Accounting and Bookkeeping Articles

10 Steps in Getting What You Want

Start out with an ideal and end up with a deal.-Karl Albrecht

The most difficult thing in any negotiation, almost, is making sure that you strip it of the emotion and deal with the facts. - Howard Baker

Any business arrangement that is not profitable to the other person will in the end prove unprofitable for you.  The bargain that yields mutual satisfaction is the only one that is apt to be repeated. - B.C. Forbes

From buying a flat screen TV to securing new clients, you must know how to negotiate the best deal possible.  Giving in too soon or holding out too long can both be detrimental.  Negotiation is about balance-it’s about risking just the right amount to achieve what’s best for you and your business.

Some professionals are born with the innate ability to work a deal while others are weary of any situation that requires skillful negotiation.  We’ll admit, negotiating isn’t for the faint of heart, but sometimes learning the necessary steps is all it takes to get your game on, and in the end, close a deal to your satisfaction.  In this two-part series we share 10 steps that can help you improve your approach to the art of negotiation.  This week we’ll examine the first five steps:

1. Prepare

It’s important that you do your research before scheduling any kind of negotiation.  Whether you’re working with a vendor, a client, or your next-door neighbor, you should know what you both have to contribute to the deal.  And what are your weaknesses?  Any good negotiator will have determined yours before the meeting.  Do you know what theirs are?  Also ensure that you are meeting with the one who actually holds the power to seal the deal.  The last thing you want to discover, after going through all 10 of these steps, is that the deal you have secured still needs approval from someone higher up.

2. Time

Timing can be everything.  If you schedule a meeting with a company at its busiest time of the year or after a sudden downturn in the local economy, you will be at a disadvantage.  When scheduling an appointment, ensure that you have selected a good time for both you and the party with whom you’re negotiating.

3. Strategize

Negotiation is all about strategy.  Remember that your first offer sets the tone for all future conversations.  In his Entrepreneur.com article entitled “The Art of Negotiating,” Michael Sanibel explains, “The first offer is usually the most important and the benchmark by which all subsequent offers will be judged and compared.  You’ll never get what you don’t ask for, so make your first offer bold and aggressive.”  Remember that negotiation can be a professional dance where offers are often padded with extra, but unnecessary, amenities that help build price so that it can be whittled down again.  Understanding what, exactly, you want, will help tremendously as you move forward.

4. Listen

On the other hand, it’s equally important that you know what the other party wants, and this can only be achieved when you listen to what they’re saying (this includes body language).

5. Leverage

Know and believe in your own strengths–what you bring to the table.  Only when you have confidence in what you’re offering will you be able to use that as leverage in securing the deal you want.

Complementary Services Act as Great Leverage

Your business will become so much more appealing when you add tax preparation services to your menu; this alone will give you more leverage in closing deals with prospective clients.  In just two short months, tax season will be upon us; that’s just enough time to become a Professional Tax Preparer.  Learn everything you need to know about tax preparation in UAC’s Professional Tax Preparer program.  We’re so confident that it will work for you that we offer a 100% money-back guarantee:

If, after completing all of the learning activities,

you do not feel that you have received your money’s worth,

simply return the materials to Universal Accounting Center,

for a complete refund.

There aren’t many universities out there that would make that promise to its graduates.  Don’t wait another day to enhance your business and change your life.  Enroll today!

