The One Question That Turns Tax Prep Into Advisory Revenue

Lee Reams

Welcome to the Growth Minded Accountant Podcast, where our experts share best practices for running your firm in the digital age. This podcast is brought to you by CountingWorks PRO.

Welcome back to another episode of the Growth Minded Accountant Podcast. My name is Lee Reams. I'm the founder and CEO of CountingWorks. Today we're going to build on what we started last week. We talked about questions you can ask at the beginning of a tax interview, and today's topic is the one question you can ask at the end of every tax interview.

The goal is to help you open the door to advisory work without selling, feeling uncomfortable, pitching services, or slowing down tax season. That's important because if every tax appointment suddenly turns into an advisory conversation, you may not be able to bill for it properly, and appointments can start running into one another. We have some strategies for avoiding that problem.

As usual, I'm joined by Rebekah Winters Barton, our Chief Visibility Officer.

Rebekah Winters Barton

Hey everyone.

Lee Reams

I think everyone can relate to this. There's a moment at the end of every tax interview that most firms rush through, and it's quietly costing them tens of thousands of dollars per year. That's not because clients don't need planning, and it's not because firms can't sell advisory services. The problem is that valuable insight often dies at the table.

Clients mention opportunities, concerns, and future plans. Those comments surface during the interview, but if they aren't captured and followed up on, they disappear. The issue isn't upselling advisory services. The issue is preventing opportunities from evaporating because you're moving too fast during March and April.

During tax season, you're in execution mode. You're gathering documents, answering questions, managing deadlines, and keeping appointments on schedule. Most meetings end with something like, 'Do you have any questions for me?' It's polite and professional, but it also signals that the engagement is complete and the conversation is closed.

Even if an advisory opportunity surfaced during the discussion, you're effectively saying, 'See you next year.' That's where growth leaks out of the firm.

We spend a lot of time helping firms build year-round advisory messaging. Whether it's tax advisory, CFO advisory, capital advisory, or another service, clients need repeated exposure to the value before they're ready to engage. That's why ongoing marketing matters.

Rebekah Winters Barton

Nobody buys advisory services in March because you asked one question. That's simply not how people make decisions. What matters is consistent exposure over time.

You want messaging that becomes familiar, trusted, and authoritative. By the time a client sits down for a tax interview, they've already seen your newsletters, social media content, educational articles, and advisory messaging. Those repeated exposures help them understand the value of what you do.

The more familiar people become with your advisory services throughout the year, the more likely they are to move forward when tax season arrives. That's how marketing creates real business outcomes.

Lee Reams

I agree, but if you've done the marketing correctly, one question can absolutely open the door.

Growth-minded accounting firms understand that the best advisory opportunities don't come from pitching. They come from listening. Clients constantly reveal advisory signals.

They'll say things like, 'Next year I want to start a business,' or 'We're thinking about selling our home.' Maybe they're hiring employees, selling stock, selling a rental property, restructuring a business, or helping an aging parent move into assisted living.

They don't label these comments as advisory opportunities. They simply mention them in passing.

Most firms acknowledge the comment and move on. They focus on compliance questions and getting the return completed. But if you're paying attention and documenting those signals in your CRM, those conversations become future advisory opportunities.

For example, a Schedule C client might say they hired their first employee and aren't sure payroll is set up correctly. You acknowledge the concern, but because you're focused on completing the return, nothing happens. Six months later, they're frustrated because the issue was never addressed.

Or a W-2 client casually mentions selling a rental property next year. That's a serious planning opportunity, but it often dies because it surfaced during a compliance-focused conversation.

That's why I recommend ending every tax interview with a simple question:

'What would you like us to look at more closely after tax season?'

There's no sales pitch. You're not discussing fees. You're not pushing advisory services. You're simply creating an open loop.

The question respects the tax appointment, keeps the meeting moving, and allows the client to choose what deserves additional attention.

When the client says yes, that's where many firms drop the ball.

First, capture the opportunity in your CRM immediately.

Second, create a follow-up task that triggers after tax season.

Third, send a structured follow-up email that transitions the conversation into a formal advisory opportunity.

For example:

'As discussed during your tax meeting, we'll send a proposal outlining how we can help you plan for your rental property sale.'

Now the opportunity becomes formal. The expectations are clear. The value is defined.

Another example is an S Corporation conversion. If a client mentions they're considering converting, you can simply ask whether they'd like you to look at it more closely after tax season. When April ends, you follow up with a proposal outlining projected tax savings and planning considerations.

Now you have a warm advisory engagement instead of a cold sales conversation.

Rebekah Winters Barton

This is where year-round marketing continues to matter. The more clients hear these messages throughout the year, the more comfortable they become with your services.

You're helping them understand your value before cost becomes the primary consideration. You're demonstrating outcomes, solving pain points, and educating them consistently.

By the time a proposal arrives, they're already familiar with the benefit of working with you.

Lee Reams

Exactly. They already understand the return on investment.

The opportunity feels natural because they've seen your messaging, discussed it during the appointment, and understand the scope of the service.

Transactional firms close meetings.

Growth-minded firms create continuity.

Advisory isn't about pushing services. It's about protecting important conversations from being forgotten.

Create a system. Use open-ended questions at the beginning of interviews. Use this bridge question at the end. Support it with year-round marketing. Capture opportunities in your CRM. Follow up after tax season.

That's how tax preparation becomes advisory infrastructure.

If you have 350 clients, there are opportunities hidden throughout that client base. Some will become one-time engagements. Others may become ongoing advisory relationships. Either way, those opportunities create meaningful revenue growth.

So here's the challenge: the next time you hear an advisory signal, don't rush past it. Pause, acknowledge it, and ask:

'Would you like us to look at that more closely after tax season?'

Then document it, follow up, and build the bridge.

Thank you for joining us for another episode of the Growth Minded Accountant Podcast. We appreciate your support and everyone who helped us surpass 7,500 subscribers. Have a wonderful and successful tax season.

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