Create-a-Win-Win for You and Your Client

February 12, 2018 | Growth and Expansion

Increasing Client Satisfaction in Accounting Firms

What if you could increase customer satisfaction, while also increasing your revenue and profits? What if you could accomplish both objectives without changing your existing workload or staff?

In a recent webinar, we walked through the benefits moving towards a more proactive mode with clients by helping them manage the burden of incorporation, LLC filings, registered agent services, and annual compliance management. We also explored CorpNet’s partner program and showed how CPAs, accountants, and bookkeepers can easily add these services to their existing advisory offering.

At the end of the webinar, I held a live Q&A session for attendees. I received some great questions, which I’ll share below.

An Overview Business Formation and Business Entity Requirements

Whether your clients are in the process of starting or growing a business, they might wonder about the steps involved in legitimately forming a business entity type or the tasks they need to complete on an ongoing basis to keep their existing business in good standing. Some of their inquiries may flow naturally into your area of expertise while others may require you to align clients with other resources. For example, business owners should talk with their attorney to get the lowdown on legal requirements for their specific type of business and their location.

And for clients who have already consulted with you and their lawyer to determine legal and tax-related details, you can enhance customer trust and loyalty by giving them a way to save them time and money on their business formation and compliance filings.

How? By signing up your accounting firm and/or professional business practice in the CorpNet Partner Program. We’ve developed this program to enable you to help clients with their business formations and annual compliance filings—and to give you a new stream of revenue. I’ll share more about that later in this post. Right now, let’s discuss several business compliance issues for which your clients may need assistance.

CorpNet can assist your clients with all business registration and compliance responsibilities and more.

1. Changing Their Business Entity Type

Perhaps you’re working with a sole proprietor who wants to protect personal assets while running her company. Or maybe the owners of a multi-member LLC (Limited Liability Company) have decided they want to be able to sell stock to raise funds to expand their business. In these situations, and others, your clients must submit documentation to legally form or change their business entities.

Examples of business formation paperwork by business entity type include:

  • Articles of Organization – For LLC registrations
  • Articles of Incorporation – For Corporations
  • Certificate of Conversion – To convert an LLC to a corporation
  • Election by a Small Business Corporation – S Corporation election
  • Certificate of Authority – For foreign qualification to operate an LLC or corporation outside of the state in which it was formed

2. Obtaining an EIN

As you advise your clients that they’ll need an EIN (Employer Identification Number) to hire employees, set up a bank account, and file their taxes, they may ask about the cost and where they get one. EINs are free of charge from the IRS.gov website or for a minimal fee, CorpNet can apply for one for busy business owners.

3. Applying for Business Licenses and Permits

Many of your clients may need certain business licenses and permits to legally operate their companies at their location. The requirements will depend upon where they are and what they do. Some businesses might require federal, state, county, and local licenses and permits, so it’s essential that their owners check to find out what requirements apply to them.

CorpNet can assist with determining licensing requirements and completing and submitting the paperwork.

4. Designating a Registered Agent

Your LLC and corporation clients must assign a registered agent to receive service of process (state and federal correspondence, legal notices, corporate filing notifications, and other important paperwork) on their behalf.

5. Submitting Annual Reports

Some states require LLCs and corporations to submit annual reports or “statements of information” so companies’ vital information is up-to-date in the state records. In the states that require them, the required deadline may be annual, every two years, or on some other schedule. Sometimes, the filing deadline for an annual report may be aligned with the deadline to file other state taxes.

6. Closing a Business

When clients have decided to cease doing business, they must officially notify the state(s) in which they operate their companies by submitting Articles of Dissolution. If they do not formally close their businesses with the state, they continue to bear the responsibilities of filing reports, paying taxes, and performing other compliance tasks.

Use CorpNet’s Partner Program to Better Help Your Clients with Business Compliance Issues

Now you can offer incorporation, LLC filings, registered agent services and annual corporate compliance services to your clients in all 50 states through CorpNet!

Both you and your clients will benefit from our program when you sign up for either our Reseller option or Referral Partner option. Either way, you can make additional income for your accounting business and reduce business compliance issues for your clients, while your clients will get the peace of mind that their business and compliance filings (in any state) will be completed accurately and on-time.

Which CorpNet Partner Program Option Is Right for You?

