For tax professionals looking to turn once-a-year tax prep clients into year-round tax planning clients, upselling is key. By offering personalized tax advisory services, you can significantly boost your revenue while providing your clients with ongoing value – and saving them money when tax time rolls around every year.

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Here’s a step-by-step process to effectively upsell your services to earn more money starting now:

Step 1: Establish a Package Pricing Schedule

The first step is to create well-defined tax advisory packages at different price points. This ensures that your offerings are easy for clients to understand and makes it clear what they’ll receive in exchange for the cost. Multiple price points also allow you to appeal to clients with different budgets, so you’re not alienating anyone who falls within your general target demographic from taking advantage of your new offerings. 

For example:

• Basic Tax Planning Package: $795 – $1495, one-time fee. Tailored for lower-income or gig worker clients who need basic tax-saving strategies. Use Ai Agents to scale the offering.
• Advanced Tax Planning Package: $995 – $5,000 per quarter - Ideal for high-income earners such as lawyers, doctors, and tech employees with more complex financial needs.
• Business Tax Planning: Tiered Approach - The pricing for ongoing business tax planning can vary based on the complexity of services offered, the size of the business, and the value you're providing.

Here’s a rough guideline for structuring your fees, which you can adjust based on your market, expertise, and the specific needs of your clients:

Basic Business Tax Planning (Small Businesses/Startups)

• Price Range: $1,500 – $5,000 annually
  • Includes:
    • Quarterly tax estimates
    • Basic tax strategy review (entity structure, deductions)
    • Retirement plan guidance (SEP IRA, Solo 401k)
    • Basic audit support
    • Ongoing tax advice as needed

This package is great for small business owners or startups that are looking for basic guidance on tax planning without needing complex strategies.

Mid-Level Business Tax Planning (Growing Businesses)

• Price Range: $5,000 – $12,000 annually
  • Includes:
    • Everything from the basic package
    • Entity restructuring advice
    • Maximizing deductions (e.g., R&D credits, home office, depreciation)
    • Advanced retirement and benefit planning for employees
    • Assistance with cash flow projections and tax savings
    • Tax credits for hiring, energy savings, etc.
    • Monthly or bi-monthly check-ins

This is a more comprehensive package aimed at business owners with higher revenue who need proactive tax planning to mitigate growing tax obligations.

Advanced Business Tax Advisory (Established Businesses/High-Income Clients)

• Price Range: $12,000 – $50,000+ annually
  • Includes:
    • Everything from the mid-level package
    • Tax impact analysis for business decisions (e.g., acquisitions, expansion, etc.)
    • Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) and exit planning strategies
    • Estate planning and wealth transfer strategies for owners
    • Multistate tax planning and compliance
    • In-depth quarterly reviews with adjustments to the strategy
    • Year-round proactive advisory with forecasting and detailed tax planning

This package is for high-revenue business owners and corporations or clients preparing for an exit strategy. It involves complex tax mitigation strategies, succession planning, and proactive year-round advisory.

If you are working with clients who need specialized services, there are a number of ways in which you can customize these types of high-end tax planning and advisory packages. Consider, for example:

• Custom pricing: If your client has unique needs (e.g., international operations, complex business structure), consider creating custom pricing based on the complexity.
• Retainer model: Many tax advisors prefer a retainer model, charging monthly or quarterly fees to ensure consistent cash flow and client engagement.
• Add-on services: You can also offer add-ons for extra services like representation during audits, tax dispute resolution, or personal tax planning for the business owners.

Ultimately, your pricing should reflect the value you’re providing and the results you can help businesses achieve, such as significant tax savings and improved financial strategy.

By having clear pricing, clients can easily see the value in upgrading to an ongoing advisory relationship, whether it's quarterly tax planning or a deep-dive annual strategy.

