You know this pattern:
April-June: Slammed. Phone ringing off the hook, clients who need their returns filed yesterday, sleepless nights.
July-March: Silence. The same clients who were blowing up your phone two months ago now donât even remember you exist.
And meanwhile, those clients are making financial decisions without consulting you:
When they finally call, theyâve already made the decision. Or worse: theyâve made a mistake and want you to fix it.
Being âthe tax personâ has a price:
Services youâre not selling:
These services are worth 5-10x more than a tax return. But your clients donât ask for them because they donât see you as an advisorâthey see you as a preparer.
Clients who leave:
Without perceived value during the year, they compare on price. And thereâs always someone cheaper.
Referrals that donât come: When someone asks âdo you know a good accountant?â, your client should think of you. But if they havenât heard from you in 8 months, they think of the last professional they had contact with.
Itâs not just semantics:
The preparer:
The trusted advisor:
Clients pay $300/year for a preparer. They pay $3,000+ for a trusted advisor.
Which do you want to be?
The secret isnât complicated: presence = trust = proactive consultations.
When you send useful information monthly:
The shift is subtle but powerful. Instead of calling you when theyâve already decided, they start calling before they decide:
âHey, I saw your newsletter about the changes in estimated tax rules. I have a questionâŠâ
âWeâre thinking of buying a commercial property. Before anything, what should I know?â
âMy partner wants to bring in an investor. Can we talk before we sign anything?â
Thatâs value. Thatâs what clients who donât compare prices pay for.
The key is being useful, not salesy.
YES:
NO:
The difference: âWhat this means for YOUR businessâ vs âLook at what we sell.â
âBut this information is available from the IRS. Anyone can read it.â
Yes. And nobody does.
Your clients arenât going to read IRS publications. Or tax code updates. Or regulatory bulletins.
Your value isnât having the information. Your value is:
The IRS doesnât do that. Free newsletters from professional associations donât do that. You do that.
âSounds great, but Iâm already drowning. Where do I find time to write newsletters?â
Valid question. And hereâs the reality:
Thatâs why automation is the only sustainable solution.
Modern tools can:
Solutions like Nalo monitor relevant sources, draft the newsletter, and let you add your expert perspective before sending. What would take hours becomes a quick review.
Your job isnât writing from scratch. Itâs reviewing, adding your judgment (âfor self-employed individuals in your situation, this meansâŠâ), and approving.
You donât need a complex strategy:
The first months will seem silent. Normal.
But around week 8-12, youâll start noticing:
And around month 4-6:
Consistent monthly communication isnât magic. Itâs math: more presence = more trust = more consultations = more services sold.
Tax season shouldnât be your only contact with clients.
The value you can provide throughout the year is what differentiates you from âthe cheap online service.â Itâs what converts $300/year clients into $3,000/year clients.
And it starts with something simple: being present monthly with useful information.
Your future as an advisorânot a preparerâdepends on it.
