He said that he’s got 26 years experience in bookkeeping, and teaches bookkeeping as a lecturer. What is incredible about this, is that he has no idea how to help his students get started as bookkeepers themselves. He has no knowledge of marketing – which is great for our business!

We’ve had a very positive reaction from bookkeepers who understand that time and effort is involved in finding (and securing) clients. The bookkeeping teacher who is training students to become bookkeepers has no idea how to find clients, and is asking me for help. His main concern was that there’s so much competition and potential clients run a mile at his hourly rate!

We’ve never had that problem – astute business owners understand that bookkeeping is an investment not an expense

You could get some flyers printed very cheaply to promote your bookkeeping business. Then pay some one to deliver them. Better still, go for a walk in your neighbourhood, and drop them into the letter boxes. You’ll be sure to pick up some clients that need their bookkwork doing, and you could offer them an introductory rate.

Will you help me build my bookkeeping business?

You can show your new bookkeeping clients how they’ll save money by engaging you, then they’ll tell their friends. By keeping it local, you’ll cut down travel time, and may even find that they’ll drop off the paperwork to you on their way past to their next job

How effective is newspaper advertising?

Advertising in the local paper is not very cost effective in our experience. You need to do it every week for a few months. It’s what other bookkeepers do, because it’s “easy”. They try it a few times, investing money that they didn’t really have in the first place, and seem surprised when the phone doesn’t ring. Then they contact us and ask us if we’ll help them build their bookkeeping business

If you want some help in designing your flyers, contact us, and we’ll give you some pointers about what does and doesn’t work. Initially you may spend three days a week chasing new bookkeeping clients, and a couple of days doing bookkeeping with your new clients.

After a few weeks, you’ll find you are doing four days working and one day chasing new business

Many bookkeepers start out while already working for a boss. There’s no reason why you couldn’t keep asking around and pick up some clients to work on after hours. That way you are not reliant on your job, and if anything should happen down the track, you won’t be left stranded.

That’s basically all we did to get started. Soon we found that we had more work, and were earning more than the regular “job”, so we made the decision to quit, and go our own ways. The question you’re asking is “How much do I charge?”

There’s no straight forward answer. Recently we phoned around town looking for a lawyer to help with a situation. Just to get started we were asked for $5000 up front to be put in a trust account, and were told the hourly rate was $350. Another lawyer quoted $275 with $1000 upfront, and the “cheapest” was $200 per hour. It’s a similar story with bookkeepers, in that there can be a wide variation of rates.

If you want more guidance with starting your own bookkkeeping busines then buy a franchise for between $30k – $50k. Or contact us and start to benefit from over thirty years of experience from the “school of hard knocks”

The first thing is to spell it correctly. Some people call it bookeeping, others bokkeeping, and others bookkeeeping.

Once you’ve overcome that hurdle, you’ve made a start, which is great.

If you don’t make money from the program, nor do we. How fair can that be? You’ll be investing in your new business venture in no time at all, with an initial outlay that’s far less than buying a bookkeeping franchise or a “Business in a box”, so you can Click get started HERE The information that we provide our bookkeepers at the outset has come through tried and tested methods, it is not theoretical.

For bookkeepers, time is money

Telephone Support

We offer you telephone support. Sometimes a bookkeeper may choose to email us the data file so that we can help them if they are having difficulties with a particular job.

You can find all the information that we provide for free if you are willing to take the time to do the research yourself. Bear in mind that for bookkeepers, time is money, so that the longer you are taking to do the research, the more you’ll need to work to compensate. Our program gets you earning almost straight away and save you having to “reinvent the wheel”

To engage our services, you’ll enter into a commitment with us for an agreed length of time, and after that time you are on your own. The program is structured such that the marketing fee will not be an “out of pocket” expense to you, so in effect it will cost you nothing.

Contact us for more details.

Ann-Marie is like many bookkeepers who decide to start working for themselves: She’s highly skilled, very proficient, has many years of experience, but has never had to find any clients of her own.

So when faced with the prospect of having to find new clients, it seemed a daunting task. When you know how, it’s actually quite a simple process.

The biggest challenge for a small business owner is knowing how to ascertain whether a bookkeeper is competant for the job of undertaking the business owner’s bookwork.

We get many enquiries from potential clients looking for a bookkeeper, and we get just as many enquiries from bookeepers looking for good clients.

Continued here

Why spend (waste) money and time trying to reinvent the wheel?

So she contacted us for help. There?s nothing unusual about a request like this: We get many enquiries from bookkeepers who want to start their own business.

However, would those same bookkeepers be happy to help out a potential client to get them set-up with their bookkeeping, without expecting to receive commensurate renumeration from that client?

