’ll learn tax preparation by hands-on learning. Unlike many courses out there, you won’t just learn tax theory… you’ll prepare over 30 different types of tax returns. I haven’t found a more complete program anywhere.

You’ll learn how to prepare personal as well as business returns. Most courses offer instruction on either one or the other.

Our distance learning course includes DVD instruction, work-books, coaching and support, as well as on-line evaluation to ensure that once you’ve completed the course you’re ready. Universal Accounting is the only organization authorized to award the Professional Tax Preparer certification. This is an exclusive designation that demonstrates that you are proficient in personal and small-business Tax Preparation.

Now is the time. Universal is the Place.

Now really is the time to reward yourself for your efforts and begin. Your career in Professional Tax Preparation is just a few mouse clicks away and if you act now, I’d like to offer you the Professional Tax Preparer course.

I’d like to start my career in Professional Tax Preparation. Show me how.

I’m often asked by wannabe freelancers: “When is the best time to start a bookkeeping/accounting service?” The answer’s easy: “ANY TIME!”

That’s never good enough though — they always want to pin me down to the day when the business owners are standing in line. Well, there’s not one day. In fact, you can find clients all year round. But there’s no question that January 1 thru April 15 is the time when a lot of businesses finally decide to get caught up with their finances to be ready for the tax preparer.

At Universal Accounting, we get more calls from prospective clients during these three months than we do the remaining nine months put together. So, be ready. We’re there.

Seven Steps to Make This Year Your Most Profitable Year

• Here’s a list of seven promotional tactics you should consider doing in January to spark your marketing program (or get it started) and enjoy this great season:
• Send your past contacts a letter wishing them a great new year and suggesting that this is the best time of the year to get on top of their business financially. Offer them a free consultation.
• Send your friends and relatives a nice card or letter expressing your thanks for their friendship during the past year and reminding them of your terrific referral program: If they refer new business to you, you will send them and a significant other out to dinner.
• Remind your existing clients, if any, that you have a terrific referral program.
• Visit chamber meetings or network luncheons. They always let you come once or twice to evaluate them before joining.
• Place a small ad in the Services section of your newspaper under Accounting. Offer to help businesses set up their accounting system for the new year.
• Contact local tax preparers and offer to help gather financial information from their clients if they get into a bind. Don’t forget to let them know about your referral program.
• If you are a tax preparer, send out your client tax planners now with a letter notifying them of a proposed appointment (date and time) to review their tax inputs. Ask them to call, if they would like to change the appointment. Of course, you should call them a few days ahead of the appointment to remind them and ask if that time will work out. And, it wouldn’t hurt to let them know about the referral program, either.

Make Your Service More Profitable By Offering Tax Services

During the months prior to a business filing their company tax returns is your best opportunity to find additional clients, especially if your services include preparing tax returns. The best part is that once you have the skills to prepare tax returns for the businesses that you already have as Accounting and Bookkeeping clients, it is an easy sell to also do their taxes for them, since you know their books better than anyone.

Similarly, when your service provides tax preparation services, the clients that you find that need their taxes done likely need someone to do their Accounting and Bookkeeping tasks for them as well. When you find a client for one service, you often find a client for the rest of the financial services that you offer. Typically the same businesses that do not feel comfortable enough with their ability to do their own taxes would also rather have someone do their books for them as well. This “cross-selling” makes marketing much easier on you as a business owner, freeing you to spend time servicing paying clients that would otherwise have gone into finding them.

You can now get training in both Accounting and Bookkeeping and Tax Preparation from Universal Accounting to add more billable services to your current client list. If you are just starting your business, demonstrating your ability to provide a larger number of financial services to your clients will help them to build confidence in your service. You will show your clients that you can provide a “single-source” approach to financial services for their business.

According to William G. Gale of the Tax Policy Center, more and more people every year have a professional prepare their taxes.

Just look at what Char De Coster, of The Home Improvement Web, has to say about it.

“Each year, federal income taxes increase in size and difficulty. Each year tax software packages get better, but even using software programs require time. Plus, the outcome is directly related to information being entered correctly by the taxpayer. To save you from stress, the services of a paid professional may be something to consider this year.”

We’ve heard it said before, “There are only two constants in this life. Death and Taxes.” Fortunately, you can profit from one of them. While many industries come and go, you can know that not only will qualified Tax Professionals be needed today, but as long as people need to pay taxes, and tax laws continue to become even more complicated than they are now, they will not only be needed… but wanted for their skills.

If you’ve ever thought of making a change in your life… now is the time.

