Tax & Accounting

Accounting Firm Client Acquisition: Turn Tax Clients Into Advisory Relationships

Tax prep is a commodity. Advisory services are a relationship. We help you convert one-time filers into year-round clients who rely on you for business decisions.

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For CPA Firms Tax Preparers & Bookkeeping Services

You think it's tax season volume. It's actually client relationship depth.

Lighthouse unifies the signals that drive growth—customer voice, visibility, pricing, and experience—then turns them into a ranked plan and automated fixes you can ship. Our AI acts on verified benchmarks, not guesses.

The 'Once-a-Year' Trap: 80% of tax clients only contact their accountant during tax season. They make major financial decisions without advice that could save them thousands.

Firms offering year-round advisory services generate 3x more revenue per client than tax-only practices.

You see clients once a year for taxes then disappear until next April. Meanwhile they're making financial decisions without you-iand your revenue is a seasonal rollercoaster.

Stop Surviving on Seasonal Revenue. Benchmark Your Advisory Conversion Rate Against Top CPA Firms.

Stop Losing New Patients to Faster Competitors. Benchmark Your Response Times Against the Top 10% of Local Practices.

The only growth engine that combines 5,000+ market signals with executable AI. From diagnosis to done-for-you - always with receipts.

Lighthouse AI Engine

Strategy, CFO, Supply-Chain, Ads — any role. Plans + Fix Lists grounded in your data.

Custom AI Expert Coach

Strategy, CFO, Supply-Chain, Ads — any role. Plans + Fix Lists grounded in your data.

Customer Voice

Synthetic personas (any demo/psychographic) roast your site/offers with proof-backed objections.

Action Agents

Safe agents auto-draft replies, ads, tasks, listings — always evidence-linked, human-gated.

Track the Relationship Data: Year-Round Touchpoints, Service Expansion, and Client Depth Scores.

Lighthouse gives Normalized Intelligence, while competitors dump data dashboards

Market fit

Advisory Service Adoption & Client Expansion Rate

Tracks what percentage of tax clients add advisory bookkeeping or planning services.

Reputation

Client Communication & Relationship Depth Score

Monitors touchpoint frequency and client engagement between tax seasons.

Visiblity

Tax & Accounting Search Rankings

Tracks visibility for 'CPA near me' 'tax accountant' and 'small business accounting' searches.

Conversion

Seasonal Revenue Stability & Recurring Revenue Ratio

Measures how much revenue is recurring vs. seasonal to identify stability improvements.

Hire Your CPA Practice Advisor to Fix Seasonal Spikes and Advisory Service Adoption.

Powered by Business Strategy AI that adapts to your market, sector, and competitive landscape.

CPA Practice Advisor

Build what customers value. Replace guesses with proof and market validation

User:

We're slammed during tax season but slow the rest of the year. How do we even out revenue?

Expert diagnosis:

You're not offering enough between tax seasons. Your clients are making business decisions buying property starting companies-iwithout asking you first. Create touchpoints and services that keep you relevant.

Expert plan:

1. Implement quarterly check-in calls for business clients. 2. Create 'tax planning' as a separate annual service. 3. Send monthly financial tips that position you as an advisor not just a preparer.

Expert sources:

Source: Client Revenue Analysis & Advisory Conversion Testing. Confidence: Very High.

CPA Practice Advisor

Build what customers value. Replace guesses with proof and market validation

User:

We're slammed during tax season but slow the rest of the year. How do we even out revenue?

Expert diagnosis:

Expert plan:

1. Implement quarterly check-in calls for business clients. 2. Create 'tax planning' as a separate annual service. 3. Send monthly financial tips that position you as an advisor not just a preparer.

Expert sources:

Source: Client Revenue Analysis & Advisory Conversion Testing. Confidence: Very High.

There are endless possibilities beyond our standard and most-used templates

Hear From the 'Just Need My Taxes Done' Client: Why They Didn't Know You Could Help Them Year-Round.

Start from our templates or describe what you want. Your AI will be ready in minutes.

The 'Just Need My Taxes Done' Client

Persona type

Transactional / Price-Conscious

Persona trigger

Your Tax Services Page

Reaction type

Impatience

Example quote

I just need someone to do my taxes-iI don't need a bunch of extra services. How much and how fast? I've been using TurboTax but my situation got more complicated this year.

The 'Just Need My Taxes Done' Client

Persona type

Transactional / Price-Conscious

Persona trigger

Your Tax Services Page

Reaction type

Impatience

Example quote

I just need someone to do my taxes-iI don't need a bunch of extra services. How much and how fast? I've been using TurboTax but my situation got more complicated this year.

There are endless possibilities beyond our standard and most-used templates

“Local Searcher”

- “I’m physically here right now. If you’re closed, slow to answer, or hard to find, I’m gone in 30 seconds.”

“Parent Planner”

- “My kid comes first. If anything looks unsafe, unclear, or inconvenient, I’m out — no second chances.”

“Comparison Shopper”

- “I’ve already looked at three competitors. Beat them on features, guarantees, or bundling or lose my cart.”

“Price-Sensitive Deal Seeker”

- “I’m hunting the absolute lowest price. Six tabs open, one click away from your competitor.”

“Urgent Need-It-Now Booker”

- “This is an emergency. Speed and availability trump everything — be there now or lose me forever.”

