Why don't those in accounting and finance explore the specialized tax incentives available for their business owner clients?

There are a few common (and mostly non-malicious) reasons you often don’t see accounting/finance folks proactively mining niche tax incentives for their clients:

*Focus and incentives are misaligned

Many accountants/bookkeepers are measured on compliance accuracy, bookkeeping timeliness, audit readiness, payroll/tax filing, and “don’t get sued.”

Tax-incentive hunting is more like tax planning/business strategy, which may not be how they’re compensated or evaluated.

*Specialized incentives require specialized expertise

Most credits/deductions/incentives have narrow eligibility rules, documentation standards, and sometimes filing schedules (or forms) that aren’t “default” knowledge.

If the incentive is state-specific, industry-specific, or depends on detailed facts (contracts, wages, R&D activities, energy projects, location, ownership structure), generalists often avoid it to reduce errors.

*Liability and “risk cost”

Pushing for an incentive they don’t fully understand can create:

compliance errors, disallowance risk, penalties/interest, and reputational risk with the client if something goes sideways.

Many professionals prefer to “stick to what they know” rather than take on uncertain technical risk—especially when the incentive’s benefit depends on future audit interpretations.

*Time and workflow constraints

Incentive discovery takes time: client interviews, documentation review, fact pattern mapping, and sometimes coordination with attorneys/CPAs who specialize in that area.

Busy firms often prioritize work that is already scoped, billable, and predictable.

*They may assume someone else already handles it

Owners often have a tax preparer, tax attorney, or tax strategist who “owns” tax planning.

In some firms, tax planning is intentionally separated from bookkeeping/cash-flow/reporting roles.

*Communication gaps

Incentive eligibility can hinge on operational details (hiring plans, capital projects, supplier relationships, research activities, software development, energy usage, etc.).

Accounting/finance teams may not be embedded enough in day-to-day operations to get those facts early—so they don’t know what to look for.

*Regulatory complexity and change

Incentives can change due to legislation, state budget cycles, and evolving guidance.

Keeping up is hard; firms may rely on specialists so they don’t have to maintain that knowledge internally.

*Client behavior and demand

If clients don’t ask, don’t provide operational detail, or resist proactive planning (“just file the return”), firms will default to reactive compliance.

Fortunately, a free online app (nothing to download) uses a two-step process: “screen for eligibility” first, then “deep diligence” only on the likely matches and prepares everything for the accountant/CPA,tax preparer to submit and in almost 25 years, nothing has been challenged by the IRS.

Let prospects sell themselves!

Here's a problem:

Are you asking questions to check boxes.

Not to understand what's really going on.

If so, you"ll get objections like:

I need to think it over.

Call me back next quarter.

Let me talk to my team.

Send me more information.

It's not a timing problem. It's not a budget problem.

It's a discovery problem.

The prospect never opened up. Never told you the truth.

Here's the shift:

Stop asking: "What's your budget?"

Start asking: "Because of [problem], what are the negative ripples effects you’re seeing it have on the business?"

Stop asking: "Are you the decision maker?"

Start asking: "Can you walk me through how decisions like this typically get made in your org?"

Stop asking: "Are you interested?"

Start asking: "If you don't solve this in the next 6-12 months, what happens?"

Same call. Different questions. Different outcome.

The psychology:

When they say it out loud, they believe it.

When you say it, they resist it.

Your job isn't to convince. It's to guide.

Puppy Dog Close

This close probably got its start back in the days when pet shop owners encouraged those parents,of the children who wanted the pet, to take it home and see how they liked the pet. You can probably figure out how this story ends if you’ve ever experienced this concept.

This close is obviously not applicable for every product or service, but when it is possible try the following:

If you are selling a service, offer a small trial service for free and if the customer likes your work, they then agree to hire you. Magazines use this type of offer most of the time when they are marketing to new subscribers. 

Anyone in the appliance industry can use this close also. You can offer the individual the floor model to take home, use it for a week, and if it doesn’t fit their needs, bring it back.  Of course, you’ll have a few individuals who won’t purchase, but I’ll put my money up that the majority will.

Tell your customers who can’t make up their minds to buy or not to buy, to try out your product for a week for free, and if they don’t like it then they can return it, no questions asked.  