Join us next week when we talking about closing the deal with final five steps:

6.    Offer

7.    Anticipate

8.    Aim

9.    Hold Firm

10. Close

Resources

Sanibel, Michael.  “The Art of Negotiating: A Practical Guide to Getting What You Want, When You Wants It, and at the Price You Want.” 24 August 2009  Entrepreneur.com

Sloan Brothers with Daniel Kehrer.  “10 Techniques for Better Negotiation.” 2005  Yahoo! Small Business

9 Steps in Properly Terminating Employees

One of the most difficult things you may have to do as a small business owner is terminate an employee.  Regardless of the reason for taking such action, it’s important that you follow a procedure that ensures you are not only legally protected but also respectful of the employee’s feelings as well.  Last week we shared the first 4 of 9 steps in properly terminating employees:

1.    Be objective

2.    Make it legal

3.    Work out the details

4.    Provide reasons, but don’t belabor the point

This week we’ll share the final 5 steps:

5.    Don’t blame or apologize. If termination is the result of poor employee behavior, you should have already issued various warnings and performance reviews as documentation.  The final termination meeting is not a time to assign blame.  And while you may very well express regret for this action, you should not apologize for your decision.

6.    Express gratitude for work done. Once you explain the reasons for termination, you can thank the employee for the work they have done.  In his article entitled “How to Respectfully Terminate Employees,” Lolito explains, “A terminated employee should understand that while the employment relationship did not work out, the employer appreciated her service and does not fault her in a personal sense.”  In the case of a layoff, offer to write a letter of recommendation and, if you truly valued their work, tell them you would be happy to have them back once the business can sustain that.

7.    Let the employee respond. It’s important that the employee have a voice.  Give him or her the opportunity to respond and react to the decision.  However, as mentioned previously, don’t allow the meeting to turn into a debate or negotiation.

8.    Wrap up loose ends. Be sure to have the employee sign all necessary paperwork, and then take measures to close down their appropriate accounts.  AllBusiness.com recommends, “Prepare to collect everything the company has provided to the employee, and consider which computer passwords, access codes, and permissions must be changed.”

9. Note lessons learned. Once the process is complete it’s important that you review the situation and see what lessons you have learned.  Do you need to create or modify your company handbook in order to address some of the issues you encountered?  Should you revise the job description to better attract applicants with the skills you require?  What types of training might be required in order to ensure that your employees are aware of your expectations?   All this will help you better prepare, and perhaps even eliminate, similar situations in your business’s future.

Termination is distasteful for both the employer and the employee.  However, if you could take measures to ensure it’s done properly, you will save yourself a lot of difficulty in the future.

Increase Your Appeal by Offering Tax Preparation Services

You can increase your income and your ability to maintain a staff of employees when you add tax services to your menu.  Consider the fact that many tax preparers make more money in the months leading up to the April 15 tax deadline than others make all year long! Since all individuals and businesses, small or large, are required to file taxes, tax preparation is a respected skill that will always be in demand. And many of your current and prospective clients would probably be happy to have you file their taxes as well as do your accounting for them.

Also consider who your clients will trust to file their taxes.  Countless individuals are scammed each year by people who claim to know what they’re doing.  More and more are becoming weary of tax preparers without any credentials.  The Tax Preparer Designation will put many of those individuals at ease, assuring them that you have been properly trained in tax preparation.

Take time this summer to acquire the expertise necessary to become a Professional Tax Preparer before next tax season.  UAC’s Professional Tax Preparer (PTP) program will not only give you hands-on training in completing full individual (1040) and business returns (1065, 1120, 1120S), but it will also provide you with the following:

• 20 hours of valuable video instruction
• 2 instructional manuals
• Step-by-step instruction in becoming a sole practitioner
• One year of follow-up support from expert tax preparers
• The opportunity to earn valuable professional certification
• Our iron-clad, risk-free guarantee

Increasing your service offerings will increase your appeal and your bottom line.  Enroll in the Professional Tax Preparer Program today, and improve your competitive advantage while securing your business standing in the local community.

Resources

“How to Fire an Employee.” AllBusiness.com

Lolito, Michael J.  “How to Respectfully Terminate Employees.” 18 August 2008  Entrepreneur.com

In this economy, the race isn’t won by the quickest, but by the most agile.  As you rethink your business, consider your flexibility.  Unlike large corporations that are unable to quickly change course, small businesses have the advantage of being quick and nimble, which just might be their saving grace.

