Odds are you already have a really good website. Heck you probably got it from me, in which case you have a really great website.

This article isn’t so much for you. Please keep reading! It may help you use your website more effectively, but rest assured all the toools and design features I’m about to talk about are already integrated into your CPA Site Solutions website!

If you have a paid a professional design company to custom build your site I want you to take a look at it and honestly evaluate something: Did they hone in on your website’s customer retention potential?

Current clients are an important component of your CPA firm website’s strategic market. A little attention to what current clients secretly want from your website will go a long way towards keeping them with you.

For example, consider putting a “Secure File Transfer” tool on your website. Clients will enjoy the ability to quickly and effortlessly transmit records to your accountancy. Whenever tax season rolls around, it can be a Godsend. Your customers, especially the ones most prone to procrastination, will genuinely value being able to deliver their late forms to you without the cost of priority delivery.

Another tool that clients love is online tax organizers. Most accounting website providers offer downloadable tax organizers, but the cutting-edge is a tax organizer that can actually be filled out online. These secure forms can be filled out from anyplace with an internet connection and include a save function so they can be completed at the client’s leisure .

Business owners’ needs are probably a priority for your firm. Imagine how much time they can save with online payroll. Not only is it easy for your clients, but payroll companies make it easy for you too.

These elite clients will also really appreciate an online library of relevant tax forms that they can print out as needed. The IRS offers all their forms and periodicals as downloadable PDFs so it’s a simple matter to include links to these resources. Your website will help clients navigate through to what they need.

Another IRS feature that’s easy to re-brand and add to your website is an automated form for tracking your clients’ tax refunds. This wonderful client benefit will also save your staff time answering the common question “when will my refund arrive?”

Growing customers into true fans is not just beneficial for customer loyalty, it’s also good for appealing to new clients. Incorporating a “Testimonials” section on CPA websites is an excellent marketing tool. Customers enjoy the interactivity of adding their experience. What’s more, great testimonials speak more convincingly and more personally than any marketing effort, so you’ll be getting a double bang for your buck.

Although the economic climate may be tight, this is actually a great time to build your firm.

The recession affects everyone. Still, those worries are paired with opportunity. Make arrangements to connect with your business customers, new leads, and clients that are influential and offer them some extra, highly personalized services. This can result in not just developing your customer base, but it can also help you increase your client base.

Your best clients will always be by referral, and when there are fewer clients to go around it’s a good idea to try to shift your focus from getting the most clients to getting the best clients. Providing exceptional personal service is the best way to do this. For a relatively small investment in time you’ll soon find your clients are no longer customers but have become fans, and they will eagerly refer you to their friends and associates.

Before the busy tax season, a great way to get started with your clients is to plan 4th quarter tax planning sessions. Most professionally designed CPA websites have calendar functions that can help with appointment setting. The uncertainty of the economy creates an opportunity to explain to your clients that their lives are dependent on impact planning. It has a direct impact on their future.

An important metric for the impact of successful tax planning is money. However, boosting the confidence of your client and giving them some hope is the real value. This provides a real competitive advantage for your business. Your leadership gives your clients confidence and a sense of hope. This will make them more dependent on your firm. It will also help them manage day to day stress. Reducing stress can of course improve your clients’ lives.

Tax planning effectively isn’t just about minimizing the amount of taxes a client needs to pay over a period of time. It also has to do with investing, managing cash flow, and in some cases, planning an estate. You want to bring your clients lives back to order. This is the true value of effective tax planning. The natural result is managing fear, reducing negativity and alleviating stress. This can significantly improve the quality of your clients’ lives.

Once you have properly executed a planning session, it can make a big difference in terms of referrals. Your clients will speak of their experience to their family, co-workers, and friends. It is a great way to set your CPA practice apart from the competition, increase your client base, gain referrals and for existing clients, expand your service engagements.

