Summer is Prime Time for Tax Form Sales Tax form season peaks for manufacturers in mid-winter, so why is Marilyn Mraz sweating to get direct mail pieces to her tax form clients this summer? "I like to torment them," she says with a laugh. "If they don't order by the second reminder, I place toothpicks under their fingers." The toothpicks are a joke, but Mraz makes a point: Distributors who start early have a definite advantage when selling tax forms. "Preparation is key when selling anything, but it's the factor with tax forms," says Mraz, sales manager of TransForm Technologies, a distributorship in Norcross, Ga. "[Tax form] clients typically wait until the last minute. If you're the first [distributor] to the party, you'll be less likely to lose easy business." Mraz's direct mail packages include reorder forms, plus updated catalogs from her manufacturer that are imprinted with TransForm's logo. She sells W-2s and other tax forms to a variety of clients, targeting personnel agencies and mortgage companies that use software-compatible forms. TransForm Technologies' tax form business primarily consists of repeat orders, so Mraz uses direct mail packages as potential door openers to new business. Tax forms help distributors penetrate accounts, but it's up to distributors to ring the doorbell, she says. "It's good to be able to say, 'We've already provided you with tax forms, so don't worry about those anymore. Now we'd love the opportunity to quote on your other business.'" When end users order before November, the beginning of the 3-month tax forms rush, distributors have more time to demonstrate the rest of their services, Mraz says. Distributors who assume tax forms are too complex and old-fashioned are missing sales opportunities, Mraz says. Printing pros who are versed in the constructions of laser forms, continuous forms and mailers are well-positioned to sell them. Also, some printing manufacturers help distributors track and understand yearly tax forms specification changes made by the IRS and Social Security Administration. To further aid distributors, some manufacturers offer catalogs, instructional booklets for end users, seminars, videos and marketing materials. To encourage distributors to order before tax season heats up, some manufacturers offer to store orders and delay billing until they ship the forms. Electronic filing of tax forms has cut into tax forms business, but a ripe market remains, mainly because tax forms have three characteristics distributors wish were true of all products: They're in demand every year, they offer high profit potential and repeat orders are likely. Because the government mandates tax form use, literally every business needs them. Distributors say some of the best prospects for tax form sales are payroll firms, accounting companies, software dealers, financial institutions, temporary agencies, school districts, unions and banks. End users in charge of buying tax forms often don't want to deal with ordering them until absolutely necessary. Because these buyers seldom attain multiple quotes and their tax forms stay on shelves only for a short time, many end users pay a premium for them. "There's still a wealth of opportunity for distributors who want to sell tax forms," Mraz says. Have a solution? Click here to be featured as an E-Weekly Solution of the Week