The current recession is requiring many entrepreneurs to adapt and evolve their businesses, altering their approach to better suit the ever-changing market and consumer needs.  So stretch yourself as you consider how you might improve your flexibility by applying the following four tips.

1. Take advantage of technology

If you’re not careful, you could miss the technology train and all the great, economical marketing techniques that go with it.  The following two suggestions will lure the technologically savvy and/or those that are impressed with your ability to remain current:

Build a Business website. If you don’t already have a website, you should get one.  Progressive businesses have an internet presence; it speaks volumes of their professionalism and ability to keep up with current trends.  A good website will represent you well and increase your clientele.  It will also work 24/7 as a virtual receptionist, getting the word out about your business while you spend your time doing what you do best: accounting.  And if well developed, your business website can act as an inexpensive marketing tool and a good point of contact.  It can also help to further brand your business.

Universal Accounting Center (UAC) has a website development tool, available exclusively for accounting, tax, and bookkeeping professionals.  Visit our Accountweb site to learn more about how you can have a website of your own in a matter of days.

Take advantage of social networking.  From Facebook to Twitter, more and more businesses are taking advantage of social networking tools in order to broadcast news about their services, and most of these tools are free!

2. Rethink your marketing strategy

The same old approach you’ve used in the past probably isn’t very effective in this current financial climate. If you build a business website and take advantage of social networking, you’re on the right path.  Also consider other demographics that might now find your financial services especially helpful.  And don’t give up on prospects.  The recession has caused many to be more selective when it comes to spending their money; often this means that prospects take longer to commit. 

3. Listen to your clients

They can best tell you how to alter your approach in order to better suit their current needs.  Tap into their expertise as consumers to determine what they’re most concerned about; while you may not consider this a service your currently offer, you would be surprised at how appreciative your clients become when you resolve their financial concerns.  And isn’t that your expertise?

4. Expand your services

In listening to your clients and trying to better meet their needs, you will find that many desire you to expand your services.  Becoming a one-stop financial shop would be much more convenient for them, and lucrative for you!  Adding tax preparation services to your menu will increase your clientele while making your services more appealing to current clients.

The Professional Tax Preparer Program!

Universal Accounting Center’s tax preparer program contains all of the following:

• Video Instruction
• Full 1040
• Full Business Returns (1065, 1120, 1120S)
• Step-by-step instruction in starting a sole practitioner
• One Year Follow-up Support from expert tax preparers

And while many programs will lecture you on tax law and preparation practices, Universal’s program is effective because it provides the practical application that will perfect your skills.  Theory is taught as guiding principles, but the focus is on actually doing taxes to gain proficiency.

The PTP course consists of 20 hours of video training. Most tax preparation courses include books and some worksheets. Our training is very engaging and entertaining as seasoned tax preparers give practical advice on not only tax issues, but provide real-world solutions to give you the edge in productivity and profitability. Our instructors know what challenges you will face because they have been there themselves.

To be honest, you don’t need a Professional Tax Preparer designation to prepare taxes.  Currently, there are no qualifications for any individual to complete tax returns.  But in today’s world of complex tax laws and increasing tax fraud occurrences, tax payers are looking for specialists with credentials.  It affords clients peace of mind to know that the individual they’re working with is qualified and knowledgeable.  It also affords the tax preparer peace of mind to know they’ve been properly trained.  Universal recognizes the value of a professional designation and awards the Professional Tax Preparer designation to those who successfully complete the program.

Modules in the Professional Tax Preparer program include the following:

Module 1: Establishing the Tax Foundation

Module 2: Becoming the 1040 Expert

Module 3: Profitable Business Returns

Module 4: Building Your Successful Tax Practic

In just 20 hours you will be ready to face tax season with confidence and ease.  One tax season alone will prove lucrative enough to pay for the program 3 times over!  Increase your flexibility, and enroll in the Professional Tax Preparer Program today!