At the planning session, you should:

1. Listen to and validate the concerns about the current economy. You don’t want to sound too optimistic or you will not seem realistic. Your client is not thinking optimistically.
2. Relate the client’s concerns to their situation in particular. Everyone is affected differently by recession, so speaking generally will not be as effective as if you connect someone’s personal concerns about the economy to their situation.
3. You must be realistic. Everyone needs to file taxes, it is inevitable. This shifts the client’s focus to their lives instead of the act of filing taxes.
4. Effective tax planning can bring a sense of hope. You need to present strong guidance. You can create a CPA website reference library of topics on which you can coach, which will help you improve your clients’ lives by giving them a sense of direction.

Here’s how to combine all of these points:

Keep in mind that everyone is feeling stress and anxiety about the economy, and the reality is that it will likely become worse before it improves. For clients with kids, this is especially hard. The responsibilities of parenthood are frightening enough even in the best of times. To help your clients adjust do more than just file a return, help them out by doing some strategic financial planning with them. Show them that no matter what the future brings they’ll be able to adapt effectively.

It is important to remember that recessions bring anxiety, stress, and uncertainty. In order to make informed decisions, you must provide strong leadership for your clients. It isn’t just about filing a tax return.

Arranging tax and fiscal planning with influential customers is the most effortless and cost effective method of increasing your firm’s profile within your local community. Your customers will speak of you, telling others how your business spent the extra time with them helping them manage their lives and their finances, not just filing their tax return.

OK, maybe this isn’t the most original post I’ve ever done.

If you Google the keywords “Charlie Sheen Marketing” you’ll see at least a dozen articles with titles like “Charlie Sheen: Crackpot or Marketing Genius”. Now personally I don’t see why he can’t be both. Madness and genius has never been an “either or” proposition and I’ve certainly seen plenty of evidence to support both contentions. Of course exploring narcissistic personality disorders probably won’t do much to help you build your practice, but whether with intent or just by dumb luck he’s demonstrated some highly effective marketing techniques that even us mere mortals should be taking advantage of.

CPA firms are no different from other businesses in that they need to bring in new clients as well as retain old ones. To accomplish that, your optimal weapon is an useful, pleasing website that clients find helpful over and over.

Good inbound marketing for CPA websites is dignified but never boring. If you’re providing valuable content to your clients with online articles and targeted emails, you will attract clients. And you will keep them because they appreciate your responsible guidance.

Good accounting websites consistently report on the latest developments in the profession. Show that you’re looking towards the future. Or as Charlie Sheen says, “I’m more interested in what I can do next than what I did last.”

Don’t be hesitant about sharing tips that can save tax money and expenses. Other firms will envy your confidence.

Keep abreast of the latest tips to aid your clients, and load them onto your website. Along with your valuable information should be an easy financial calculating tool for the client to see how much money can be saved by using the suggestion he or she just read.

To be dignified is not to be cowardly, but to show your strength as a smart defender of your client. Great accounting websites project loyalty to clients, and confidence in yourself–”you’re either in my corner, or you’re with the trolls” says Charlie, but if you turn this around a little it can actually work for you. Show your clients you’re in their corner and they’ll respond with loyalty and respect.

Effective accounting websites should be personable and very open to communication. Want to encourage contact and trust? List contact information for all your professional staff on your website.

Prospective clients are taking a risk when they meet with a new accountant. You can lesson that risk and welcome them by offering free initial consults. That signals to the client that you’ve got their back.

Having blogs on accounting websites adds friendliness and builds a community of clients and professionals who all share the same concerns and goals.

Follow these tips and you’ll be amazed. An online inbound marketing campaign is more powerful and more economical than traditional advertising.You’ll build credibility and loyalty by drawing people interested in financial services to you, instead of shooting ads blindly to the masses.

Often there is backlash against the offensive marketing “hard-sell.” But inbound marketing, involving communication only with individuals who locate your accountant website due to their own drive, takes only a gentle assurance that the person has identified the most expert accountants in town, who rightly may proclaim like Charlie, “I try to be known more for my work than for anything else.”

Retailers offer great deals and interesting products to get repeat customers, but CPAs and accounting firms need to be more creative to keep their clients coming back. Superb bookkeeping, helpful CPA websites, and flawless tax filings make for satisfied clients – but a competitor down the street could be offering the same excellent service. CPAs need an edge to make sure their clients stick with them. Otherwise, they need to spend too much of their time attracting new work.