We are amazed by the number of bookkeepers who are not prepared to invest in our skills, knowledge and expertise in helping them get started. They would rather spend (waste) money and time trying to reinvent the wheel under the apprehension that they are saving themselves time and money.

Recently we discovered a leak in our mains water supply – we had been paying for water that we hadn?t been using, and were totally unaware of the leak until some work was being carried out in the front yard. So we called a plumber who was more than happy to attend to this problem.

Five minutes work and $160 later, we no longer had a leaking pipe! The next time we had a leaking pipe, guess what? We didn?t call out the plumber, we just went down to the local hardware store and purchased similar accessories that the plumber used to fix the first leak, and fifteen miutes later the job was fixed for around $25 dollars (plus our time)

If you are looking to start your own bookkeeping business, whether full-time or part-time then you should be prepared to set aside a budget to get started.

The lady yesterday was already considering yellow pages, business cards and other marketing strategies, and was more focused on ?trying a few things? rather than investing in a proven strategy that would bring her more clients than she could handle, giving her the option to pick and choose which clients she would want to work with

We have been helping bookkeepers get started in their own business very succesfully, and can show you how to save atime and money in getting started. When you contract us, you are investing in proven methods, with personal support, as well as our expertise and skills, just as we paid for the plumber?s knowledge and we learned from watching him.

If you are serious about getting Help Starting A Bookkeeping Business, read more here

It’s tempting to take on every client that comes your way, but remember, you are working for YOU. You are self employed! And you have other clients that you are continuing to service.

You are not an employee, you do not do everything a client asks without question. What self employed professionals do is consider whether they can (or want to) provide what the client wants and if the answer is no they can decline to act for them at any time.

We’re always willing to provide testimonials and a background summary but never a reference and full cv unless it was an employment with the associated guaranteed hours, pay, sick leave etc. A client that asks for all that information is generally looking for is someone desperate for work (eg newly set up) who will run at their beck and call without charging them for it.

If you agree you can bet your bottom dollar they will be trying to keep you at this low rate, or even lower next time. Let them find someone else as you will always resent how little you get out of it and they will always moan whatever you do (this type tend to not supply information needed and then blame you for not completing your now impossible task).

This type are usually bad at paying on time and taking on someone else as well. Have confidence in yourself and look for other more suitable work. You’ll be glad you did. Here’s an accountant’s experience:

“When I was at the meeting – which turned out to be a two man interview panel I was asked if I’d brought my CV and the details of two referees. This made me wonder what do other accountants take out with them when visiting new clients – do you expect to be grilled? I had done some research on the company before I went so I had done some preparation and I’ve no problems supplying referees from amongst my clients but I was a bit gobsmacked when they asked me why I wanted the job, how I would fit in to their organisation and asked to talk about previous employment.

As I was leaving they told me that they were interviewing some more candidates (wonder if they know whats coming) and they would let me know if I’d been successful!!

And here’s an experience from another accountant:

“When I first started in practice several years ago I naively went to be “interviewed” by a potential new client, was offered the job, and soon came to regret it. They spoke to me with contempt, tried to bully me and generally treated me like their lackey.

After one particulary abrasive meeting which left me literally shaking, I realised I was a long way from the respected professional adviser I intended to be, composed a disengagement letter, and never looked back. Since then I have seen other “clipboard clients”, as I like to call them – the ones who come to the intial meeting armed with a list of personal questions to prove I am worthy to be their accountant.

Some do actually come armed with the proverbial clipboard! I am always quick to take control of the meeting, and point out politely but firmly that it is not appropriate for them to interview me. You soon realise that not all clients are worth taking on.

There’s always a balance to be struck when approached by a prospective new client. They need to check whether you’re right for them. Equally you need to check if they’re right for you.

It’s worth speaking to them on the phone to clarify what they want before agreeing to give up your time to visit them. It can also be helpful to keep a little checklist by the phone as a prompt of the things to address when a prospective client calls and also characteristics that you want to evidence during that all important first conversation.

We have to balance how we come across on the phone. Business like, friendly, helpful, professional and flexible. These are common aspirations as is a desire to avoid attending meetings before you have enough background information. That means you have to identify what information you want to clarify before agreeing to a meeting.

Many small business operators understand the benefit of engaging the services of a bookkeeper part-time. However, those same business owners do not necessarily want a bookkeeper who works part-time. A bookkeeper who works part time may not have all the skills needed, may not be conversant with current trends, or be sufficiently polished as a bookkeeper.