7 Tips to Turn Prospective Clients into Current Clients

You’ve distributed your business card, given your elevator speech, and perhaps even treated a prospect to lunch.  But how do you close a sale?

Closing a sale is that pivotal moment when a prospective client becomes a current client, bolstering your client roster and contributing to your bottom line.  Unfortunately, for many accountants this can be the most daunting moment and one we sometimes bumble through or perhaps never tackle at all.

Closing a sale doesn’t have to be that difficult.  In fact, when you implement the following 7 tips, you may find that acquiring clients is the easiest thing you do as a contract accountant:

1. Avoid self-sabotage

Brian Tracy, motivational speaker and world-renowned business trainer, claims that three obstacles in closing a sale are fear-based: fear of failure, fear of criticism and fear of rejection.  Each of these obstacles has nothing to do with a potential client; however, they have everything to do with your perception of the situation.  When you can eliminate these obstacles of self-sabotage, replacing fear with confidence, you’re ready to approach just about everyone you meet with ease.

2. Recognize your value

Implementing the above tip becomes much easier when you recognize just how valuable your accounting services are.  When you yourself come to believe that your services can help make any business more profitable, it won’t be difficult for you to share that belief with others.  In fact, you’ll be excited to help others improve their business practices and become more lucrative.

3. Be upfront

No one likes a sneaky salesman.  When approaching a prospective client, be upfront about the services you’re offering.  Don’t be ashamed to disclose your fees; just be certain that you also share the value that accompanies those services.  What business wouldn’t be interested in enlisting the services of an accountant that can help them use accounting data to make more informed business decisions and increase their profits?

4. Read signs

It’s important that you closely observe a prospective client’s reaction to your conversation.  In AllBusiness.com’s article entitled, “Tips for Closing a Deal,” they recommend listening for statements that indicate a prospective client is ready to retain your services.  Questions like, “How much will it cost me?” or “What will it require of me?” are good indications that your prospective client is interested in retaining your services.  If they’ve stopped responding altogether, chances are it’s time to unearth and resolve any concerns they may have.

Being able to close a deal is a valuable skill to attain if you’re running your own accounting practice.  Without clients your business will fail.  To secure those clients you need to practice a few key strategies.  Return next week when we’ll cover the final 3 tips in closing a deal.

5.    Ask the right questions

6.    Offer a free trial

7.    Define specific terms

Increase Your Appeal by Offering Tax Preparation Services

Your practice will become even more appealing when you add tax preparation services to your menu.  Not only that but many tax preparers make more money in the months leading up to the April 15 tax deadline than others make all year long! Since all individuals and businesses, small or large, are required to file taxes, tax preparation is a respected skill that will always be in demand. And many of your current and prospective clients would probably be happy to have you file their taxes as well as perform the standard accounting services you currently provide.

Also consider who your clients will trust to file their taxes.  Countless individuals are scammed each year by people who claim to know what they’re doing.  More and more are becoming weary of tax preparers without any credentials.  The Tax Preparer Designation will put many of those individuals at ease, assuring them that you have been properly trained in tax preparation.

Take time this summer to acquire the expertise necessary to become a Professional Tax Preparer before next tax season.  UAC’s Professional Tax Preparer (PTP) program will not only give you hands-on training in completing full individual (1040) and business returns (1065, 1120, 1120S), but it will also provide you with the following:

• 20 hours of valuable video instruction
• 2 instructional manuals
• Step-by-step instruction in becoming a sole practitioner
• One year of follow-up support from expert tax preparers
• The opportunity to earn valuable professional certification
• Our iron-clad, risk-free guarantee

Increasing your service offerings could make you the premier financial provider in your area.  Enroll in the Professional Tax Preparer Program today, and improve your competitive advantage while securing your business standing in the local community.