Here are several tips for how to retain clients.

Use CPA Websites and Other Tools to Develop Client Relationships

When the job is all about numbers, a personal feel is sometimes difficult to establish. Here are some steps you can take to humanize your business:

• Make follow-up calls to ensure clients have no further questions, that their tax forms were processed correctly, and that their business is doing well.
• Set up a web presence. Accountant websites provide helpful tax tips and financial information for clients, as well as time-saving features like a client portal or a credit card processing service.
• Utilize social media and answer easy accounting questions on your Facebook page or blog.
• Keep small personal notes on each client. Ask about their children, their career, or their success in school next time you see them; it gives you instant likability. People are more comfortable trusting financial issues to those with whom they have personal relationships.

Be Realistic – Then Wow Them

It’s important not to set your clients’ expectations too high. For example, if they turn in their tax materials on April 13, you don’t want them to be disappointed when you need to file an extension.

That being said, you should always work to deliver more than you’ve promised. If a client does turn in her documents on the 13th and you ARE able to get her return done on time, make sure she understands you’ve gone above and beyond for her.

CPA websites can help here, too. If you invest in a high-quality site with a client portal, online bookkeeping, QuickBooks support, and similar features, your clients will benefit. The increased efficiency and convenience of online tools make a great impression.

Act with Integrity

Unfortunately, many people automatically assume those who deal with financial matters are dishonest. Since the deck may already be stacked against you, you must work that much harder to provide honest services.

To combat this, never stretch the truth and always provide bad news in a gentle, straightforward manner.

It also helps to express your trustworthiness in other ways. Being courteous, considerate, and always following through on your promises are other ways you can convey your honesty. The little things really do add up.

Practice Prompt Communication

Hard-to-reach businesses lose customers. When clients are worried about money, waiting hours or days for a return phone call provides ample time for increased fears. Regardless of the reason, clients may be concerned that lack of contact means something is wrong.

Make sure your office is able to deliver prompt communication on all issues. Follow up by phone or email as soon as you can, even if it’s just to report that you’ll be in touch with more information later.

Be Yourself

People like to work with other human beings, not robots. If you are funny, be funny. If you are smart, be smart. Not every customer will see your personality as a fit for theirs, but that’s okay. Conforming to the desires of every customer means you are not a match for any.

Learning how to retain clients is important for anyone in the service industry, and CPAs and other financial professionals are no exception. Remember: the more you can use accounting websites, social media, and your own winning personality to satisfy your clients, the easier it will be to keep folks on your client list. Focus your client-retention efforts most intensely on the highest paying clientele and you should be able to enjoy a stable base of clients and a pleasing bottom line.

As CPAs, we serve the unique needs of governments and non-profits, individuals, and businesses from every corner of the private sector. They all turn to us to help them resolve some of their most complex, vexing, and urgent issues.

Of course, clients retain CPAs because of our experience and expertise in knowing how to save them money and grow their assets, but most CPAs also know that there’s something more that underlies all of this.

Our clients entrust us to provide solutions to some of the biggest problems they face because we offer them peace of mind. CPAs are paid to be flawlessly organized, trustworthy, and responsible in resolving client issues, and equally so in handling sensitive client information.

Why We Need Client Portals

The unique level of responsibility that comes with acting as stewards of our clients’ most sensitive information has made the use of secure, Web-based client portals an absolute necessity for all CPAs. Client portals allow a secure, streamlined, and customizable alternative to email for the transfer and storage of sensitive information, as well as an interactive platform in which to engage and collaborate with clients.

Since their introduction, client portals have been used to:

• quickly and easily transfer large files, including QuickBooks files;
• a way to receive client source documents and make completed tax returns available to clients;
• invoice clients and collect credit card payments; and
• provide a real-time environment in which to update payroll information for payroll clients.

The Question of Security

Using a password-protected client portal is tantamount to having a safety deposit box for each client’s files that only the client and his CPA have a key to. Many client portals include the same impressive 128-bit SSL encryption used by banks and other financial institutions to ensure that only authorized individuals have access.

Portals are also extremely reliable, usually offering the assurance of network uptime in excess of 99.9%.

