Product Champion Makes Clients For Life

(for H&R Block Corporate Communications)

April 2, 2007 – For product champion Julie Amore, Newark, Ohio, it’s all about spreading the word about H&R Block’s products. “I want to get the word out,” she says. “I want our tax professionals to understand how great our products are and then how important it is to present the company’s products to our clients.”

Clients first

The tax professional’s goals can all be summed up in putting clients first, according to Steve Tressler, DM for Newark, Ohio. “Do you like your clients?” he asks. “Of course you do. And, if you like your clients, you want to do the best for them.”

The product champion program is key to helping tax professionals serve their clients better. Respected tax professionals in a district are chosen to communicate the benefits of products such as Peace of Mind, Easy IRA, and Easy Savings to their fellow tax professionals. Product champions teach ways to present the products, encourage their peers to reach out to clients, and, most of all, support other tax professionals as a resource for all product-related questions and concerns.

The Peace of Mind program is what drove Amore to be a product champion. “I see clients come in during the summer with questions from the IRS or audits,” she says. Clients who purchase Peace of Mind know that an H&R Block Enrolled Agent will handle their IRS audit and that any additional taxes will be paid by H&R Block. ”If they have Peace of Mind, you have a client for life.”

Seeing is believing

“I’m a great believer in the product champion program,” says Tressler.

Before Tressler’s district started the product championship program they were last in their region in IRAs and in the bottom five districts for POM. After appointing Julie as a product champion and sending her out to speak with tax professional about the various products H&R Block has to offer, the district saw an immediate jump in their take rate.

“We became the number one district in the region for Peace of Mind and in the top three for Express IRAs,” says Tressler. “This year, even though we are in a rural area, we are among the leaders in our whole division.”

According to Tressler, the product champion program succeeds because it is a team effort -- introduced by the district manager, presented by the product champion, and supported in the offices by the office leaders. “Together, we show the tax professionals why they should present the products and how the products work. The tax professionals know the products have support from all levels.”

Tips from champions

Amore and Tressler share this advice for offering IRAs to clients --

Plant a seed. “Even if clients don’t open an IRA this year, we are educating them and helping them plan for their future,” Amore advises, remembering a couple who came into the office this year ready to open an IRA after their tax professional offered it to them last year.
Consider clients with a balance due. If they open an IRA, they might reduce their payment to the government by saving for themselves. Opening an IRA is way for clients who owe a tax balance to pay themselves rather than the government.
Take ten minutes. “The TPS calculator makes it so much easier to experiment and see how saving for an IRA will affect the tax figures,” says Amore. A few minutes can make a big difference in their future.
Focus on client retention. You may not be compensated for all the products you present, but Tressler asks, “Would you spend a few dollars to keep your client? Of course you would. Take the time to present a product that will help them whether it has immediate rewards for you.”
Set a goal of one client. “The big hurdle is the first one,” says Tressler. “After that, the tax professional feels more confident and comfortable.”

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