Resources

“Tips for Closing a Sale.” AllBusiness.com

Ed Muzio, CEO of Group Harmonics, offers regular business advice in a segment entitled “At the Whiteboard” on Bnet.com.  In one segment he shares tips on how managers can help employees change their behavior with 6 easy rules.  Following his advice can help you approach employee improvement in a genuine, non-threatening way.

Before he begins, Muzio shares an acronym to help you easily remember the 6 rules: Crazy Corporate People Just Love Acronyms.  Here are the steps represented by each letter in his acronym, CPJLA:

1. Current state

First you tell your employee about the current, ineffective behavior.  The description of the behavior should be short and fact-based.   This avoids a judgmental and threatening tone that can frustrate and even frighten your employee.  For example, you can accommodate this rule with the statement, “I notice that you’re consistently arriving to work at 9:30 in the morning instead of 9.”  The statement is purely factual and only acknowledges your awareness of that specific behavior.

2. Change

Next you state the change you would like to see.  Again, be short and sweet.  Do not lessen the impact of your request by injecting any unnecessary emotion into the discussion.  Consider something simple like, “Would you come to work by nine from now on?”

3. Pure

It’s tempting to reduce possible tension is this conversation by averting your employee’s attention to something more positive.  While that tactic is understandable, it diminishes your attempt to change undesirable behavior.  Avoid softening your request with phrases like, “I think you’re a good employee,” or “You have a good work ethic.”  While those statements may be true, they’re more powerful when they accompany a genuine compliment of positive behavior.  Otherwise they ring false.

4. Just before

You should approach your employee before the anticipated behavior is to reoccur.  For example, if you notice that an employee makes inappropriate comments during staff meeting, the best time to address this is before the next staff meeting rather than after.

5. Limited

Whatever behavior you’d like to see changed, it should be limited in scope.  When you inundate your employees with long to-do lists of behavioral changes, they feel overwhelmed and will have difficulty focusing on modifying their performance.

6. Ask for feedback

You should call your employee in after some time to provide him/her with feedback (for example, “I’ve noticed that you’ve been very punctual these past three weeks”).  Ask how the employee feels about his/her performance and see if there’s anything you can do to assist in continued improvement.

As a manager, your job is to help your employees achieve their full potential.  This won’t happen if you don’t ask them to improve their behavior when necessary.  While this may require additional time and energy, it will pay off in the end with a strong and vibrant staff.

Build a Business with a Strong Support Staff

If you would like to grow you business so that it can support a larger support staff, consider adding tax preparation services to your menu.  Doing so will increase your value to current and potential clients while enabling you to earn $100 plus per hour filing taxes during tax season.  Universal Accounting Center’s Professional Tax Preparer (PTP) Program will help you to become certified in filing individual and business returns, all while becoming a full-service financial provider.  It can also give you the confidence that you have the skill and expertise necessary to prepare personal and business returns with ease.  Now’s the perfect time to learn tax preparation.  Spend some time this summer preparing to make more money next tax season.  Learn more today!

Resources

Muzio, Ed.  “At the Whiteboard.” Bnet.com

You have a number of options in responding to the recession. You can 1) try to maintain status quo, 2) retreat, or 3) advance. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs have taken a more aggressive approach even in the worst economic times. They see an economic storm as the opportunity to strengthen their foothold so that when the tempest clears, they are found dominating the market.

You too can take a more aggressive approach without much risk. By simply adding tax services to your menu you can become a full-financial provider, edging out the competition in a matter of months. And with two professional designations and a handful of effective marketing strategies, you can be more than ready to dominate the market once the tempest clears.

Tax Services

From tax preparation to tax planning, you can offer a host of new services that will appeal to both current and prospective clients. In doing so, however, it’s important that you also provide professional credibility in order to secure their trust and loyalty.