CDs and Thumb Drives: A Real Advantage?

The transfer of traditional hard copy files to digital media has been in practice for years, and it’s a great way to reduce storage space, save cost, provide an environmentally responsible alternative to paper files, and add redundancy for backup purposes.

However, digital media of this kind has always had the same intrinsic flaws: information on hard drives, CDs, and thumb drives cannot be easily accessed or updated by individuals in different locations.

And because most email won’t allow more than 10 MB of data to be transmitted, larger files stored on CD or thumb drives have had to be sent by courier. This has meant a lot of extra expense and often unacceptable delays, not to mention the inherent security risk.

Due to these limitations, digital media has NOT been a great improvement from the archaic paper filing systems used years ago.

But with client portals, both the client and his CPA have immediate access to files anywhere in the world, as well as the ability to make real-time updates.

Client Portals Get Rave Reviews

Since most clients are familiar with Web-based systems – taking advantage of similar systems that have been in place for years to review bank statements and pay invoices –  they are quick to embrace and adapt to the use of client portals when working with their CPA.

In fact, they are so widely used now that many clients have come to expect client portals and show a strong preference for them over more archaic and less secure methods of payment, data transfer and storage, and real-time collaboration.

Find more accounting information, like details on how to become an accountant and CPA requirements, on AccountingEDU.org.

Looking for a way to make tax season simpler? Our Tax Organizer just got its annual makeover and is ready for the 2011 tax season.

This next-generation Tax Organizer is a dynamic web application that allows your clients to organize their tax information online, saving you time when preparing their taxes. You and your clients can securely access your client’s tax information anytime from anywhere, eliminating the time and expense involved in mailing paper organizers.

As always, the fully customizable Organizer offers you a secure way to catalogue your clients’ documentation and returns from year-to-year. Encouraging your clients to use the Tax Organizer can save you both the hassle of driving around town to deliver paperwork, and saves you the hassle of having to manually enter their information into your tax software.

Interested in learning more about the Tax Organizer? Click here to watch a video.

Q: What feature of CPA websites skyrocketed in popularity in 2010, with usage increasing nearly 550%?

A: The secure Client Portal.

That’s right. Once misunderstood and unappreciated, the Client Portal is finally enjoying the adulation it deserves.

Small business owners, taxpayers, and other accounting clients are smartly using the Portal to increase convenience, efficiency, and security.

That’s fantastic, and we’re delighted, because we know it makes your lives as accountants easier, too.

But what about the clients who still don’t see the benefit? How do we convince them to make the switch from email (which is cumbersome and, more important, not secure) or snail mail (which is just too slow in this day and age) to exchanging and storing files in the Client Portal?

We thought we’d let your clients see it in action – with a video.

New Client Portal Page for Your Website – Now with Video

If you think your clients need a bit more nudging to register for your secure Client Portal, then consider adding our new page describing the Client Portal.

It includes a one-minute video that shows just how clients use the Portal to exchange files with you.

Here’s how the new page looks:

And here’s the video:

Learning something new by reading about it is fine… but watching a video works much better. Being able to see how easy the Client Portal really is – how few clicks it takes to navigate and how intuitive it is – helps clients embrace it.

How to Get the New Page

To take advantage of this new page and convince more of your clients to use the Portal, either ask us or do it yourself:

• For our Gold and Platinum clients: give us a call at 1-800-896-4500, email support@cpasitesolutions.com, or leave a comment below. We’ll get the new page added within 1 business day.
• For our Silver clients: all you have to do is remove the old Client Portal page and add the new page with the video. Read this Help file for instructions on how to remove and add a page. The page is called “Client Portal.”
• Sole Proprietor or Multi-Partner Firm? If you’re a sole proprietor, you can add the video that uses “I” language instead of the default “we” language. That page is “Client Portal (Sole Proprietor).”

A Note on SecureSend

The video refers to SecureSend, which was formerly known as QuickSend. SecureSend allows your clients to quickly and securely send files to the Client Portal without having to log in to their account, or even have an account. It’s an even easier way to use the Client Portal – and it’s totally secure because it retains the Portal’s 14 layers of security.