Most people, once they “have” something in their possession, will feel that they own it and therefore want to keep it once the week is up.

This vaccine works like immunotherapy.

A pancreatic cancer diagnosis is typically grim, with just 13% of patients living for more than five years after being diagnosed. But new data from a clinical trial showed that seven out of 16 patients who were given personalized mRNA vaccines responded to the treatment—and are still alive six years later.

How it works: The vaccine works like immunotherapy. After cancerous tumors are surgically removed from an early-stage pancreatic cancer patient, they’re used to create a vaccine that trains the patient’s immune system to fight off lingering (or future) cancer cells. It’s the same mRNA technology that was used in the Covid vaccine, which studies estimate saved millions of lives:

Scientists warn that mRNA still needs to be studied more as a cancer treatment. A larger Phase 2 trial is in progress.

Earlier this month, Revolution Medicines also reported that a separate treatment, a pill called daraxonrasib, has nearly doubled a pancreatic cancer patient’s life expectancy compared with chemotherapy.

Despite doctors saying mRNA technology is safe, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other Trump administration officials have questioned the technology, and put research dollars in limbo. In February, the FDA said it wouldn’t review a new flu vaccine that used mRNA technology, but quickly reversed its decision following backlash.

The Testimonial Close

After you have collected all of your testimonials, put them in a binder, and when appropriate you can leaf through them to show a potential customer or a present customer who had the same hesitancy problem.

Let me give you an example:

Customer: “I’m not sure about how your company will service me. That’s the only thing that keeps me from purchasing your product.”

You:  “You know, Mike, most people feel the same way as you do and one of our customers in particular expressed that concern to me before he bought. But he found out that his concerns were never realized and in fact, he wrote us this letter thanking us for doing such a good job for him.”

This will reinforce the prospects’ purchasing decisions.

The Total Honesty Close

People actually DREAD having to deal with salespeople.  So why not be an advisor or counselor to them.  Spend a great deal of time finding out what they want to do and accomplish. Then show them how your product or service can fill their needs.  

Then do something that “no one” expects you to do, and tell them all the negatives about minor things that may mean your product isn’t the right one for them.

If you want to gain instant credibility with someone who is a potential client. Do this and watch all the sales pressure just melt away.  You are no longer a pushy, obnoxious, or greedy salesperson.  

You have become a confidant and trusted advisor to the prospect.  

Let me give you an example:

Suppose you came into my car dealership and wanted to buy a sports car. I ask you all the necessary questions to find out what you really want and the benefit you want to receive.

I have just qualified you for how much money you want to spend and how you will spend it. Then I show you a car and as we are driving around I mention a few reasons why you might NOT want to own this car.

What do you think might happen?

Look at it this way. If you are selling a great product or service, the negatives of what you are offering will probably be very small. Don’t keep them a secret, just tell your customers upfront about any negatives.

I’ve experienced this quite often. The negatives you tell them won’t make any difference in their buying decision.

Keep it simple, just be totally honest with your prospect and tell them everything they need to know to make the buying decision. If you do tell them a few reasons why they may not want to buy your product, you will probably get the sale and more importantly, you will get tons of referrals because your customer will TRUST you.

Another reason for being honest is that after you’ve asked the questions to find out how they want to benefit from the purchase, and after using the Total Honesty Close, besides creating a customer, you have led them into purchasing the product or service that they truly desire and will create a long term customer who will be coming back more often and purchasing more from you.

Nice "CPA" problem!!

Your CPA is a nice person.

They remember your kids' names.
They're pleasant on the phone.
They get your return filed on time.

But nice doesn't save you money.

I talk to business owners every week who say the same thing:

"My CPA is great. Really nice person."

Then I look at their return and find $30,000, $50,000, sometimes $100,000+ in missed opportunities.

Being nice and being strategic are two different things.

A nice CPA will file an accurate return based on what you give them.

A strategic tax advisor will save you thousands each year. 

You can have both. But you have to ask for it.

GMG helps business owners find deductions you didn't know existed, implement strategies you've never heard of, and structure your business to minimize taxes legally.

Want to find out what your nice CPA has been missing? Just answer 3 simple questions!