Universal’s Professional Tax Preparer program provides you with solid training in the preparation of personal and business returns while enabling you to earn the PTP designation to accompany it. Through our unique hands-on training you will gain the confidence and expertise necessary to tackle just about any return. You’ll complete a number of forms and can move through the course at your own pace, mastering the content in your spare time. And once you enroll, you will have 12-months of follow-up support, enabling you to contact our tax professionals with any questions or concerns you may encounter as you work with clients.

The modules in this course include the following:

1. Establishing the Tax foundation

• Getting Started
• Wages, Salaries, & Tips
• Schedule B - Interest/Dividend Income
• Schedule C-EZ and Schedule F
• Schedule D-Capitol Gain (or Loss)
• Retirement Income
• Schedule E - Income (or Loss) from Rental Property/Royalties/partnerships/SCorporations/Trusts
• Other Types of Income
• Occupational Adjustments
• Educational and Personal Adjustments

2. Becoming the 1040 Expert

• Standard vs. Itemized deductions - Part A: Medical/Taxes
• Schedule A - Part B: Int/Char/Theft
• Schedule A - Part C: Job/Misc.
• Calculating the Tax
• Non-Refundable Credits - Part A
• Non-Refundable Credits - Part B
• Other Taxes
• Payments & Refundable Credits
• Closing the Return

3. Profitable Business Returns

• Business Entities
• Tax Elements in Accounting
• Financial Components
• Dispositions of Business Property
• Schedule C
• Form 1065
• Form 1120
• Form 1120S

4. Building Your Successful Tax Practice

• Getting started Right
• Effective marketing
• Comfortable Interviewing Techniques
• Profitable Fee Calculations
• Always the Expert Preparer

Many tax preparers make enough money during tax season to live on for the remainder of the year. Imagine enjoying that kind of “raise” in a recession! But why stop there?

Small-Business Accounting

In addition to tax services, you can enhance your professional appeal by mastering small-business accounting and earning the Professional Bookkeeper (PB) certification. This program is designed to help you serve this niche market in desperate need of a Profit Center Expert, a title that could easily be yours. Whether you’re a novice or expert accountant, this program is designed to train you to start or grow a successful and lucrative business as a Professional Bookkeeper. The modules include:

1. Accounting Made Easy

This module will enable you to master the tools, procedures, and underlying principles that make up the bookkeeping processes of all businesses. Once completed, you will understand the core building blocks of Accounting and Bookkeeping.

2. Practical Small Business Applications

In module two you will apply your understanding of the core accounting principles to specific industries. You will learn to set up books from scratch, do payroll like a seasoned pro, and much more.

3. Advancing Your “Account-Ability”

This module exposes you to sure ways to set up complete bookkeeping systems and manage the books for a variety of more sophisticated industries.

4. Building a Success Accounting Service

In this module you will learn the steps to finding paying clients. You will be fully equipped to start and grow a successful accounting practice.

You can see that the last module will equip you with valuable marketing techniques you can use to secure paying clients. Like the PTP program, the PB course will enable you to move at your own pace, mastering the content as quickly or leisurely as you desire. Once completed, you can have two designations to add to your business card (PB and PTP) and a full-financial practice that will attract more clients, increase your bottom line, and help you become the premier financial professional in your area. Don’t allow the recession to force you into retreat. Advance today by enrolling in these phenomenal programs today!

As the recession deepens for many small business owners, you may find yourself surrounded by fretful clients who worry where this economic downturn will take them.  As their accountant, you may become akin to a financial therapist, alleviating their concerns whenever possible.  If thus far you’ve wondered how you might calm your concerned clients and point their thoughts in a more positive direction, we have 5 suggestions:

1. Listen and acknowledge their concerns.

First, it’s important that you listen to and acknowledge their feelings.  Allow them a few minutes to express themselves and release all those negative thoughts.  With this step we suggest you don’t indulge their fears too much; obsessing about them will only cause them to expand in their minds, becoming more overwhelming and insurmountable.  At some point you are responsible for turning to the conversation in a more positive direction.