Step 2: Identify Current Clients to Offer the Package To

The next step is to identify clients who could benefit most from these services. Start by segmenting your current client base:

Occupation-Based Segmentation

• High-Income Professionals: Doctors, lawyers, executives, and consultants often have complex tax situations and higher incomes, making them ideal candidates for tax planning.
• Small Business Owners: Entrepreneurs and small business owners can benefit from strategies related to business deductions, retirement planning, and entity structuring.
• Real Estate Investors: Individuals with multiple properties can benefit from strategies related to depreciation, 1031 exchanges, and capital gains management.
• Freelancers and Solopreneurs: Those in the gig economy or self-employed may need guidance on estimated taxes, deductions, and retirement planning.
• Tech Industry Employees: Especially those with stock options or RSUs, who need planning around stock compensation.

Financial Situation-Based Segmentation

• High Net Worth Individuals: Clients with significant assets may require estate planning, charitable giving strategies, and investment tax strategies.
• Retirees or Near-Retirees: Individuals approaching retirement can benefit from strategies to minimize taxes on retirement income and optimize Social Security benefits.
• Investors: Clients with substantial investment portfolios may need advice on capital gains, dividend income, and tax-efficient investment strategies.

Life Event-Based Segmentation

• Recent Homebuyers or Sellers: These clients may need advice on mortgage interest deductions, capital gains exclusions, and property tax strategies.
• New Parents: Families with children can benefit from planning around education savings, child tax credits, and dependent care expenses.
• Divorcees: Individuals going through a divorce may need guidance on the tax implications of asset division and alimony.

By focusing on these segments, you can identify clients who are most likely to benefit from and invest in comprehensive tax planning services. Once you have your target clients, you can move to the outreach phase.

Step 3: Launch an Upsell Campaign

To effectively communicate the benefits of your tax advisory packages, you’ll need to create a multi-channel upsell campaign. This should include:

• A series of emails: Send a tailored email sequence introducing your new services.  Promote how proactive tax planning saves money and improves financial outcomes over the course of time.
• White papers or reports: Offer educational content, such as a tax-saving guide or a content cluster on your blog. Discuss various advantages of working with your practice for ongoing tax advice. These materials build trust and demonstrate your expertise.
• CTAs to schedule a discovery call or pay online: Include clear calls to action in every communication, inviting clients to schedule a discovery call to discuss their tax planning needs or sign up and pay online for the service.

Step 4: Utilize AI Agents for Efficiency

Tools like CountingWorks PRO come equipped with pre-built, agency-level campaigns ready to go. You can automate much of the upsell process by using AI agents to engage clients. Here’s how:

• AI-powered email campaigns: CountingWorks PRO allows you to send out tax planning offers tailored to different client segments. For lower-end clients, you can offer a one-time tax planning service priced between $795 and $1,495.
• Automated client intake and tax plan generation: With AI agents, you can automate the initial data collection phase. Clients can complete an intake form, and the AI system will draft a personalized tax plan based on their input. This allows you to provide a highly customized service without having to spend hours on manual work.
• Human review and delivery: Once the AI system generates the draft tax plan, you can review it, make any necessary adjustments, and deliver it to the client. Whether it’s through an online meeting or a detailed PDF report, you remain in control of the final outcome. This is known as being the “human in the loop” – artificial intelligence assists you at a rate far faster than any human could but does not replace your role as an experienced tax advisor.

This approach allows you to serve more clients with less time investment, while still delivering high-quality tax advisory services that help your clients optimize their financial strategies.

Step 5: Follow Up and Close

After launching the campaign and engaging with your clients, the final step is effective follow-up. Some clients may need a little nudge or more information to take the next step, so have a plan for follow-up emails or calls to remind them of the value you provide.

At the same time, make it easy for clients to close the deal. Offering online payment options, easy scheduling for follow-up calls, and clear next steps all contribute to higher conversion rates.

Scaling Your Practice with AI and Personalized Service

The real game-changer here is how AI enables you to scale your tax advisory practice without adding significant workload. What used to take hours—like gathering client data, researching tax strategies, and drafting tax plans—can now be done in a fraction of the time with AI tools like CountingWorks PRO.

By focusing on proactive tax planning and using AI to streamline processes, you can significantly increase the number of clients you serve, expand your revenue streams, and build long-lasting client relationships.