Sometimes I have prospects that don't need immediate work, but may soon in the future so I politely tell them that it's okay to circle back.
Example:
Talked to a prospect in January. This prospect did not need my help filing 2020 returns but was proactively seeking guidance as their tax situation was about to get more complicated. One spouse is a high earner, the other spouse had formed a SMLLC and was going to start flipping houses in 2021.
Their question at the time was whether they should elect S Corp right off the bat. I successfully talked them away from that ledge by explaining that an S Corp comes with a significant amount of administrative overhead and compliance burden, and that it won't hurt to start as a DRE and circle back once the LLC has a certain amount of net taxable income. I see way too many prospects who are in S Corps who have no business being in them because they read a half-baked article online.
This prospect recently circled back and told me that they are halfway to the "net profit" target (and will therefore likely exceed it by year-end). The prospect requested that we hop on a phone call same day or "tomorrow" to discuss, as the prospect wants to acquire a vehicle soon and wants "to use S179 on the vehicle".
When I see emails like this, it slightly agitates me. I purposefully wanted until the end of "tomorrow" to respond, to send a gentle hint that I don't take same day calls from prospects, and all calls generally must be scheduled.
There's a lot to unpack in the prospect's email. Namely confirming that we're on the same page regarding net taxable income (and not net cash received at closing) and discussing vehicles and the need for contemporaneous logs. Refreshing on what running an S Corp is going to entail and perhaps running an effective tax rate projection.
I am also clear with prospects that I do not offer consulting services unless I also handle the income tax compliance. e.g. the 1120-S and the 1040. It's just not worth my time without the total package.
What would you do here? I need to be compensated for my time, and I don't think it's going to be cheap. To be honest, I'm thinking about throwing out a $500-1,000 initial consulting fee, given the immediate need for the consult and our position in the filing season, with the understanding that next year I'm handling the compliance work.