If you have not yet added SecureSend to your site, you should add it now so that the video makes sense to your clients.

Silver clients, read this Help file to learn how to add the page, and read this Help file to see how to change the name of the page from QuickSend to SecureSend.

Of course, if you’re a Gold or Platinum client, we’ll take care of this for you.

Questions? Just Give Us a Call

If you’re unsure of the benefits of adding the new Client Portal page, or you’re unclear on how to do so, just give us a call at 1-800-896-4500, or email support@cpasitesolutions.com. We’re here to help you.

What other tactics have you used to “sell” your clients on the Portal? Let us know with a comment, or post your suggestion on our Facebook wall.

Brian O'Connell, President

In website design, color is critical. It has a powerful effect on your audience’s psychology, and it can help establish the brand for your firm.

Why does this matter? Because your website is your most important marketing tool. You want your visitors to get an immediate sense of who you are as a firm – and color achieves this in the blink of an eye.

When potential clients see your personality clearly and quickly, it forms your Unique Selling Proposition – or what makes you stand out from your competitors and persuade prospects to sign up with you.

But how do you know which colors project what image?

In this post, I’d like to discuss the meaning conveyed by different colors so you can decide whether your current CPA website design is in line with the personality of your company.

What Colors Mean

Here’s an overview of what various colors “mean” on an unconscious level:

Red – passion, danger, excitement, action

Blue – trustworthiness, success, power, professionalism

Green – money, health, nurturing, friendly

Orange – creativity, fun, affordability, youth

Grey – neutrality, indifference, reserved

White - purity, cleanliness, simplicity

What Image Do You Want to Project?

To use this knowledge about color’s effect on our psychology, you might consider taking a few minutes to determine what personality you want to project.

Are you the strictly serious firm that serves mostly corporate clients? If so, blue with grey accents is a good choice.

Are you a more youthful, creative firm? You could benefit from an orange design with white accents.

Are you a no-holds-barred firm that specializes in tax relief and audit representation? Red is an excellent color for you.

Here Are Some Examples…

1. A nice color scheme for a sole proprietor who targets smaller clients is green and white, as shown below in Design 343.

Design 343 in green projects friendliness and healthiness - perfect for a sole proprietor.

2. Firms who want to be known for their big personalities and no-nonsense approach might want to pick a red design like 436.

Design 436 in red is bold and active - just the right image for a firm focusing on IRS audit representation.

3. For a conservative firm that wants to be known for its by-the-books professionalism, a design like 379 in blue gets the right image across.

Design 379 in blue is just right for the more traditional firm serving businesses and wealthier clients.

Need a Better Color for Your Website?

If you think your current website design is projecting the wrong image, just switch it! A new design is absolutely free and can be up and running within 2 business days.

Check out our Design Portfolio to find a style and color palette to suit your firm’s personality. Then give us a call at 1-800-896-4500 or email support@cpasitesolutions.com to request the change.

If you’re in the market for a CPA website, give us a try and enjoy our risk-free 60-day trial.

Brian O'Connell, President

Over this holiday, I’ve been treating myself to exploring the world of accounting blogs.

I like what I see.

I’m delighted that a lot of accountants have taken the plunge into regular blogging.

They’ve decided they want to reap the benefits of regular blogging: connect with clients on a more personal level, establish themselves as experts in their field, and boost their visibility in the search engines.

I’ve found that a few CPA and accounting blogs really stand out above the others. Here’s my list of best accounting blogs for 2010.

My Best of 2010 List

AxiomCPA – Joey Brannon, CPA, P.C., does a nice job of mixing accounting content and general interest videos and comments in this easy-to-read blog.

Brumley’s Blog – Scott Brumley, CPA, offers accounting tips as well as comments on technology.

Deduct Me Blog – Kara Haas, CPA, P.C., writes this engaging blog and makes great use of catchy headlines to grab her readers’ attention.

Don’t Mess with Taxes – Journalist Kay Bell writes this informative blog providing tax and personal finance tips.

Empower Your Business – This blog focuses on accounting for businesses. Written by Nick Roberts of New Zealand.

The Fraud Files Blog – Tracy Coenen keeps this niche blog on fraud, scams, scandals, and court cases.

