Posts Tagged ‘Tax Season’

Not Long Now – Some Stress Management Suggestions

April 5th, 2012

With just under 2 weeks until the filing deadline stress levels are on the rise. Hopefully you’ve identified a couple of areas for improvement next year and have made a note of them to help streamline processes for future tax season. But a deadline is a deadline and stress mounts as we approach them.

I saw this on Mark Albrecht’s blog Going with the Flow and thought I’d share.

12 tips for managing your stress this tax season
Research suggests that there are a number of small things you can do to help mitigate the stress. After 35 tax seasons, I’m more than a little familiar with the job hazards caused by our profession’s annual cram session. Here are some of my favorite tips for reducing burnout.

1.  Don’t let long hours be your excuse to eat poorly – sugary snacks can leave you feeling drained of energy. A balanced diet with healthy snacks will help keep you energized. (poor diet can contribute to stress!)

2.  Resist the urge to procrastinate. Start tough assignments in the morning when you’re freshest. Even if you have to go back to complete it later in the day, it’s often easier knowing you’ve already made progress.

3.  Take frequent, timed breaks. Set your smart phone alarm to help you keep conversations to a minimum so you can stay on track (for fun, check out one of the many fake call apps).
4.  Exercise at your desk. (can’t get to the gym? shoot for a longer routine)
5.  Get outside – take a walk, go for a drive, or ride your bike to work – and soak in that vitamin D and fresh air!
6.  Stand up and stretch (even Richard Simmons has a video for that).
7.  Get organized – reducing clutter reduces stress.
8.  Reward yourself at the end of the day or the end of the week – go skiing, hiking, dine out…
9.  Meditate or practice yoga.
10. Listen to music. Bring in an iPod, or tune to a favorite radio station online. Be courteous to your colleagues if you’re in a shared space and use earbuds.
11. Laugh…read a favorite comic, keep a joke book handy, or (if permitted) watch a short clip from a favorite comedy. Laughter helps put things in perspective. You can also check out Tax Season Jokes of the Week.
12. Go digital to improve productivity and reduce overtime!
What do you do to reduce stress?
Good luck for April 17!

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Tax Season Joke of the Week

February 25th, 2011

Tax Season Joke of the Week

A graduate of a well-known university joins a major accounting firm. On his first day he dials a clerk and shouts into the phone, “Get me a box of pens, now!”

The person at the other end responds with, “You fool, do you know who you are talking to?”

“No,” replies the newly hired account.

“Well, I’m the Managing Partner!” the voice shouts the back.

With some quick thinking the new hire fires back with, “And do you know who YOU’RE talking to?”

To which the Managing Partner Replies, “No.”

“Good,” says the accountant as he promptly hangs up the phone.

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Have you ever been left 404′D?

January 28th, 2011

Do you have any idea what I’m talking about?

I was on my way back from another great North Carolina Focus Group meeting and flicking through the Southwest Airlines magazine and this came up in their Spirit Lexicon – their business dictionary.

In addition to it being the Atlanta area code, it’s also a HTTP standard response code meaning that the requested web page could not be located ERROR 404-URL could not be located. The term 404 describes someone in the office who is easily confused, and seemingly oblivious. Sometimes it’s best to avoid the 404 when it comes to team projects.

For example – The new paperless system must be a doozie – Joe came out of the training sessions looking completely 404.

Maybe some of your clients will be completely 404 this tax season.

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Get Marketing With the 2010 Tax Organizer

January 5th, 2011

This 4 page tax organizer is a great way to attract new clients. Here are some ideas for your marketing efforts:

  • Send to new homeowners
  • Insert the organizer into the local newspaper
  • Ask your current clients to pass it onto a friend

Of course you can use the tax organizer that is generated by your tax software, but I always find them extremely cumbersome, and they obviously can’t be used for prospective clients.

Premium members can download the 2010 Organizer from the premium resource section. You’ll need to insert your logo and contact details before you send it to the printers. We use www.wigtonline.com for our printing needs (much better quality than vistaprint). Regular members you can update the 2009 organizer found in the regular resource section. Premium membership is $35 per month. Find out more information about premium membership.

To get the new homeowners in your county contact Barry Weiner (barry@homeown.org) at www.homeown.org. 2020 members will get a special rate.

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Pre-Tax Season Marketing

November 13th, 2010

Now is the perfect time to be marketing for new clients! In fact we’ve just started our own New Homeowners Marketing Campaign – which year on year is our most successful client acquisition activity.

This year we had 964 new homeowners in our 10 mile radius, and right now they’re receiving the first letter of the homeowners series. The first letter is a simple ‘welcome to the neighborhood‘ which will be followed by the ‘free tax planning‘ letter in late November/ early December. Premium members can access two versions of each letter in the Premium Resources. The Tax Organizer and marketing post cards are still to come. Forgot your password? Click here.

Here are a couple of tips to help you get the most out of your New Homeowners Marketing Campaign:

  1. Think about your ‘call to action’ – what is going to make people pick up the phone and call YOU? For example tax planning, a profit improvement consultation or the New Business Kit.
  2. Make sure you have a screening script to weed out low-end, price sensitive prospects (Member’s Resource**). Train your team appropriately.
  3. Be ready to book appointments. Dedicate a particular time and day for prospective client interviews. Maybe even offer a drop-in tax planning center on Saturdays or the evenings.
  4. Be consistent – follow the program to the end. The end is the final postcard on April 1.

A complaint I have heard is that new homeowners are often one-time clients. And yes that can be true if you let it. Have your client selection criteria ready to make sure new clients fit with your firm profile. We pick up a handful of great business clients each year as well a lot of really good individual clients who are delighted when we talk to them about wealth management.

We use www.homeown.org and 2020 members will get a special rate. Contact Barry Weiner (barry@homeown.org) to find out how many new homeowners there are in your neighborhood.

Please give me a call if there’s anything we can help you with. We love to talk!

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