H&R Block Tax Pro Series: Sandy Ferguson Is Always Helping Clients

Forty years of experience in Grand Rapids, Mich. puts Sandy Ferguson in the trust of clients new and old.  

She began working for H&R Block in 1985 after becoming disappointed with her own tax preparer. The tax pro walked out on her return, caused her to wait long hours, resulting in a small refund.

“I never want anyone to have the bad experience I did,” Ferguson said. “I really consider my clients my friends. I listen to them about their sorrows and always try to be good to them.”

Ferguson said she retains her existing clients by letting them know they can trust her and is there for them year-round, while her new clients are brought in unique ways. She will talk to people on the street about taxes and offer her help. She even once helped a client at a Ponderosa restaurant in Auburn, Ind., and one in a restaurant at Mackinac Island, Mich.

She is always going the extra mile, gaining lifetime clients from random opportunities. Including being recently recognized for her efforts in helping clients with missing documentation due to natural disasters and helping a client with a net operating loss (NOL) that resulted in a $1.5 million refund.

“My client came in 2008 for a second look. He was a banker and had lost a lot of money.  I saw he had a net operating loss which was quite big,” Ferguson said. “I asked him if anyone had talked to him about the NOL.  We were able to go back five years and recover taxes he had paid. It ended up being $1.5 million [refund] and $79,000 on state.”

Through the years, clients commit to Sandy for a lifetime. The respect she receives is a direct reflection of how she treats each taxpayer she works with.

“My biggest tax tip is to always treat clients with respect. I believe in the Golden Rule of do onto others.  Always remember the $35 client is as important as our highest paying client.”