Marketing For Bookkeepers

When you start out with your bookkeeping business, have you considered the image that you are projecting?

After all, like it or not, you can only make a first impression once.

That’s right, you can only make a FIRST impression ONCE.

Are You Projecting a Professional Image?
We are amazed by the number of bookkeepers that are telling their clients they a run a professional bookkeeping service, and issue their invoices on an excel spreadsheet or a word document.

We asked one bookkeeper in our Bookkeepers Marketing Program why she was not using her MYOB accounting software for raising invoices.

Her response was that since she didn’t have many clients “it wasn?t worth it”

Since when does projecting a professional image become dependant on “having enough clients”?

How many bookkeeping clients is “enough” to justify using your software package to generate invoices?

Should I be GST Registered?
The ATO rulings regarding the income level of which you are required to register for GST are clear.

Does that mean that you don’t need to register for GST if your income is below the
threshold? Absolutely

Does that mean that you SHOULDN’T register for GST until you reach that threshold? – that’s your decision.

From a marketing perspective, how does it look to your client if you are not GST registered? Maybe they don’t care.

However if they see a bookkeeper that is GST registered and one that is not, they may automatically assume that the bookkeeper that is registered has a stronger business, and a higher turnover.

Similarly we’ve seen bookkeepers getting lovely “fluffy” pink feminine business cards with a free clipart image to further “pretty up” their cards.

What does that project to a prospective client?
Does it project an image of professionalism, or rather the archetypal stay-at-home-mum wanna-be bookkeeper who’s doing hubby’s books and a few other mates for some extra income?

Maybe they want to project that image, and play at being a bookkeeper.

Have a look at your invoice templates? Do they project a professional bookkeeping image?

Have a look at your business cards / stationery ? Do they project the image of a professional bookkeeping service?

Have a look at your website? Does it project a professional image and give your potential bookeeping clients confidence in your services?

Have a look at your business attire? Does you project a professional image in your dress code, or look like you do bookkeeping as a hobby? Some bookkeepers don’t care how they dress, and turn up to clients looking scruff, and then wonder why the clients are concerned about their attention to detail

When you start out with your bookkeeping business, look closely at the image that you are projecting,

Ask any accountants, or any experienced professional bookkeepers, and they’ll tell you : “There’s bookkeepers and there’s bookkeepers”

And since 1st March 2010 [in Australia], “there’s bookkeepers, and there’s bookkeepers and there’s bookkeepers!”

What does that mean?
Until 1st March 2010, anyone in Australia could start a bookkeeping business and call themselves a bookkeeper. Who knows what experience they had, or how profficient they were!

The Federal Treasury, the Australian Taxation Office, and a number of organisations loosely representing bookkepers all got together and decided that every bookkeeper who chooses to work as a contractor needs to have a Cert IV (Financial Services – Bookkeeping) to be legally entitled to lodge a Business Activity Statement on behalf of their clients.

That is, of course, the minimum requirement – there’s some other hoops you have to jump through to become a registered BAS Agent – including “being of sound mind” – whatever that means. Sometimes we think we must be crazy to want to process the paperwork of some clients – so does that mean we are not “of sound mind”?

Having a qualification, and being a registered BAS agent is just the start of the journey towards a successful bookkeeping business

Finding bookkeeping clients is the next step

Keeping bookkeeping clients, knowing what to charge your clients, keeping your clients happy and finding more bookkeeping clients are more steps towards building a successful bookeeping business

One bookkeeper who started on our Bookkeepers Marketing Program last week picked up her first client yesterday, and was so excited!!

She had been very nervous in anticpation of the first meeting with the client, and emailed us yesterday saying she’s got her first bookkeeping client.

Why should we be surprised? We are not – you see, it’s not difficult with the right preparation!

What other result would you be expecting?

After all, the purpose of the client meeting was to seal the deal, and she did. That’s all it takes!

The most important step in starting your bookkeeping business is not to focus on how many clients you have right now, but how many clients you will have in the future.

The mindset of a bookkeeper can make such a difference to the growth of their business. You learn more about this in our Bookkeepers Marketing Program

Do you need some new bookkeeping clients in Perth’s northern suburbs, Western Australia? If you are an experienced bookkeeper skilled in using both MYOB and Quickbooks accounting software, then contact Us HERE

Do you need bookkeeping clients in Perth’s Northern Suburbs?

