In today's competitive landscape, your reputation and responsiveness will directly affect your success. According to the Harvard Business Review, responding to leads within an hour generates 7x the conversations – yet only 37% of companies respond to leads within that time frame. For tax and accounting professionals, responding to leads quickly and effectively can be the difference between a practice that grows consistently and one that stagnates. Here’s all the information you need to know.

Where Online Leads Come From & How to Respond

Inbound inquiry leads can come from various places:

1. TaxBuzz & CountingWorks

Pros with profiles on our TaxBuzz and CountingWorks marketplaces can receive leads directly through their profile if a prospect fills out a contact form. When this happens, the platform will notify you instantly via email that a new lead has arrived. After receiving an email notification of your new lead, you should contact them immediately – either by phone (preferred) or email. Our recommendation is to reach out within the first 5 - 15 minutes to hit your maximum close rate.

IMPORTANT: Please note that when you receive an email notification about a TaxBuzz or CountingWorks lead, it is coming directly from the platform. Responding to the email will not work, as it will land in the inbox of the TaxBuzz/ CountingWorks team. Instead, you must contact the lead via phone or email using the information provided in the notification. (See above.)

2. CountingWorks PRO Website

If you have a CountingWorks PRO website, anyone who requests more information or fills out a form on your site (whether it be on your contact page, a sidebar, or anywhere else) becomes a lead. Here’s how to navigate the “Leads” section in the CountingWorks PRO portal:

• The full list of your leads can be found in your portal. Just click “Leads” on the left side, then “Lead List” to see all your leads. They can be filtered by source and status.
• Clicking on the name of any lead will take you to all the information they’ve provided so far. You can even call them directly from the portal.
• Clicking on “Nurture” will take you to the nurture campaigns you can use for leads. Our portal comes with three default campaigns pre-loaded: Accounting & Bookkeeping, IRS Tax Problems, and Tax Preparation. Clicking on any campaign will show you what it consists of, i.e. the different emails and the intervals at which they are being sent (all customizable by clicking “edit” on the right-hand side). You can also create your own nurture campaigns by clicking “New Nurture” in the top left corner.
• Click on “Preferences” in the left bar to set your contact settings for new leads. Anytime a new lead comes in, we will automatically send an email to the primary admin of the account. If you’d like to receive a text message as well, fill in the “Text Alerts Phone Number” box. Additionally, you can set up an auto-response email to be sent to leads right after they inquire on your website.

Want to see a video walkthrough of the Leads section in the portal? Watch our overview video starting at 16:00 here. After receiving a text or email notification of your new lead, you should contact them immediately – either by phone (preferred) or email. Our recommendation is to reach out within the first 5 - 15 minutes to hit your maximum close rate.

3. Social Media & Google My Business

Many tax & accounting pros receive leads through their social media profiles and Google My Business listing. Both of these sources are usually self-managed, meaning that there isn’t a third party automatically notifying you of new leads as with TaxBuzz/CountingWorks profiles and CountingWorks PRO websites. Knowing this, you should make sure you have accurate contact information displayed on all profiles, and turn on notifications so you (or someone in your office) can monitor activity. Just like with the other lead pipelines, you should follow up with anyone who contacts you immediately – either by phone or email (if provided) or by responding on the social media platform they used. Reach out within the first 5 - 15 minutes for the best rates of success.

How Tax & Accounting Leads Are Changing in 2021

In this day and age, your lead pipeline no longer has to be constrained by geographic proximity. The world was already moving more online before 2020, and the pandemic accelerated that trend – including in almost every professional services industryWith video tools like TeleAccountant™, tax and accounting professionals can securely connect with their clients and prospects from anywhere. This opens up your lead pipeline to include virtually anyone seeking help in your areas of expertise – all that’s left is for you to capture those leads and convert them to paying clients.

If you have questions about responding to leads or setting up a virtual practice with video conferencing, we’re here to help! Contact us today at 1-800-442-2477 x3 or set up some time to speak with one of our digital marketing experts. Schedule a free demo of CountingWorks PRO here.