“First-Time Buyer”

- “I’ve never bought from you — why should I trust you won’t screw me on hidden fees or slow shipping?”

“Unhappy 1–2★ Reviewer”

- “You already screwed up once. One more mistake and I’m leaving a review that hurts for years.”

“Trendy 18–24 Year Old”

- “If it’s not on TikTok, Reels, or backed by real user proof, it doesn’t exist to me.”

“Loyal Customer”

- “I love you, but loyalty isn’t free — rewards, personalization, and feeling remembered keep me coming back.”

“Commercial B2B Buyer”

- “I buy in bulk with contracts and legal terms. Show me you can handle enterprise or I’ll go to someone who can.”

Generate Your Fix List: Quarterly Check-In Templates and Advisory Service Promotion Sequences.

Stop waking up to "Dashboards." Wake up to completed work. Most tools dump data on your lap. Lighthouse patrols your business 24/7 to hand you a prioritized checklist of fixes—drafted, cited, and ready to ship.

Advisory Conversion AI

Ready for Approval

Client comes in for tax prep. You do a great job but don't mention advisory services or follow up until next tax season. They make financial decisions all year without your input.

Step 1: The trigger

Tax return completed with no discussion of additional services.

Step 2: The Draft

AI sends post-filing message: 'Taxes are done! I noticed a few opportunities we could explore before next year to reduce what you owe. Want to schedule a quick planning call? No charge for existing clients.' Plants seed for advisory relationship.

Step 3: The Fix

Client sees value in proactive planning. Schedules call discovers opportunities. Relationship deepens beyond annual transaction.

1. Scan - The Silent Radar

Our agents monitor 5,000+ signals—from stealth competitor price drops to SEO - catching the fires you’d miss while sleeping.

2. Draft - The "Zero-Click" Solution

We don't just flag the issue; we solve it. The agent instantly drafts the exact reply, code snippet, or configuration needed to fix it.

3. Publish - The God-Mode Button

Review the "Receipt" (our evidence), check the logic, and hit Approve. The fix goes live instantly. 4 hours of work in 4 seconds.

The 2 AM Pricing Alert

Any trigger will work

While you sleep, the agent detects your main competitor just launched a flash sale, undercutting your premium SKU by 15%.

1. Scan - The Silent Radar

Our agents monitor 5,000+ signals—from stealth competitor price drops to SEO - catching the fires you’d miss while sleeping.

2. Draft - The "Zero-Click" Solution

We don't just flag the issue; we solve it. The agent instantly drafts the exact reply, code snippet, or configuration needed to fix it.

3. Publish - The God-Mode Button

Review the "Receipt" (our evidence), check the logic, and hit Approve. The fix goes live instantly. 4 hours of work in 4 seconds.

"The Instant Counter-Attack"

Perform automated workflow

The agent doesn't just flag the price drop—it drafts a reactive campaign: a "Price Match" email for your loyalists and a dynamic discount code for your landing page.

1. Scan - The Silent Radar

Our agents monitor 5,000+ signals—from stealth competitor price drops to SEO - catching the fires you’d miss while sleeping.

2. Draft - The "Zero-Click" Solution

We don't just flag the issue; we solve it. The agent instantly drafts the exact reply, code snippet, or configuration needed to fix it.

3. Publish - The God-Mode Button

Review the "Receipt" (our evidence), check the logic, and hit Approve. The fix goes live instantly. 4 hours of work in 4 seconds.

The 2 AM Pricing Alert

Any trigger will work

While you sleep, the agent detects your main competitor just launched a flash sale, undercutting your premium SKU by 15%.

1. Scan - The Silent Radar

Our agents monitor 5,000+ signals—from stealth competitor price drops to SEO - catching the fires you’d miss while sleeping.

2. Draft - The "Zero-Click" Solution

We don't just flag the issue; we solve it. The agent instantly drafts the exact reply, code snippet, or configuration needed to fix it.

3. Publish - The God-Mode Button

Review the "Receipt" (our evidence), check the logic, and hit Approve. The fix goes live instantly. 4 hours of work in 4 seconds.

The 2 AM Pricing Alert

Any trigger will work

While you sleep, the agent detects your main competitor just launched a flash sale, undercutting your premium SKU by 15%.

There are endless possibilities beyond our standard and most-used templates

Frequently Asked Questions

How do accountants convert tax clients into advisory clients?

Education and demonstration. Show them money they could have saved with proactive planning. 'If you'd called me before selling that property we could have saved $5k.' Create the 'ah-ha' moment.

What is a good client retention rate for accounting firms?

How to compete with TurboTax and online tax services?

How to market accounting services to small businesses?

How to get more accounting referrals?

How do accountants convert tax clients into advisory clients?

Education and demonstration. Show them money they could have saved with proactive planning. 'If you'd called me before selling that property we could have saved $5k.' Create the 'ah-ha' moment.

What is a good client retention rate for accounting firms?

How to compete with TurboTax and online tax services?

How to market accounting services to small businesses?

How to get more accounting referrals?

How do accountants convert tax clients into advisory clients?

Education and demonstration. Show them money they could have saved with proactive planning. 'If you'd called me before selling that property we could have saved $5k.' Create the 'ah-ha' moment.

What is a good client retention rate for accounting firms?

How to compete with TurboTax and online tax services?

How to market accounting services to small businesses?

How to get more accounting referrals?