Your time, talent, and knowledge are valuable commodities. This is why many professionals hesitate to give anything that involves those things away for free. But free does not equal loss. In some cases it can actually benefit or help grow your tax practice. Between our sister tax firm, Peoples Tax, and The Income Tax School, we give a lot away. But we’re smart about it.
If you’re asking yourself “Why should I give anything away?” Here are some things to consider.
Free Tax Information
Tax information comes in many forms. While you shouldn’t sit down with someone line by line and show them how to file their tax return… for free… there are many forms of free information that could benefit your practice or firm by showing off your knowledge and raising your credibility.
Doing a free tax seminar is one great way to network and instill confidence that you know what you’re talking about. Seminars are a great way to get your foot in the door at a new networking organization and get in front of new audiences. Hosting a seminar at your office is also a great way to get new people into your office. The few pointers you give won’t solve all of their tax problems but it will show your tax knowledge.
Giving away tax information on a blog or in a forum is also a way to give yourself credibility. Offering up valuable info on your blog builds trust, adds value for current clients and gives people a reason to keep coming back to your website. Offering up information or tips on a forum builds relationships and is a great way to network with people online. If you’re offering information in this way, make sure you follow up with a way for people to contact you.
Free Checking of Returns
At Peoples Tax, we offer to check returns (prepared by us or not) for free with no obligation. Why should we offer to check returns for free? It’s gives us a chance to show potential customers who self-prepared how we could have saved them money.
Money-Back Guarantees
We also offer a money-back guarantee to all Peoples Tax clients. If clients are not completely satisfied with our tax preparation service, they may decline to accept the return and there will be no fee. We offer this money-back guarantee as a way to build trust. When there are no strings attached, and clients are afforded a “way out” if they are not satisfied, the decision to file their return through us is much easier.
These are all great ways to give out free information or services that won’t break the bank and will instead help you build relationships and establish yourself as a trusted advisor in the tax world.