season

plus some suggested answers.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

here are two questions to ask yourself:

1. why should clients use you?

2. why should staff want to work for you?

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the good news: they’re preventable.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

here are the top 12 tax return preparation errors:

1. 1. number transposition and spelling errors. this includes income and deduction amounts and client social security numbers, addresses and zip codes. spelling errors should also be avoided – they indicate a lack of attention to what you are doing.
   2. unreported 1099 income. clients frequently leave out 1099s, but the preparer should make sure all 1099 items from last year are accounted for. missing 1099s that were not final for last year should be accounted for.
   3. tax payments. entering incorrect and unpaid amounts can be avoided by requiring the client to provide “proof” of the payments. entering “incorrect” amounts provided by the client is a major cause of tax notices.

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or target the source of your discontentment.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

successful people are happy with their practices and what they do and get joy from interacting and helping clients.  i know a lot of accountants who continuously complain about tax season – yet they make most of their money during the period.

more on tax season: 10 questions every reviewer should be able to answer | 16 qualities of a good tax season client | 8 ways to delight tax season clients | small tax season leaks can cause great damage | 5 ways thorough beats sloppy in tax season | here’s your new tax season marketing plan | 5 personal touches for tax season | 11 clear client instructions to make your tax season easier

do they expect someone to knock on their door with a wheelbarrow of money to hand them? if they are financially secure, why do they keep working? if they are not, then, duh! either do it or find something else, but stop complaining. better yet, look at all the benefits from what you do (if you need me to tell you the benefits then find something else to do).
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we need each other. make the relationship a good one.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

clients are our customers who pay our salaries and present us with stimulating opportunities allowing us to grow.

more on tax season: 8 ways to delight tax season clients | small tax season leaks can cause great damage | 5 ways thorough beats sloppy in tax season | when ‘quick and easy’ tax season research isn’t

there is no such thing as a bad or nuisance client – although there are clients who sometimes do bad or nuisance things.
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bonus checklist: 5 key points to keep in mind.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

some people are micromanagers and anal with details. others are big-picture managers, letting details take care of themselves.  neither is completely effective and both disciplines need to be balanced.

more on tax season: 5 ways thorough beats sloppy in tax season | here’s your new tax season marketing plan | when ‘quick and easy’ tax season research isn’t | 5 personal touches for tax season | consistency simplifies tax season | 11 clear client instructions to make your tax season easier | 3 ways to build a tax season team | have fun this tax season | how to get paid faster this tax season

there is a time for details and a time for big-picture thinking. when setting up procedures and processes it is essential that all details be considered and planned for. once the process is set up, there should be brief but continuous monitoring. and then the big-picture thinking should take over – that is where you will make your money.

but you can’t get to the big picture ever if you are always immersed in the details. not setting up methods right at the beginning – or permitting a lack of adherence to them – will thwart any chance of growth and the success you can achieve.

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make sure your staff feel the same way.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

don’t be sloppy instead of thorough.

all work has to be reviewed. and clients and others look at it.

sloppy work is always evident and usually incomplete. thorough work is careful and usually complete.

more on tax season: here’s your new tax season marketing plan | when ‘quick and easy’ tax season research isn’t | 5 personal touches for tax season | consistency simplifies tax season | 11 clear client instructions to make your tax season easier | 3 ways to build a tax season team | how to get paid faster this tax season

thorough work takes longer when first being worked on, but review time is drastically reduced. further sloppy work takes longer to be reviewed and longer for the preparer to be acclimated with the file when picking it up to make changes.

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