Turning Tax Clients into Year-Round Advisory Clients

So you’ve got a roster of clients who show up in January like seasonal snowbirds: they appear for tax prep, then vanish until next year’s deadline. We all know that cycle: busy season, then tumbleweed. What if instead those same clients were with you all year, leaning on your firm for insights, strategy, and yes, more than just that annual tax return?

Let’s get into how you can use data and communication touchpoints to move from “once-a-year” to “all year long” relationships. And how a CRM is not just the tool but the engine that makes it happen.

1. Use the tax work as your gateway drug

Hear me out: the tax return isn’t the money-maker - it’s the hook. When your client hands you their messy paperwork and you deliver the return, you’ve gained two key things: 1) a snapshot of their business and financial health, and 2) trust. That snapshot? It’s full of data gems: profit margins, expense spikes, timing of revenue dollars, maybe even a cash-flow tight spot you hadn’t dug into yet.

When you capture that data (and record the insights in your CRM), you’re setting the stage for advisory. You know their business, you know their numbers - and you can say: “Hey, here are trends we can work on together.”

2. Set up regular communication touchpoints

Most tax clients hear from you in January/February - then silence. You want to flip that. Use calendared check-ins, short emails, perhaps a quarterly “how are things going” note or a one-pager with their numbers in plain English. Research shows that advisory-focused firms build long-term engagements by listening, understanding client goals, and staying connected.

These touchpoints don’t need to be grand. A simple “Here’s how your business compared to last year” or “We spotted X trend in your expenses - let’s chat” keeps you in their mind and off the “we only call when tax time” track.

3. Translate data into questions, and questions into services

Numbers alone are boring. Context and questions are interesting. That margin drop?

Ask: “What changed last year - new hires, new software, or maybe a vendor renegotiation?” The revenue timing shift? Ask: “Is your new product still seasonal, or are you seeing new patterns?” Using those questions leads to conversation: “Hey, would you like us to help project those trends next year so you can plan cash-flow better?”

Those conversations become the advisory offer. Firms that have pivoted to advisory recognize that businesses want strategic guidance - not just compliance. In your CRM you can tag these questions, track client responses, schedule discussion sessions, and secretly build your pipeline of advisory-ready clients.

4. Use the CRM to automate, note, follow-up

Your CRM isn’t just the place to store contact info. It’s where you build patterns. In Cajabra you can:

• record the quarterly check-in date,

• set a reminder for “client review: trend discussion”,

• log which clients responded to your “how’s business” email,

• categorize clients by who’s showing appetite for advisory (versus tax-only).

YOU can get ahead of the conversation instead of saying “Oh, by the way, we offer advisory.” The tech stack supports the behavior change. One article says the firms that win at advisory have a cloud-driven tech stack and regular touchpoints baked in. Bottom line: when you know who is ready, when you know what they’re thinking about, you’re not fishing - you’re cultivating.

5. Package the advisory offer clearly

You’ve got data + communication + tech. Now you need the offer. Don’t hide it. Make it simple: “Quarterly business review + KPI dashboard + strategy session.” Or “Monthly check-in + cash-flow forecast + growth-roadmap” (whatever fits your niche). You’ll find resources that say value-based advisory services allow you to charge more and build recurring revenue.

Make sure your CRM stores the engagement: set the cadence, link to deliverables, map the outcomes. Then you’re not just doing tax - you’re the trusted advisor all year.

6. Keep the cycle alive: review → adjust → recommit

This is not “once we sell it then forget it.” You review quarterly, ask how things changed, adjust the roadmap, recommit for the next quarter. That rhythm becomes what your clients expect - and what your firm delivers.

When clients come to you year after year because they’re getting strategic value, you’ve shifted from compliance provider to business partner. Which means less scrambling during tax season and more predictable revenue.

In short

You’ve got the data. You’ve got the trust. You’ve got the opportunity. Use the tax season as your launchpad. Be visible throughout the year. Turn numbers into conversations. Use your CRM to follow the thread. Package what you do intentionally. Then repeat.

When you do that, your firm stops being “the annual form filler” and becomes “the go-to business advisor.” And week after week, month after month, your clients are with you. and you’re with them.

Ready to make it happen? With Cajabra CRM you can track your client’s data, schedule strategic touchpoints, tag advisory-ready clients… AND send out check-in sequences that keep you top of mind. It’s not just a CRM - it’s your growth engine.