I know there are many opportunities out there, but there are lots of advantages to a owning your own Tax Preparation business and I’d like to spend a few moments with you to discuss them. If a recession-proof business and the opportunity to make $100 an hour or more appeals to you, read on.

Millions of Americans pay professionals to prepare and file their taxes. Will you be ready to take advantage of this trend?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, despite plans to streamline the tax system almost every year, taxes always seem to become more and more complicated. People and businesses will continue to need help. They predict that there will be plenty of opportunities for tax preparers nationally for the foreseeable future.

$2,473,298,000,000.00 is an interesting number. It’s a number that most of us aren’t very familiar with. It’s the projected budget for 2006. The graph at left illustrates where the revenue to support that budget comes from. It’s interesting to note that 43.5%, by far the biggest chunk comes from individual income taxes.

This is a great opportunity for you. In fact, the US Department of Labor predicts that as the economy grows, the number of business will increase, requiring more accountants/bookkeepers to prepare taxes, set up books, and provide management advice. As these businesses grow, the volume and complexity of information developed by these professionals regarding costs, expenditures, and taxes will increase as well.

They go on to say that the increased need for qualified tax preparers and accountants will rise from changes in legislation related to taxes, financial reporting standards, business investments, mergers, and other financial matters.

Wanted! Professional Tax Preparers!

There are several advantages to owning your own Tax Preparation Business and not the least of these is the ability to earn an incredible income! Let’s take a look at some of the reasons that you should consider this lucrative business.

• You will earn a better income. If you’re like most people, you’ve spent a good deal of your life working for someone else and putting money into their pocket. Wouldn’t it be nice to earn the same type of income your boss does? Would you like to do better than that? With a career in Professional Tax Preparation, you can. With the right training, you’ll be able to bill $100 per hour or more for your services.

• You will be your own boss. Working for yourself can be one of the most rewarding things you can do. You’re in a position to provide for yourself and your family the type of lifestyle you deserve.

• You will create a stable income. You might be thinking, “Owning my own business can provide a stable income?” “I thought it was just the opposite.”

Let me assure you…it sure can. If you plan and use a proven strategy for success, you will be able to create a very stable income and a very comfortable lifestyle.

In years past, you could work in a big corporation and find all the security of lifelong employment, but those days are over. Because of corporate restructuring, layoffs, downsizing, and countless other reasons, many people have found that the career choice they thought would lead them to a secure future didn’t.

But don’t despair; you can experience that security by being in business for yourself. You just need to make the right choices.

• You can enjoy increased tax benefits. When you own your own business there are a few perks that the average employee doesn’t get to enjoy. There are many things that you can either partially or completely write off as tax deductions. Your car, your home office, your computer and your office supplies to name just a few.

I don’t have any experience in taxes… can I really start a Tax Preparation business?

Absolutely. There is no question in my mind. Thousands of people just like you are finding the interesting and rewarding business of Professional Tax Preparation is the perfect business for them.

Many of these folks are people just like you and me, people without a background in Tax Preparation, but with the right education, they are finding their Tax Preparation Business to be one of the most rewarding things they have ever done.

“That’s all fine and good, but how can I know for sure?”

The first step is to evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses. If you follow the link below, I’ve included a short questionnaire that might help you determine for yourself if a Tax Preparation business is right for you.

I’d Like to See if a Tax Preparation Business is Right for Me.

If you’d like to learn more about starting a Professional Tax Preparation Business, just click on the link below and you’ll find all the information you’ll need to create a profitable and beneficial Tax Preparation business.

Okay… Show Me How to Start a Tax Preparation Business.

If It’s Accounting, It’s Universal:

Get to Know More About the Company That Will Change Your Career!

Universal Accounting is a company that is making a difference in the lives of their students! For those who are pursuing or looking into the possibilities of pursuing a career path into the Accounting, Bookkeeping and Tax Preparation services, you need to get to know more about what all Universal offers in their comprehensive training programs.

If you prefer onsite classroom study or looking for the benefits received on independent study, we have developed the programs that you will be able to get the one-on-one experience in your own home. The skills we have used over the course of the last 28 years, with the trial and error, the fine-tuning of accounting methods and strategies, and what we and thousands more have experienced running their own practices - we have provided to you the advantage to stay on top of your profession. Our coursework is designed to be exactly what you will be doing when you are servicing the biggest customer base available, the small business owner.

If you are looking for the knowledge, the skills, and the know-how to start or build your accounting or tax practice, or just looking to gain the essential skills to further your career in your place of business, Universal’s Programs are what you are going to need.

