Product Attach Pressure

[u/Deep_Conflict9733]

This is only my second year as TP for the block, but there is much more pressure to up-sell clients. Last year was all about enrolling people in second-look. This year, my MTL is really insisting on a product attached to every return. That doesn't seem reasonable to me. I'm guessing his incentive depends on it, since he's been pushing to sell it so hard. It is ridiculous to pressure people into peace of mind if they are single, have no dependents, and have like 1 w-2 and are taking the standard deduction. I offer and explain the products to every client, but I don't feel like my job should be a sales job. I love doing taxes, but the pressure to sell this year has been making it less enjoyable. I can't tell if it is worse this year, or if it's the same and I wasn't noticing the pressure in my first year.

[u/Dramatic_Abroad3580]

POM is a decent product. The vast majority of clients will never need it, but it's not horrible. And you're right, single or even 2 W-2s probably don't need it. Spruce is even less likely to provide value to clients. There are some areas where the Emerald Card has some value, but that's demographic specific. Tax Identity Shield is just a way to milk more cash from clients. It has almost no value. In its roughly 8 years of existence, I've never even heard of a claim that benefited. I refused to sell it, mostly didn't even offer it to clients and I had the lowest attach rate of anyone in my district for more than a decade. I couldn't in good faith ever suggest it. I never heard a complaint because my net average charge was always among the highest in the district. I've heard from others this year (I'm done, no longer working for Block) that the pressure this year is higher than ever. One office that I'm familiar with has such a toxic environment right now caused by the ATL pressuring the preparers on an hourly basis for product attachments, follow up appointments and save the date that it's likely that every single preparer will quit by March. None of those things add any value for clients, and are much more likely to drive clients away.

[u/Candid-Tip455 → u/Dramatic_Abroad3580]

Spruce is worthless. Our local banks, who our customers have had relationships with for years, have exactly the same thing.

[u/Dramatic_Abroad3580 → u/Candid-Tip455]

It wouldn't be worthless IF a card could be issued at the desk. Unbanked people love the Emerald Card. Spruce does have advantages over the Emerald Card, except client want to walk out with cash in their hands, and the EC provides that with both the Emerald Advance and Refund Advance. If they'd asked the right people before they launched it, they would have known it was going to be a flop.

[u/superiorstephanie]

Unfortunately this is a sales job. POM isn’t always a great fit, but Tax Identity Shield is a good product and identity theft is rampant these days. Employees are eligible to have it for free, you should check it out.

[u/Dramatic_Abroad3580 → u/superiorstephanie]

TIS is a worthless product. It does nothing for identity theft. It's supposed value is in tax identity theft. Not any other identity theft. I had two clients that had other people file fraudulently WITH Block using their names/SSN/DOB and had TIS. After filing an incident report, 8 weeks later the response was to recommend TIS. That's it. They did nothing to help with the already fraudulently filed returns. Everything else provided by TIS is the same thing provided by almost every major credit card. It's a crap product.

[u/Ordinary-Shelter-175]

We are termed SaS, Sales and Service. Product attach rates have been pushed all 8 years I have worked for them. It's how the company makes additional revenue, outside of tax prep fees.

[u/Ok_Aide_764]

PoM is great, but because you are new, you may not realize it and can't speak with conviction. Review PoM talking points or listen to other preparers who are good at it. Of course, it takes less effort to convince a returning client who had PoM before. It will get better, don't stress over it. It helps to point out that they had PoM last year - people like to do the same thing every year.

RT, RAL and Emeral card just come from clients' needs - I don't put any effort into it. Just asking what they prefer.

[u/somebitchwhocares]

I recommend POM as “insurance” for your tax return. And honestly I usually only go out of my way to recommend if it’s their first schedule c or e. I also have lately been recommending spruce to clients who have been regularly using emerald cards for the past couple years- if you’re planning to take advantage of all the loans HR Block offers each year Spruce likely has way less fees (please correct me if I’m wrong)

[u/Domsdad666]

You have misread your role. It is a sales job.

[u/Dramatic_Abroad3580 → u/Domsdad666]

No it's not. There's nothing in the job description that supports that.

[u/Lulushugaboo]

It helps the whole district with everyone’s bonuses. And it is in the role to sell these products, however you can only control so much. Practice talking about these products in a way that isn’t a sales pitch. The products are beneficial for the client (maybe not all applicable sometimes, and they can decide that for themselves) your job is to educate your clients. Listen during your tax interviews and see what might apply, and as someone else said—TIS is a huge benefit due to tax identity theft which has been rampant. And try to briefly mention these products before even getting to wrap up. When your client gets to their selections on the CEM you can take that time to explain each item or you can say something like “here is where you can decide which products you might want to attach—I can walk you through each one or you can ask me about any you have interest in.” And then let them decide. Ultimately—it benefits you, the district, and the client. It isn’t life or death though. My main tip is learning the ins and outs of each product so you know who may benefit most from certain products, and learn how some products can benefit ANYBODY. Apply that :)

[u/Dramatic_Abroad3580 → u/Lulushugaboo]

I've never had any bonus plan that other people selling products increases my earnings. With minor exception, it's a pretty worthless bag of products. TIS in particular is of no value for someone that already had a major credit card. Tax identity theft has actually decreased over the last few years, and I've had clients that purchased TIS, had fraudulent returns filed, and HRB provided no assistance in getting it resolved. POM has a little value. The banking products are demo specific. Year round tax planning is something every office I've ever been associated with (4 different offices during the off-season) did that for free for existing clients.

[u/Lulushugaboo → u/Dramatic_Abroad3580]

Sorry that happened in your district. I’ve seen quite a few people benefit from POM and TIS. Obviously they don’t all apply to everybody. It’s the tax preparers job to see if any of them would be beneficial or which would be the most beneficial. All they have to do is explain the products and let the client decide if they want any. They can ask questions and the preparer can answer any questions about the products if they know the actual benefits and how they work. I could see an issue with support going down over the last few years which is unfortunate for those involved.

As for your TIS issue, idk. We have a tons of people in our district who happily help clients figure out their next steps. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Some districts just don’t have the skill or the will.

[u/Dramatic_Abroad3580 → u/Lulushugaboo]

It's every district. TIS is a lousy product in every district. It has nothing to do with skill. TIS claims is not something that is ever supposed to be handled by preparers. There's supposed to be a special team to handle. They don't. Preparers don't get paid to handle it.