Small business owners need to know that when their bookkeeper is working on their books, the business owner is getting a professional service from someone who is thoroughly proficient, fast and accurate, and is efficient with their time

There’s bookkeepers who’ve chosen to reduce their hours and only wish to work part time. They may only have a couple of clients, and are very happy to do bookkeeping part-time.

Many of our bookkeeping clients like to be assured that there’s consistency, and that they will see the same bookkeeper regularly. They are looking for personal service. They want a bookkeeper that they can trust, a bookkeeper who is confident, and a bookkeeper that can provide the necessary skills to produce the results for which they were commissioned to do.

We’ve spoken to a number of individuals who think they quite like the idea of starting a bookkeeping business. They ask if we’ll can get them a coupe of clients just to see if the bookkeeper really wants to make a go of the business.

There’s not many clients who would appreciate being serviced by someone who “thinks they want to give bookkeeping a go”. If you’re thinking about being a bookkeeper, then ask yourself this question: “Do I want to be a part-time bookkeeper, or do I want to do bookkeeping Part-time?”

My contact number is work. So I would appreciate if I could be contacted via email. [her work email address]
Thank you for your time.”

You can only make a first impression once

We received this enquiry yesterday. They say you can only make a first impression once: The impression this bookkeeper has made is that it’s OK to use her employer’s resources to search for another bookkeeping opportunity.

One has to wonder about the integrity of this bookkeeper. How would you feel engaging the services of bookkeeper who is happy to use your resources to further their own means?

Our goal is to save our bookkeeping clients time and money

When working as an outsourced bookkeeper at a client’s premises, our focus is 100% on the work at hand. To complete the bookkeeping in a thoroughly efficient and professional manner with maximum accuracy in a short time. Our goal is to save our bookkeeping client time and money.

The bookkeeper that approached us is currently employed as the accounts manager. Her email suggests that she’s not happy where she is, and has no qualms about looking for other opportunities at her employer’s expense. One wonders how she would operate when working at a client’s premises as a contract bookkeeper

If we help this bookkeeper, would we be helping her potential clients? Would you employ this bookkeeper? Contact us for details

Because money is usually tight you want to maximise every dollar spent on developing / marketing your business.

These days advertising need not be expensive, if you plan an effective campaign. By spending a bit of time doing some research, your advertising flyers can help you reach out to your target audience, without having to spend so much in your marketing efforts.

Digital printing means that full color flyers are relatively inexpensive, as well as being proven to be the most cost effective tools to have in your marketing arsenal, especially for those on a limited budget.

In simple terms, they are advertisements that can be directly handed out to your target clients. You can create the artwork yourself, or hire a professional graphic artist to do it for you. Many print shops will even help you with the design as part of the overall cost. The option of going with professionals may cost you a little bit more but would be worth the extra effort.

Here’s some things to consider when launching your campaign:

1. Your advertising flyers need to grab the attention of your clients and potential customers. This may be in your design, layout, or copy.

2. Be aware of your target market – Make sure you provide your target audience with a compelling advertising flyer that works sells the sizzle, not the sausage. You want to make sure the right people are contacting you, and not time wasters.

3. Your focus is to generate leads – Your advertising flyers are not substitutes for your sales team – You need to highlight your benefits in order to get your target audience to read your message. Focus on your product as the solution to your target clients? problems and you?ll never go wrong.

4. Call to action! What do you want your readers to do after they get the flyer? Contact You! So many flyers have a contact phone number hidden away at the bottom almost as if it’s an accident. Your flyers should Tell People What You Want Them To Do i.e. “Call now!” “Visit us for your free consultation!” Make your call to action prompt and urgent.

5. Remember to follow up! Everyone that contacts you is a potential lead. Maybe not this week, or even this month! Make a diary note to call your client database.

If after following these tips, you’ve not had success with your flyer advertsing campaign, then contact us and we’ll offer you some guidance specific to your situation

Taking your existing experience in accounting or bookkeeping, setting yourself up to work from home has many benefits.

Smart small business operators realise that they do not need a full-time in-house bookkeeper, so all you need do is to approach such businesses in your area and offer to do their book keeping.

If you do not have any accounting software, then you need to purchase some. Popular software for bookkeepers and business operators in Australia are
Quick books or MYOB. If the company you work for uses a different piece of software, they may purchase a copy for you to use at home, or make one of their current licenses available to you.

If you are just starting to branch out on your own, then its better to stick with the accounting packages that you already know how to use.

You’ll also need some basic stationery such as a pocket calculator, ruler, stapler, pencils, notepad etc. Make sure that you’ve got a reliable computer with the microsoft programs such as Word, Excel to work with.

Sourcing new clients is actually very simple – if you need some help, then contact us for some guidance

You’ll find some tips that we’ve published earlier, just do a search on our website.