Click here to take the Video Tour of Universal and all that we offer to you, the accounting and tax professional to be the best in your field and to have the success in business and in your professional life that you are seeking.Our exclusive short term courses do just that!

Imagine staying on top of the latest in the industry and having access to the experts who can assist you through training? Imagine what you are learning can be applied the very next day at work? Imagine being able to keep the materials, and the reading for continued referencing as you take that path in Accounting, Bookkeeping and Tax Preparation? You don’t have to imagine too hard, because that is one of the many things you receive when you enroll in these specialized programs! Click here to get to know Universal Accounting.

Are You Ready For The Next Step?
Be in business for yourself, but not by yourself getting paid what you’re worth! Are you tired of thinking, “Why not me?” You have gotten this far in your search to do what you want to in your chosen career, take the next step. The time is now to be able to get the training and the change you desire in your professional life. Click here to find out if Professional Tax Preparation Certification is a fit for you.

Be the Profit Expert Professional for Small Business! Don’t hesitate another day in getting the Accounting and Marketing Training that makes the difference. Click here to get more information on what you need to know about becoming the Profit Center Expert for small business accounting and tax!

At last, all the tools, at your fingertips, to make $100 per hour… and you don’t need a college degree.

Believe it or not, with the proper education, you can bill $100 per hour or more for Tax Preparation services. I say this because there are thousands of people, just like you and me, who are doing it right now. Highly respected professionals, without a college or university education, are providing a specialized and technical service to their clients. And you can do it too.

As the graph on the right illustrates, since the year 2000 the number of people who had a professional prepare their taxes has increased from 25.2 million people in 2000 to 43.9 million in 2004; while the overall tax filings have remained fairly constant during that same period.

In a recent study conducted by the Tax Foundation Annual Survey of Attitudes on Tax and Wealth, 81% of people surveyed said that the tax code was too complicated and 70% said that they HATED to do their own taxes! I think you’ll agree; the opportunity to begin a successful Tax Preparation practice has never been better.

Over the next six of weeks I’d like to give you an overview of the exciting and rewarding business of Professional Tax Preparation. If you are in search of a recession-proof business that will help you create the lifestyle that you and your family deserve, this is the business and now is the time.

Okay… what can I expect over the next six weeks?

Week #1. The Proper Tax Preparation Education. We’ll discuss what you should be looking for in a Tax Preparation education. We’ll outline some of the different types of education that is available and the pros & cons of each.

With an overview of what’s available and the kind of education that you’ll need to succeed in the Tax Preparation business, you’ll be prepared to make the next move and arm yourself with the education that best suits your goals.

Week #2 How to Set-Up A Tax Preparation Practice. There are a number of things that anyone setting-up a business will need to do. We’ll discuss what those requirements are and provide a prioritized list that will make the process simple and easy to implement.

There are several things that are unique to the Tax Preparation business that you’ll want to be aware of. My goal is to arm you with all the information you’ll need to begin your successful practice.

Week #3 How to Market Your Tax Preparation Business. (Part 1) Allen Bostrom, President of Universal Accounting and author, in his book, In the Black, says, “Nothing happens until you make a sale.” We’ll talk about what it takes to make everything happen!

If you’re like most of us, the idea of being a salesman might not be your favorite thing. Don’t be concerned, there are a number of easy-to-implement methods that will make the entire sales and marketing process something easy and systematic. Anyone can do this!

In Week #3 we’ll talk about creating what I call the “Automatic Referral System”. In other words, referrals without begging.

Week #4 How to Market Your Tax Preparation Business. (Part 2)
We’ll continue our discussion of easy and “doable” marketing methods that extend beyond referrals. We’ll talk about Tag-Team marketing and networking just to mention a couple.

Week #5 Universal Accounting: The Perfect Tax Preparation Education. We’ll discuss why Universal Accounting Center is the perfect place to obtain the most complete and comprehensive Tax Preparation Education found anywhere.

Week #6 A Tax Preparation Business & Bookkeeping practice are the perfect match for maximum profits. The advantages of combining a Tax Preparation Business with a Bookkeeping service are many. Our final discussion in this series will demonstrate how they might be the perfect combination for you and your future Tax Preparation business.

What can I expect from here?

Welcome aboard. I’m looking forward to showing you why I think a Tax Preparation business is such a wonderful opportunity and for the chance to give you the information that you’ll need to determine if it’s a “right fit” for you.

Information on starting your own Tax Preparation business is only a click or two away. Follow the link below and find out for yourself what an incredible business opportunity this really is.

I want to know more about starting a Professional Tax Preparation business.

