You’ve been waiting and waiting for the perfect time to reach out to your list of CPAs so you can establish mutually-beneficial relationships with them. The wait is over. You’ve read our past blogs and have done everything you can to make their lives easier during this crazy time of year. And now, the time has finally come! Tax season is over! That means you’ve got every green light telling you this is the most appropriate time to reach out to them, right?
Wrong.
Keep in mind that while tax season is over, most CPAs still have piles and piles of work and lengthy to-do lists to get through. Clients expect them to be readily available so their phone is ringing off the hook and they have to catch up on all the work they didn’t have time to do during the filing season. And for the select few that don’t have any work to do, well, they’re most likely sipping on a Pina Colada somewhere in Mexico.
If you want to establish and improve on the relationships you have with CPAs, it’s important to respect their time. Go ahead and send that email or make that call now, but when doing so, make it a point to acknowledge how busy they may be and how you understand they may not be able to get back to you right away—and that’s ok. They will appreciate having the flexibility to respond to you when it’s convenient for them and you will reap the benefits of showing empathy for the crazy schedule CPAs tend to keep.
So now the question is: What do you do after sending that email or making that call? Today we’re going to give you 7 things you can do while you wait.
- Work on Your Own Marketing
This is one of the biggest things that CPAs work on in their off-season. They may want to get it done immediately after tax season ends while they’re still in “work mode.” You may want to consider doing the same!
- Take a Class, Attend a Conference or Read a Book
How can you improve yourself professionally? Maybe it’s a new program you’ve been dying to try for business and you need help getting started. Or maybe there’s a conference you need to attend because it will include all of the latest and greatest strategies to use when growing your company. Perhaps, there’s a new book out that you’ve been waiting for a chance to read. Whatever it is, this is a great time to learn something new.
- Gather Testimonials from Current or Former Clients
Testimonials are one of the most powerful ways to prove that you are good at what you do. You can toot your own horn all day, but when someone else toots your horn for you, well, it holds significantly more weight. Testimonials come in handy every time you’re working to attract new clients. They’re also great credibility-builders you ought to consider sharing with the CPAs you’re targeting.
- Start a Blog (or Bring Your Existing Blog Back to Life)
If you already have a blog, this is a great time to plan ahead. Create a schedule (known in the blogging industry as an “editorial calendar”) and maybe even write some posts in advance so you don’t have to worry about going MIA online when business picks back up for you. If you don’t have a blog, you really ought to re-think that. We live in a digital world and content marketing is the #1 way you can drive new business to your doorstep.
- Organize the Files on Your Computer
Let’s be real. You’re not doing this as frequently as you should be, are you? You might be shocked at just how much clutter you have taking up space on your computer. This is a great opportunity to do some “spring cleaning” and trust us, your computer will thank you. And as a bonus: You’ll probably find that it’s easier for you to focus and get work done without all that “stuff” slowing your system down.
- Do Something Creative
Have you always dreamed of learning to paint? Or maybe you’re an adrenaline junkie that’s always thought sky-diving could be your sport? One of the best ways to stimulate your creative juices is to get outside and/or do something different.
- Clean up Your Email Inbox
How many email subscriptions do you have that you haven’t read in years? It might be time to unsubscribe. Unroll.Me is a great tool made just for this. Simply put in your email login info and it will pull up every subscription you have and give you the option to unsubscribe or “roll” them all into one daily email. Seriously, this has saved my inbox from so much junk!
Waiting is hard. We know that. But the good news is, that CPA you’re trying to connect with won’t be busy forever. Eventually, you’ll get that response you’ve been waiting for and it will finally be time to build that working relationship. In the meantime, it really is best to keep yourself busy. You’ll get something done and you’ll show your CPA that you truly care about her needs at the same time. It really is a win-win.
That’s it for today. Jump down in the comments and let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to take on next month!
