Now that we have all learned how to do great research, I’m going to spend some time today showing you how to put it to use for other things then communicating with the IRS. Let’s see how you can build your reputation, referrals, and client base using good research techniques.

The best way to build your reputation among your fellow professionals and among prospective clients is to network. When you join those professional organizations, I mentioned in Part 1, be an active member. Get to know folks from all over the country and in all levels of the career fields. Be the “go to” person on specific subject matter. I’m the go to person among my network for military and veterans affairs. I get calls, consultations, and referrals from all over the country.

Get online! Sign up for some of the great professional websites for tax information out there. Websites like this one, TaxConnections.com. From this one website you can get recognized worldwide as a knowledgeable tax professional, blog about your passions in the field, market yourself and your material, take CPE, answer questions for clients that have the potential to become your clients, and so much more. I’ve gotten several clients and consults from this board. And this is just one website; there are tons of them out there. I’m a little biased towards this one as you may have noticed.

Get Social! This is a Social Media world. Put your business up on the various locations, FaceBook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Vine, etc. Be available to assist clients through these sites with a goal of helping and if you get a client from it, great!

Now, you are saying, what the heck does all this “rah rah” stuff have to do with research? If you are going to build that reputation and client base you must be confident in your ability to answer the questions you are bound to receive. You gain that confidence by doing a couple of things. First, admitting you don’t know everything off the top of your head. Second, knowing how to “WOW” them by being able to research it and come back with the right answer. And lastly, knowing that the research techniques you have learned are not just for tax research. These methods and tips can be applied in all walks of life and can help you with your practice management as well as your tax knowledge.

So get out there and do some research! You may find you actually enjoy it as much as I do.