“60% of college graduates are moving back in with mom and dad within the first 12 months of graduation because they can’t find a job in their field.” I heard this interesting statistic the other day as I drove into the office. I wish I could remember the source, but it caused me to stop and think for a minute.

A college degree doesn’t guarantee financial security like it once did. Whether you have a college or university education or not, what I heard on the radio is very consistent with a survey taken by the folks at Universal Accounting Center earlier this year. This survey includes people who have a formal education and those who don’t.

100 graduates of the Professional Bookkeepers Program or Professional Tax Preparers Program surveyed 12 months after graduation:

74% were working in the accounting or tax field, had been promoted to a management position, or owned their own accounting or tax preparation practice.

The “right” investment in yourself will create the income and lifestyle that you and your family deserve.

Tax preparation has really evolved over the years. Today, a Professional Tax Preparer is armed with more than just a scratch-pad and a pencil. As the tax code increases in complexity the need for specially trained and qualified Tax Preparers becomes more and more apparent.

As a result, your education should take advantage of and reflect the impact that new technology has had on the industry and the profession.

5 Things Every Good Tax Preparation Education Must Have

1. Classroom or Distance Learning.
At first glance, many would consider a classroom setting the most effective environment to learn in. For most of us, demands on our time require that school work around our lives, not the other way around.

Have you ever tried to “rewind” a classroom lecture when you don’t understand a concept? Of course, you can sometimes ask questions, but with so many students in one class, often there just isn’t time to get to every question. Besides, we are often nervous to ask what others might think are “dumb” questions.

Wouldn’t’t it be nice to be able to “rewind” and “review” topics to improve your confidence that you had a thorough understanding? DVD-based training makes that possible at a level that can’t be duplicated in a classroom.

What if you miss a class because it doesn’t work with your schedule, can you make it up? Or do you fall behind? Unfortunately most classroom courses don’t offer make-up classes for students who have conflicts. You’re either there… or you’re not.

When considering a distance learning program, a combination of video (DVD or VHS) and written material provides the most effective combination which not only replicates, but improves upon the classroom experience. Believe it or not, most distance learning programs out there that teach Tax Preparation provide you with a written textbook. And that’s it.

2. Is a complete education important to you?
To succeed it must be. Many programs available only teach you one aspect of tax preparation, and the least profitable one at that. You’ll typically learn about how the tax code affects individuals. But what about business taxes, where the real money is? A Tax Preparation education that only teaches you about half of the system, is only half of an education. Admittedly, there are a few programs that offer, for an additional fee, further education in business taxes, but it’s not their specialty.

In looking for the “right” education, you need to get it from someone that will teach you mastery of personal taxes, and knows business taxes inside-and-out. Because, that’s what you’ll need to start your own Professional Tax Preparation business. CPA’s focus on business taxes. Why? Because that’s where the money is.

3. Learn by doing
Most Tax Preparation training materials focus on tax theory. Often, the difference between having some understanding and really mastering, is in the doing. There is no better way to understand what it’s all about to prepare taxes than by hands-on learning.

I wouldn’t trust a doctor or surgeon who’s only experience came from reading a book or two …would you?

By preparing sample returns, learning how to prepare taxes becomes much like learning how to ride a bike. It will not only become easier, but it will become automatic. The “right” education will include more than just “tax theory”.

4. Who will answer my questions?
With the best Video or Textbook training, there will still be questions. Will your Distance Learning course provide a way for those questions to be answered?

1. • Is there telephone support?
   • Is there e-mail support?

After your coursework is completed and your working with clients, will they still support you? When you have questions, will they leave you to find the answers for yourself? We won’t.

The “right” education will not only answer your questions via phone or e-mail while you’re taking the course, but provides the advice of qualified tax professionals to advise you through your first year as a Professional Tax Preparer. Even after you finish the course, your school should be there to support you so that you’re never left alone.

5. Is your education guaranteed?
When you attend a college, university or trade school, what guarantee do they provide that the training you receive will increase your income or create the lifestyle that you want? None.

The “perfect” education will provide a guarantee that the information and instruction that you receive will create the kind of income and lifestyle that you are looking for.

The “right” education will include a guarantee. Something that says, “We stand behind what we do, what we teach, and what your education will mean.”

“Education is learning what you didn’t know you didn’t even know.”
-Daniel J. Boorstin

With the “right” information you can choose the “right” education. If you’d like to learn more about what it takes to become a Professional Tax Preparer or what’s involved in choosing the perfect tax preparation education, you’re only a couple mouse clicks away. Just follow the link below and find out what’s available for you in the exciting and rewarding business of Professional Tax Preparation.

I want to learn more about a career in Professional Tax Preparation.