We’ve successfully been helping freelance bookkeepers starting their bookkeeping businesses around Stirling and Warwick, and they have reached capacity

We only work with selected bookkeepers in finding them clients, negotiating the contracts and organising the appointments – all you need do is show up and do the bookkeeping work

This is a limited opportunity and is suitable only for experienced bookkeepers who are prepared to go on-site. Contact Us HERE

Without any clients, a service industry business is not really in business. Bookkeepers, whether they like it or not, are in the service industry, and thus need bookeeping clients to service

Every day we are asked “Secrets to Finding Bookkeeping Clients”. 99% of bookkeepers seeking help in sourcing new clients for their bookkeeping business ask us the same questions.

Can You Find Me Some Bookkeeping Clients? – YES

Can we find them clients for their bookkeeping business? Yes, we can.

We have helped many bookkeepers “kick start” their bookkeeping business, and have compiled a book that answers many of the questions you have about getting started, finding clients etc

There’s also answers to questions that you haven’t even thought of yet

By reading the book you’ll learn of some innovative strategies to help your business move forward, and gain an understanding of what’s involved. You’ll also get an understanding of how we think and our approach as a start to help you with your bookkeeping business

Details about the book can be found HERE

Do You Really Want Our Help?

By having a quick chat to bookkeepers looking for new bookkeeping clients, we can generally very quickly ascertain why they are having trouble sourcing new clients for their book-keeping business.

We picked up a bookkeeping client that’s returned over $200,000

Learning how to be a bookkeeper is very different from having to talk to potential clients. There’s the right way to say something and the wrong way to say something. How you speak to a potential client is important.

How you answer the questions that they ask you is also very important.

Bookkeepers who are serious about seeking help in finding bookkeeping clients will make sure that they secure a copy of our Ebook “Secrets to Finding Bookkeeping Clients”. Details about the book can be found HERE

“Oh, I’m too busy to read your book!”, we were told by one bookkeeper. Really? Then if she’s that busy, how come she’s asking us how to find bookkeeping clients?

“Just answer my question!”, said another. We have already done that, many times, and compiled the answers in our Ebook “Secrets to Finding Bookkeeping Clients”. Details about the book can be found HERE

Why is it such a big deal? Well, a few years ago we picked up a client that’s been worth over $200,000 to us! How would you feel if you were the bookkeeper that missed out on that contract because you handled the initial client meeting in the wrong manner?

Why is it that clients think that knowing how much a bookkeeper charges, will help them determine whether to employ that bookkeeper?

It seems as crazy as phoning up a restaurant and asking the price of a main meal. Do many people shop around restaurants based on how much they charge for a main meal?

Yes, of course they do. Fast Food Restaurants have built their whole business model based on price and fast service.

You can go to an upmarket restaurant and pay $30 for a hamburger, chips and soft drink – and get a “similar meal” from a fast food restaurant for a 75% saving

How does that tell you how much bookkeepers charge? Well, it doesn’t.

So many times clients will phone us up and ask “How much do you charge for bookkeeping?”

Our goal is to solve the client’s problem, and save them time and money

Many bookkeepers will answer them, and then hope to hear backfrom the client. Our goal is somewhat different, and takes some thinking “outside the box”

Why has the client phoned us? Because they want a bookkeeper! Simple as that.

So our goal is to solve the client’s problem, and save them time and money. They want a bookkeeping service, they contact us. We are a book-keeping service, so before they hang up, we’ve booked them in, secured a time, got their address, and saved them having to phone up any other bookkeepers

How do we do that

After answering the same questions over and over about starting a book-keeping business, we compiled a book that answers many of the questions you have about getting started, finding bookeeping clients etc

There’s also answers to questions that you haven’t even thought of yet

As you read this book you will learn of some innovative strategies to help your business move forward, and gain an understanding of what’s involved.

You’ll also get an understanding of how we think and our approach as a start to help you with your bookkeeping business

Details about the book can be found at HERE

Regards

Jenny Newgate
BookkeepingTeam Pty Ltd

Here’s wishing all you bookkeepers a prosperous and healthy 2010 – and an exciting start to your book keeping business this year

How many New Year’s resolutions have you broken already? The Christmas holiday period is a great time to recap on the previous year and set some goals for the New Year

Why do people think they can become bookkeepers and just start doing people’s books with no experience??

Simply this: Because they can. There are no legal requirements or qualifications needed to start a bookkeeping business.

Like anything, if you do not need to hold a qualification to do something, then anyone can do it, and in many cases – regardless of whether you know how to do it.

The average bricklayer is quite capable of doing his own book-keeping

The average bricklayer is quite capable of doing his own books if he puts his mind to it. He (or she) doesn’t necessarily need a lot of training or experience. It all depends how complex the accounts are.

