Value-Centric Tax Practice Culture Implementation Checklist: This checklist provides your tax practice a structured plan to differentiate yourself
from other tax preparers, communicate your firm’s unique value and stay top of mind with your existing clients. In this volatile marketplace where
clients are more demanding than ever, it is not just about winning their business that’s essential to building a successful tax practice. It’s about
retaining clients who seek the type of value you can create for them.
Step
1.
2.
Action
Assign owner or task
force to lead the firm
in building a valuecentric firm culture
around tax services
Familiarize and
understand the new
business landscape
for tax practitioners
Description
Owner
[Partner or
Manager level]
Tools and Resources
The marketplace for tax professionals is
changing, especially in light of the IRS’s new
oversight program for tax return preparers. The
tools and resources identified here will arm you
with the knowledge and know-how you need in
order to get a grasp on the current business
environment and take the next step toward
planning for the future of your tax practice.
[Assigned
owner or task
force]
Toolkit Resources:
 “CPAs vs. Unlicensed Tax Preparers” PowerPoint
– A snapshot of the differences in qualifications
 “CPAs as the Premier Providers of Tax Services”
Video – AICPA President and CEO Barry
Melancon, CPA addresses how to answer
questions from consumers on the difference
between CPAs and registered tax preparers. You’ll
also find accompanying talking points.
 PTIN FAQs – Commonly raised questions by CPAs
about the IRS’s regulation of tax return preparers
 Overcoming Objections about Hiring a CPA Talking
Points – Helpful responses to questions that you
may encounter from clients
Additional Resources:
 2011 PCPS CPA Firm Top Issues Lists by Firm
Size
 Build off the concepts of the CPA Horizons 2025
Report and facilitate a “Future Forum” for your firm
using the PCPS CPA Horizons 2025 Toolkit
 Tax Section Resource Page dedicated to the new
IRS Preparer Registration Program
 CPA Horizons 2025 Report
© 2011 American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. All rights reserved.
Step
3.
4.
Action
Build a plan that
identifies and
establishes your
firm’s value with an
actionable strategy to
articulate that value
to clients and
prospects
Educate your
professional team on
how to respond to
questions about the
differences between
CPAs and other tax
preparers
Description
Build meaningful and lasting relationships with
your clients. For some, these resources will help
you begin a process to discover what makes
you valuable and different from other CPAs. For
others, these resources will help you develop a
plan to memorialize and communicate your
value. The end result should be a firm-wide
strategy to knowledgably and confidently
present yourself to clients in a unique way and
infuse your value into each and every client
contact.
Owner
[Assigned
owner or task
force]
Prepare your professional team for the changes
resulting from the IRS registered tax preparer
program. Help them understand how it impacts
the firm and the importance of communicating
the firm’s value with clients. The PowerPoint
template can help facilitate a firm-wide training
session (e.g., lunch-n-learn session) and can be
tailored or expanded upon based on your firm’s
need.
[Assigned
owner or task
force]
Further, consider discussing the resulting
strategies and tactics from #2 and #3 above
with the entire team.
Tools and Resources
Toolkit Resources:
 “CPA: The Value of Articulating Your Value”
Webinar – Practical tips and insights from tax
practitioners on the importance of communicating
your value to clients
 Sample Client Satisfaction Survey – An easy way to
gauge how you are doing from clients and identify
areas for improvement so you retain the clients you
have worked so hard to attract
Additional Resources:
 Facilitate an in-house workshop walking through
these concepts using the PCPS You Are the Value
Workshop
Toolkit Resources:
 “CPAs vs. Unlicensed Tax Preparers” PowerPoint –
A snapshot of the differences in qualifications
 “CPAs as the Premier Providers of Tax Services” –
AICPA President and CEO Barry Melancon, CPA
addresses how to answer questions from
consumers on the difference between CPAs and
registered tax preparers. You’ll also find
accompanying talking points.
 PTIN FAQs – Commonly raised questions by CPAs
about the IRS’s regulation of tax return preparers
 Overcoming Objections about Hiring a CPA Talking
Points – Helpful responses to questions that you
may encounter from clients
Additional Resources:
Tax Section Resource Page dedicated to the new IRS
Preparer Registration Program
© 2011 American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. All rights reserved.
2 of 4
Step
5.
Action
Identify resources
and strategies to help
you stay top of mind
with your tax clients,
reach out to them
throughout the year
to and enhance your
client development
and retention efforts
Description
These resources are available for your use
during tax season and year round. Regularly
communicate with clients on a variety of tax
related subjects using different media (blurbs for
newsletters or websites, tweets for Twitter or as
inspiration for Facebook posts) to maintain and
deepen the relationships you have worked so
hard to establish.
Owner
[Assigned
owner or task
force]
Tools and Resources
Toolkit Resources:
 “Making Your Voice Heard, Tax Season and
Beyond” Guide – Practical tips to get you started
using these resources and complement your current
client retention and acquisition strategies
 Series of Tax and CPA Value Blurbs for Your Client
Newsletter, Website or Blog – An assortment of
newsworthy topics to reinforce the CPA/client
relationship and encourage clients and prospective
clients to contact you
 “Tax Saving Strategies for the 2012 Filing Season”
Brochure – A highlight of key tax law provisions that
may impact individuals
 “Small Business Tax Saving Strategies for the 2012
Filing Season” Brochure – A highlight of key tax law
provisions that may impact small businesses
 “Preparing for Life’s Most Important Moments”
Brochure – A detailed overview of the advantages of
working with a CPA
 Social Media Tweets – A selection of holidaythemed, technical and general tweets to connect
with all your important audiences
Additional Resources:
 Issue-specific client letters (with tips on how to
repurpose for different size firms or clients) for
clients year-round
 Tax Section E-Alerts (for news of tax laws changes
and advocacy initiatives that may be worth
mentioning to clients and prospects)
© 2011 American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. All rights reserved.
3 of 4
Step
6.
Action
Incorporate toolkit
resources into your
overall client
acquisition efforts
Description
For many small firms, new clients come through
referrals from existing clients. These resources
offer additional ideas for outreach to both
existing and prospective clients. By regularly
connecting with clients, it will cement your
relationship with those clients, the notion that
prospective clients should be seeking a CPA
and that they should refer those prospects to
your firm.
Owner
[Assigned
owner or task
force]
Tools and Resources
Toolkit Resources:
 “Making Your Voice Heard, Tax Season and
Beyond” Guide – Practical tips to get you started
using these resources and complement your current
client retention and acquisition strategies
 Print Advertisements – Full page or half page ads to
promote your tax services to individual and small
business clients
 “Tax Saving Strategies for the 2012 Filing Season”
PowerPoint and Speech – A summary of the key tax
law provisions that may impact individuals and small
businesses – excellent tools for presenting to civic
groups, client lunch-n-learns and volunteer boards
 “Preparing for Life’s Most Important Moments”
Brochure – A detailed overview of the advantages of
working with a CPA – an excellent resource for
potential clients
 “Preparing for Life’s Important Moments”
PowerPoint – Overview of the CPA’s value and the
new competitive landscape
 Social Media Tweets – A selection of holidaythemed, technical and general tweets to connect
with all your important audiences
 Google AdWords – Sample ad copy to get you
started with this pay per click advertising program
on Google’s flagship search engine
 Media Advisory Template – A template with possible
tax topics that can be tailored to your area(s) of
expertise to help you begin the process of becoming
a trusted resource for reporters
Additional Resources:
 CPA Marketing Toolkit Resources
© 2011 American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. All rights reserved.
4 of 4