Option 1. Partner with CorpNet as a CorpNet Reseller

As a reseller of our services, you can help your clients register a business, file annual reports, and meet important deadlines. You get wholesale pricing on business formation and corporate compliance and you can Resell our services to your clients under your brand while CorpNet acts as your silent business filings fulfillment partner.

Your dedicated account rep will monitor and notify you of any corporate compliance deadlines for all your clients. There is no additional cost or obligation to you and we will never contact your clients. Your clients. Your Brand. While our team at CorpNet does all the work. We act as your silent fulfillment partner, while you receive compensation for selling our products and services.

Option 2. Partner with CorpNet as Referral Partner

Become a CorpNet Referral Partner. Refer your clients to CorpNet for any business formation or compliance filing and earn up to 25 percent commission on each sale. Just send us the business, and we’ll send you a check.

As a referral partner, your business receives a commission every time a prospect that you’ve sent our way requests us to handle their business formation and compliance filings.

CorpNet and our partnerships with professionals like you have helped hundreds of thousands of businesses across the U.S., and we can help you help your clients with all their business filings and annual compliance needs.

Regardless of which option you decide will work best for you, CorpNet’s team of filing experts will be standing by to answer your questions. Increase revenue and become a trusted advisor; partner with CorpNet.com today.

Webinar Q&A Session With Attendees

Question: WHO can be a Partner?  How can I utilize this service when I’m only a bookkeeper? I’m not a CPA or tax professional.

Answer: Our most successful partners are usually individuals who consult or advise small business owners and startups. Types of partners include:

  • CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers
  • Quickbooks advisors
  • Lawyers who assist clients who own businesses
  • Estate planning experts
  • Business coaches
  • …and more!

Please note: We are VERY selective in our screening process. The best relationships are fruitful and beneficial to all parties.

Question: Should I be a CorpNet Reseller or a Referral partner?

Answer: You can be BOTH! Many of our Corpnet Partners participate in BOTH our reseller and our referral partner programs. For example, a “partner” may be advising some one of his more valuable clients, charging them for his consulting services and using Corpnet as a fulfillment agent for any required filings. In other cases, that same partner may decide that, for certain clients, a simple referral may be the better solution for all parties.

Question: When do I get paid my commissions?

Answer: CorpNet calculates commission on the Last day of the following month for any given period. Commission checks are usually issued within 72 hours of that day. Thus, if you refer clients to Corpnet and they make a purchase in month 1, we will calculate all sales, refunds, commissions due for that month 1 period on the last day of month 2. Then, your commission check is mailed out in the first week of month 3.

Question: What if I don’t get credit for a sale that SHOULD have been my referral?

Answer: Call us at 1-888-449-2638 or email us to partners@corpnet.com …and we’ll make it right. Remember, we want you to be a happy partner. We want you to be excited about our services and the services you are offering to your clients through CorpNet.

Question: How do you keep track of referrals?

Answer: When a user clicks your link with your unique partner ID, a cookie is stored on that users’ device. All purchases made at www.corpnet.com from that device will list you as the referral source. Once you become a CorpNet partner, you will receive a program overview and support document from your dedicated account manager which will include all this information for your review, reference, and perusal.

Question: Do you help set up a Non-Profit Corporations and for Tax Exempt Status?

Answer: Yes, we do and we can assist with the set-up of any type of Non Profit corporation in any of the 50 states and also assist in helping you with the filing of the Tax exempt status!

Question: Is the price the same for a Single Member LLC, a Multi Member LLC, S Corp and C Corp?

Answer: Our package prices are the same across the board for all types of business formations and start from just $79 plus state fees for our basic formation package, $199 plus state fees for our deluxe formation package and $249 plus state fees for our all-inclusive complete formation packages.  Please Note that state fees and processing times will vary depending on the state of formation.

Question: What is the suggested price that we can charge our clients for the service?

Answer: As a reseller partner you are free to charge whatever price you want and mark up our prices as high as you like; as a referral partner, the price is based on what is stated on our site at www.corpnet.com.

Question: What about non-compete and non-disclosure between my firm and yours?