The bricklayer would probably do as good a job bookkeeping a as a professional bookkeeper would do bricklaying

Many people choose to do their own bookkeeping, simply because (most people think) it really isn’t rocket science. So why do people need self-employed bookkeepers?

The difference between DIY and getting a professional in for many things is quality and time.

Maybe you can add a new electric socket in your house. It might take you 3 hours in total. Or you can get an electrician, and because he is a professional, he does it day in and day out he’ll can do it far neater and in maybe an hour.

Take that to Bookkeeping and the question we ask people who do their own bookwork is how much it does it cost them?

How valuable is their time? What else they could be doing to grow their business instead of doing their books. A plumber may earn $80 per hour, but he can’t earn that if he’s spending 4 hours doing something that may take a professional bookkeeper less than half that. So he has to weigh up $320 of lost income vs. $100.

You may have had experience doing the bookwork for your family business, and think that you can go out and start your own bookkeeping business.

Are you ready to go and start a bookkeeping business

How would you feel if you discovered the bricklayer you had hired only learned his skills from doing a bit of bricklaying around his own home and had never had any formal training or never worked under an experienced bricklayer himself?

We were unfortunate enough to hire a house painter who called himself a “professional”. Anyone can buy a bucket of paint and slap it on the walls – everything may look great initially, but down the track you’ll notice the quality of workmanship, maybe the choice of materials used.

Are you ready to go and start a bookkeeping business with no experience as a freelance or contract bookkeeper?

Are you doing everything you’ve seen other bookeepers do? Have you tried a few ideas of your own?

After making the decision to start your own bookkeeping business, what’s next?

You run around telling all your family and friends that you’re starting your bookeeping business, and they smile and wish you well.

By chance you may pick up a new client – but if it’s only a few hours at the end of the quarter, it’s hardly enough to keep you in business.

You go and do all the other things that you’ve seen other bookeepers do, and maybe try a few ideas of your own.

Then you get frustrated or disheartened.

Presumably you’ve tried some things for your self, and they haven’t worked? Or maybe they have worked, but not as quickly as you would have expeceted?

Or maybe you don’t know how much to charge? Or what to say to prospective clients? Or how to convert enquiries to contracts? ETC

That’s where we come into the picture. If you would like our help in finding you bookkeeping clients, you’ll soon discover it’s going to be a worthwhile investment into the future of your bookkeeping business.

We’ve helped bookkeepers just like you develop a $60,000 pa business in less than a year.

The choice is yours – You can continue doing what you are doing and learn the hard and slow way, or you can decide to fast track the process by securing a copy of our Ebook “How to Find Bookkeeping Clients”

Once you’ve read that and applied the various strategies, we can then help you fast track your business.

We will work with you, but we will not do all the work ourselves – that’s why we say we’ll help you build your bookkeeping business through the Bookkeepers Marketing Program

Have you decided you’ve had enough of this “working for a boss” lark?

Sam is typical of many bookkeepers that have been employed by large businesses and companies for many years as a company accountant or bookkeeper. They’ve run the financial department of the organisation and are regarded by their boss as the financial controller.

You wake up one day and decide that you’ve had enough of this “working for a boss” lark. You can do better on your own, make more money, and work your own hours.

So you decide to start your own bookkeeping business. Then your face turns white as you realise that it’s all very well having the expertise and know-how of being a bookkeeper. But without bookkeeping clients, you really do not have a bookeeping business!!

Our Bookkeepers Marketing Program will kick-start your bookkeeping business. It’s not for the feint-hearted, it’s only for bookkeepers who are serious about developing a strong, solid and profitable bookkeeping business.

Starting your own bookkeeping business can be very daunting

Cynthia’s a bookkeeper with 1 – 3 Years, using MYOB and Quickbooks accounting Software. She’s achieved a Cert iv Financial Services, and is looking for bookkeeping clients in her north Sydney suburb

She emailed us and asked:” How would you guys be able to assist me in starting my bookkeeping business?”

Her email is typical of many emails that we receive from bookeepers all around Australia, and indeed from many countries around the world.

We have helped many bookkeepers “kick start” their bookkeeping business, and have compiled an EBook “Secrets to Finding Bookkeeping Clients” that answers many of the questions you have about getting started, finding clients etc.

There’s also answers to questions that you haven’t even thought of yet

There’s also answers to questions that you haven’t even thought of yet.

To save you and ourselves time, we suggest that you read the book, and once you have an understanding of what’s involved, we can start to help you with your bookkeeping business

It’s all in the book – that’s why we wrote our EBook “Secrets to Finding Bookkeeping Clients”. Secure your copy NOW