Big Mistakes Tax Pros Make – Not time blocking and meeting with clients at all hours
If you are a tax pro like me, I know you are real busy. So busy in fact, that you barely find the time to do things you really enjoy.
That is why it was an easy way to buy back my time by using time blocking.
What is this? Well, it entails putting events, projects and meetings in a group (as best as you can). For example, you book a client on Tuesday at 10am, then try to get your next client to book at 11am (or 10:30am if it was only a 30 minute appointment).
So, now you ask, “How do I get my client to come in at 11am?” The same way your doctor or dentist gets you to come in at a certain day/time. You tell them that is your only availability for the next two weeks.
The other aspect of this is don’t let your clients have a wide range of choices. “Hey Joe, I am available all afternoon until 7pm!” Make the appointment times convenient to YOU, not them. I only meet with clients from 10am to 4pm on Tuesday and Thursdays and only 1pm to 4pm on Wednesdays. Yes, that’s right, I do not meet with clients before 10am or after 4pm and not at all on Monday, Friday or the weekends. Have you ever made an appointment with a client at 6pm on a Wednesday night and they did not show up or were 30 minutes late? This makes you home later as well. Nothing more frustrating that this. Well, maybe a client not paying me!
I hear it all the time, “But clients will go somewhere else!” That may happen, but I want to work with people who will work on my schedule, my terms. By the way, I have been doing this for about 6-7 years and this rarely comes up as an objection. Do I make an exception? Yes, occasionally, but only if they are a referral from a good client (and I mean GOOD client) or good referral source.
By doing this, I can focus more time on practice management, marketing and/or technical work (tax prep/review, tax planning, IRS representation cases).
I suggest you give it a try. When I started doing this, this is when I realized I was the one that was in control of my time and my practice, not my clients.
All the best,
Dan Henn, CPA, CTR™, NTPI Fellow
Managing Member
Tax Pro Academy, LLC