Answer: You can view the Partner terms of use at which will cover your questions about Non-compete and non-disclosure at: Corpnet Partner Program Terms of Use and Affiliate Agreement

Question: For you to provide me with white label services for my clients, is there a minimum that I need to provide to you monthly to qualify for this option? I’m still building my practice.

Answer: There is no minimum requirement whatsoever.  That is the beauty of our program!

Question: Is it possible to move a client’s existing registered agent over to CorpNet? If yes, how would we go about doing so?  Can I move my existing clients over to CorpNet even if they have already set up their business entity and have you start acting as their registered agent and monitoring all their business compliance and annual filings?

Answer: Yes, absolutely any time, any day and in any state! Just provide us with the list of your clients and not only we can switch over their existing registered agent to us as the designated registered agent, but we will also do a complimentary business compliance check at the time we switch them over.

Question: Does CorpNet file on the county level as well?

Answer: Yes, we can file any type of county required filing in any of the 50 states that require a county filing including “Doing Business As” Filings or also referred to as a Fictitious Business Name Filing.

Question: Can you help clients who are Foreign Investors who are buying rental property in U.S.

Answer: CorpNet can assist any foreign business owner in or professional who is interested in forming a business entity in the US.

Question: If a client doesn’t know what business structure they should choose, will you recommend the business type?

Answer: CorpNet.com is a document filing service and CANNOT provide you with legal, tax, or financial advice. That said, we have plenty of resources, content and tools available at your fingertips that can guide an individual into making an informed decision about what business structure they need to choose for their business entity.  For example, CorpNet’s Business Structure Wizard created by attorneys and accountants, allows you to determine what is the best business structure for your clients by taking you and your client through a series of questions based on their specific needs and business requirements.

Also, an accountant, cpa or tax professional can advise a client as to what business type they should consider forming that provides them with the minimum tax liability.

Question: Does CorpNet Guarantee its services?

Answer: CorpNet® is committed to setting the industry standard in customer service by providing the highest quality of service when handling any of your document filing needs.  That’s why we have the best guarantee to go along with it – if you are not completely 100% satisfied for any reason with any of our document filing services, we will refund 100% of our service fees, no questions asked.  We are so confident in our services that we stand by it 100%.  In the unlikely event that CorpNet® does make an error in filing your documents, CorpNet® will promptly correct the error as soon as possible at no additional cost to you and CorpNet® will absorb any additional fees and costs necessary to correct the error.

The CorpNet® Guarantee is limited to its service fees and does not include refunds for state and/ or government fees paid to any state/governmental agencies and/or to any third parties for your filing – and is subject to the limitations on liability and other restrictions contained within our Sitewide Terms of Use & Disclaimer, including a requirement that any refund requests must be made within 60 days of the service purchase date.

CorpNet® is committed to receiving your 100% customer satisfaction…or your money back!  If you are ever less than 100% satisfied with our services, please contact our customer service team Toll-Free at 1.888.449.2638 or Direct at 1-805-449-2638 and we will make every effort to make things right and make you a 100% satisfied customer!

Question: You mentioned a checklist on the process slide. Is this something you give us to use?

Answer: Yes, we have a plethora of free guides and checklists available as a reference for your review and perusal which can be accessed here:

Question: You mentioned Trademarks. Can we also resell this type of service through CorpNet?

Answer: Yes, you can resell Trademark search and filings to your clients through CorpNet.com.

Are You Ready to Join Us?

Corpnet’s Partner Program has helped hundreds of thousands of businesses across the US and we can help you help your clients with all of their business filings and annual compliance needs.

Increase revenues and enhance your Trusted Advisory services… Partner with CorpNet.com Today! Join Now!

Apply now or contact us today to learn more about the CorpNet Partner Program!

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Nellie Akalp

Nellie Akalp is an entrepreneur, small business expert, speaker, and mother of four amazing kids. As CEO of CorpNet.com, she has helped more than half a million entrepreneurs launch their businesses. Akalp is nationally recognized as one of the most prominent experts on small business legal matters, contributing frequently to outlets like Entrepreneur, Forbes, Huffington Post, Mashable, and Fox Small Business. A passionate entrepreneur herself, Akalp is committed to helping others take the reigns and dive into small business ownership. Through her public speaking, media appearances, and frequent blogging, she has developed a strong following within the small business community and has been honored as a Small Business Influencer Champion three years in a row.

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