2. Don’t avoid the monster in the closet.

While it’s important to be positive, you shouldn’t avoid their greatest fears.  What happens if their cash flow decreases?  How much can revenue dwindle before their business is in trouble?  While addressing these fears, help them maintain a realistic perspective.  What’s their current financial standing?  And in looking at key indicators, what needs to change in order for their business to remain or become profitable?

3. Be positive.

Regardless of how frightened your clients may be, it’s your job to remain positive.  If you indulge their fears and jump on the worst-case-scenario bandwagon, chances are the negative energy will propel you both towards failure.  You must help them see that regardless of how bad things may seem you can always take measures to improve them.  Remind them that the more positive they are, the more positive their situation will likely become.

4. Remind them of your value.

Thank heavens your clients have an accountant to help them through the recession!  Who better to help lead their business as it barrels through this economic storm?  Remind them that you’re there to assist them through any financial difficulty, watching those key indicators and informing them how they might use your accounting data to make more profitable business decisions.

5. Establish a Recession Plan.

It always helps to have a plan.  And developing a Recession Plan may be just what your clients need to feel at peace regarding their business’s future.  As you share their current standing, interpreting the accounting data in a way they can best understand, have them determine where they would like their business to be and establish some goals your client can work towards in order to see that happen.  The more specific the goals, the better.

It’s important that you acknowledge your clients’ concerns and help them work through them, coming to terms with their current financial standing and taking measures to improve them.  As you help your client better manage their business through this recession, you’ll find the efforts are well worth the customer loyalty you will certainly secure.

Secure Your Own Standing

You may be feeling a little recessional stress yourself.  You can secure your own standing in these difficult times by earning professional designations that will put your clients at ease while enhancing your service offerings.

Professional Bookkeeper (PB)

UAC has designed a curriculum specific to the needs of small businesses, and Universal Accounting offers the most complete small business accounting course anywhere.  The Professional Bookkeeper Designation assures clients that you have been properly trained in small business accounting and will help you know what those clients need most from you.

Professional Tax Preparer (PTP)

Many tax preparers make more money in the months leading up to the April 15 tax deadline than others make all year long! Since all individuals and businesses, small or large, are required to file taxes, tax preparation is a respected skill that will always be in demand.  And many of your current clients would probably be happy to have you file their taxes as well as perform the standard accounting services you currently provide.

Also consider who your clients will trust to file their taxes.  Countless individuals are scammed each year by people who claim to know what they’re doing.  More and more are becoming weary of tax preparers without any credentials.  The Tax Preparer Designation will put many of those individuals at ease, assuring them that you have been properly trained in tax preparation.

So consider securing your practice’s current standing by adding two professional designations to your name.  Learn more by visiting Universal Accounting Center today!

By this time next year you could be knee-deep in tax returns, making as much money in four months’ time as you might an entire year bookkeeping.  Within a few short weeks you could easily become a full-service financial provider by gaining valuable tax preparation skills.  Not only will this keep you busy year-round, but it will increase your income significantly.  Not many business owners anticipate experiencing a substantial increase in profitability this year.  You could be one of the few that do.

A Recession-Proof Profession

In these tough economic times, there’s no profession with greater job security than tax preparation.  Nearly every adult needs to submit a return yearly.  This makes your prospective client base vast.  And with regular and complex changes to the tax code, most individuals and small businesses look to a competent professional to file their returns.  Those competent professionals charge upwards of $75 per hour.

We’re guessing you already have a handful, if not more, accounting clients.  Tax preparation is a complementary service which would appeal to many of your current clients.  You already manage all their financial data; it would be a natural transition for them to have you prepare their tax returns as well.  In this, you could begin making money as a tax preparer quite easily without increasing your marketing efforts.

How Simple Is It?

