Create a client service calendar to add value year round

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After a busy season like we just had, the last thing I want to do is put more on your plate. But your clients’ lives never stop changing. Their challenges never stop changing. They want to hear from you during the eight or nine months a year when it’s not tax season or extension time. So, you have more than two-thirds of the year available to deliver proactive value to your clients. That means anticipating their needs and concerns before they have to ask. 

Jack Welch called that foresight “seeing around the corners.” It could be sending a well-thought-out newsletter every month. It could be hosting a webinar about the issues your top clients are facing. It could be sharing an article with your top clients about a critical IRS announcement or release. 

For your top 25 to 30 clients (your A-List), this should be a direct touch from you, their most trusted advisor. In essence you’re saying, “Hey, I saw this, and I thought about you.” It could be something related to your client’s industry or a challenge they’re dealing with in their personal or financial life. 

When it comes to the frequency of client communication, there’s no magic formula. I’d say clients want to hear from you at least once per month. Again, I’m not talking about highly structured monthly meetings with your best clients every month. I’m simply recommending brief monthly touches implying: ”I’m here, and I'm thinking about you." 

 Here are six good examples:

1. Newsletter: Let’s take a monthly newsletter. Even if clients don’t read it carefully, having a message from you in their inbox will remind them to call you about an important matter that’s been on their minds.
   

2. Birthday calls: Another touchpoint is to call your best clients on their birthdays. Even better, call your clients on their spouse's birthday and say, “What are you doing to celebrate? Do you have anything exciting planned?” How many other advisors and contractors in their life are taking the time to do that? Zero!

   It shouldn’t take more than an hour a week to make birthday calls to your A-List clients. But it may be the most valuable hour you spend every week. For more about maximizing your high-margin activities, see my article Can you earn $10K per hour from your tax practice?
   

3. Branded swag: In the summer, you can send your best clients a custom Yeti tumbler with your firm’s logo imprinted. Even better, for your best clients who run a business, put your logo on one side and their logo on the other!  

   Trust me, they’ll bring that tumbler to the pool, lake or beach, and when people ask where they got it, you can tell by the look on their faces that they’re not receiving appreciation like that from their accounting firm. Before you know it, they’ll be thinking of making a switch. 
   

4. Humorous cards: Send out a funny Halloween card in October. Clients love those too. Chances are they’ve got some year-end things on their mind they’ve been “meaning to call you” about. 
   
5. Theme party: Have a theme party at your office, like a tax document shredding day in May. Make it a barbecue with shredded pork on the menu. It’s a great reason to send an invitation. 
   
6. Webinar: When hosting a timely webinar, don’t just make it about you. Invite an estate attorney, insurance pro or cost-segregation specialist who can help your clients solve a particular problem. It shows you are well-connected and have a wide range of capabilities. Record the webinar and make it available on-demand for your best clients who can’t attend live. Even better, send that webinar to an outside writer and have the writer craft an article about it.

Be proactive, not reactive

There’s no shortage of ways to remind clients you're always thinking of them and ready to help. Don’t sit back and wait for them to call you with a problem. Reach out to them proactively. As I wrote in my recent column, “Pricing tells a story,” clients depend on you to anticipate issues (proactive), not just resolve them when they come up (reactive).

Warning: Don’t just say you’re “checking in” or “touching base” on the first of the month. Clients see right through that and it’s a waste of everyone’s time. There’s enough stuff going on that you can figure out something that will add value to their life. Whether you’re educating them about a relevant rule change or addressing a changing circumstance in their personal lives, there’s always something to discuss. 

If you’re sharing an article with your best clients, don’t just forward the link to them and say, “FYI.” You need to explain briefly why the article is relevant to their situation and what they should be doing about it. 

Don’t get overwhelmed by the need to reach out and touch clients. Many of the tactics I’ve shared with you can be automated or delegated to your teams, such as producing the webinar, creating and sending the newsletter, or purchasing birthday cards and Yeti tumblers. They just need you for the high-level expertise. I’ve found that having a yearly calendar with planned topics or promotional activities for each month can be a huge help.

You’re the most trusted advisor for your clients. They want to hear from you. They need to hear from you. One of the greatest compliments you can receive from a client after reaching out is, ”Thanks for sending this. I was just about to call you.”

What’s your take on client service throughout the year? I’d love to hear from you.