Golden Practices Blog – Michelle Golden provides this popular and high-profile blog, and she also publishes a fairly comprehensive list of accounting-related blogs.

The Leadership Notebook – Although this blog by leadership coach Mary Werner is for accountants themselves rather than their clients, I’m impressed by Ms. Werner’s signature in each post, which adds a personal touch, and her use of graphics and epigraphs.

It’s Taxing – Written by Bond Beebe accountants and advisors, this blog is clean, easy to read, and informative.

Phil Hogan’s blog – This chartered accountant’s blog is set up with several teaser posts on the home page that entice you to click and read more.

The Potts Report – Potts and Company, CPAs, make excellent use of images in their posts, and their headlines are short but also descriptive.

Small Business Blog – CPA firm Cherry, Bekaert & Holland provide this substantive blog on accounting for small businesses.

Social CPAs – Here’s another blog for accountants, and it addresses the important topic of “social media insights for the accounting profession.” Written by Barry MacQuarrie, CPA.

Taste of Taxes – The design of this blog is clean and the headlines are easy to read. Written by MaloneBailey LLP.

Try Your Hand at Blogging!

To get started with blogging, sign up for one of our complete Web suites.

Each of our CPA website includes an integrated blog, which can get you up and running in the blogosphere quickly and easily. Or, if you want to design the blog yourself, choose one of WordPress blog packages. Call us at 1-800-896-4500 with questions, or email support@cpasitesolutions.com.

Enjoy my list of the Best Accounting Blogs of 2010. And if you think I missed one, let me know in a comment.

Here’s to blogging for your accounting firm in 2011!

Brian O'Connell, President

Are your clients satisfied with you? You want to believe they are – but sometimes clients get frustrated with their accountants because of what seems a small thing:

They can’t get in touch with you.

Especially during busy season, this becomes a real problem. A client who has a simple question becomes increasingly annoyed when their calls go unanswered. You may have your nose to the grindstone, but, despite your best efforts, your clients may start looking for another CPA if they can’t get two minutes with you on the phone.

I want to show you how to leverage CPA websites to mitigate this problem.

Using all kinds of tools that come with your site, you can provide your clients with the high level of customer service they’re expecting. Which gets you satisfied clients.

When You’re Too Busy for the Phone

When you’re chest-deep in client work, you don’t want to take the time to answer the phone. It interrupts the flow and dramatically lowers your efficiency.

In the busy season, encourage your clients to use these methods to get their questions answered – and avoid the phone.

Contact Us Forms

All websites with CPA Site Solutions come with a “Contact Us” form that clients and prospects can fill out on their own time with their question and contact information. Each submission generates an email to your inbox.

This means your clients feel the relief of submitting their question, and you can answer them when it’s convenient for you.

Clients can schedule meetings with you right on your website.

Book Appointments Online

Half the time, clients call you just to schedule an appointment. Wouldn’t it be helpful if they could schedule those themselves?

Well, they can, with our “Book Appointments Online” feature. They see your calendar (with your busy times simply marked “busy”) and they fill out a simple form that requests an appointment for one of your free blocks.

FAQs

Sometimes clients have answers to standard questions and they don’t really need personalized service. That’s where your FAQs come in, which come free with all our websites.

Here are some examples of questions your FAQs answer:

• When should I refinance my home?

• How much should I expect to pay in closing costs?

• Is interest on educational loans tax deductible?

• What kind of records do I need to keep in my business?

Videos

A video is an excellent way to get information across. With the enormous popularity of YouTube, folks are increasingly comfortable with this format.

It’s not hard to make your own video! I recommend Screenr. With this free tool, you can record yourself answering clients’ most common questions. Not only does it satisfy their need for information, but it also puts them at ease to see and hear you talking. It’s almost like a little appointment in itself.

Keep Clients Happy with Our Help

We are more than happy to help you take advantage of any or all of these methods to stay in touch with clients – and keep them satisfied with you.

If you have any questions about these features, give us a call at 1-800-896-4500 or email us at support@cpasitesolutions.com.

Remember – although it doesn’t take much to annoy your clients, it also doesn’t take much to make them happy again.