By taking UAC’s Professional Tax Preparer program, you will learn all you need to know to handle just about any individual or business return you might encounter.  The four volumes of printed manuals combine with the four sets of DVDs to provide clear explanations of the broadest range of basic tax concepts, with specific examples of how these concepts apply to real taxpayers.  This program also includes hands-on practice with actual IRS tax forms, practical tips for tax professionals and their clients, and multiple-choice quizzes to test your knowledge.

The four modules that comprise this course are as follows:

Module 1: Establishing the Tax Foundation

Module 2: Becoming the 1040 Expert

Module 3: Profitable Business Returns

Module 4: Building Your Successful Tax Practice

We believe that the Professional Tax Preparer course is not only the best tax training on the market but the best tax training course of its kind, bar none.  By enrolling in this stellar course you will be able to change the nature of your business, enhancing your profitability, and perhaps, ensuring your practice’s ability to survive the recession.  As you enhance your service offerings, you take an offensive stance in the current market while many of your competitors have already retreated to a defensive position.  You gain a competitive edge and secure your success in a tentative economy.  That’s a win-win scenario.

This reasonable investment will provide you will long-term results and a significant return.  Take advantage of our newly updated course materials and enroll now!

You’re probably starting to prepare for tax season yourself, at least when it comes to your own tax liability.  But what if you were able to add tax preparation services to your menu?  Once trained, you could begin earning as much as you do in one year as a bookkeeper in the four short months that comprise tax season.  Does that sound like a lucrative business move?  Most definitely!

Increase Your Options and Your Earning Potential

Becoming a tax preparer opens up countless career options.  You could supplement your current income with part-time work in the evenings or on the weekends.  You could turn your accounting/bookkeeping practice into a one-stop financial shop by adding tax preparation to your services.  Or you could replace your full-time income by becoming a Professional Tax Preparer.  Whichever option appeals to you, the training necessary to become a tax preparer isn’t as long and painful as you might expect.  Universal Accounting Center has made it easy.

Our newly updated program includes the following:

• Informative video instruction
• Full 1040 training
• Full business return (1065, 1120, 1120S) training
• One Year Follow-up Support from expert tax preparers

Many programs will lecture you on tax law and preparation practices, but Universal’s program is much more effective because it provides you with the hands-on practice that will perfect your skills.  Theory is taught as guiding principles, but the focus is on actually doing taxes to gain proficiency.

The PTP course consists of 20 hours of video training. Most tax preparation courses include books and some worksheets. Our training uses engaging and entertaining tax preparers who give practical advice on tax issues; they also provide real-world solutions that will give you the edge in productivity and profitability. Our instructors know what challenges you will face because they have been there themselves.

To be honest, you don’t need a Professional Tax Preparer designation to prepare taxes.  Currently, there are no qualifications for any individual to complete tax returns.  But in today’s world of complex tax laws and increasing tax fraud occurrences, taxpayers are looking for specialists with credentials.  It affords clients peace of mind to know that the individual they’re working with is qualified and knowledgeable.  It also affords the tax preparer peace of mind to know they’ve been properly trained.  Universal recognizes the value of professional certification and awards the Professional Tax Preparer designation to those who pass the final exam with a score of 90% or higher.

Income from a tax preparation business peaks during the first four months of the year. Many professional tax preparers charge $100 per hour or more, enabling them to work 4 to 6 months per year and semi-retire the rest of the year. Would you be interested in increasing your income by that much?  By adding tax preparation services to your menu, you’ll increase your bottom line significantly which could enable you to ride out the recession in comfort and ease.  If practically every adult must pay taxes, tax preparers not only have the largest potential client base of any profession around, they also enjoy serious job security.  Tax preparation is a recession-proof occupation.

Be one of the first to enroll in our newly enhanced Professional Tax Preparer program.  We’ve updated the program to include the latest changes to the tax code.  In a few short weeks you could be ready to prepare individual and business returns for current and prospective clients.  Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.  Enroll in the Professional Tax Preparer program today!