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How To Get Bookkeeping Clients

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Written by Ben Robinson Position
How To Make Clients Line Up And Beg You To Serve Them

One of the greatest challenges of knowing how to get clients and our problem-filled, solution-saturated modern-day market is simply this: transforming your business’s rallying cry from “ME TOO!” into “ME ONLY!” Yet, this element—this ability to stand above and beyond the crowd, to be singled out as the BEST and as the ONLY among competitors—is the most surefire ingredient in the recipe of success. Learn more about how to get clients in this post.

In this article:

  1. Motion Is Driven by Emotion
  2. Tips to Get Your Prospects Based on the Book “The Ultimate Reason Why Customers Choose You”
  3. Other Helpful Ways to Obtain Clients More Effectively

How to Get Clients Effectively | 13 Tips for Attracting New Customers

 

Motion Is Driven by Emotion

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What car do you drive? What kind of computer or phone do you use?

Where do you typically shop for groceries? Which gas station do you visit to pump gas?

What brand of milk or toothpaste do you buy? Why?

Well, you may have never stopped to consciously wonder why. But, a reason always exists.

Just as it exists for you, it exists for your own prospects and clients. Motion is driven by emotion.

At the heart of every decision we make is at least an inkling of emotion. Rouse that emotion and close the deal.

 

Tips to Get Your Prospects Based on the Book “The Ultimate Reason Why Customers Choose You”

1. Use a Unique Selling Proposition or Unique Selling Point (USP)

Remember that the market is saturated with look-a-like competition. To stand out, you’ve got to have a message that broadcasts what makes you special.

This message is called your USP. It’s not a jingle or a tagline, nor is it your brand name.

What is USP? Essentially, your USP is your honest answer to the client’s question: “What’s in it for me?” Its purpose is to attract the right type of customer and repel the wrong type of customer.

The equation of how clients choose you, as explained in The Ultimate Reason Why Customers Choose You by Conversion Engineer Ross O’Lochlainn, can be stripped down to two variables:

Appeal (how much they want your product)

+

Exclusivity (how easy it is for them to get it)

Creating that secret recipe — that magical blend of appeal and exclusivity — is a straightforward yet powerful six-step process.

2. Define Your Ideal Customers and Your Solution to Their Problem

Another helpful tip of knowing how to get clients based on the book is to define your ideal customer, then define their problem.

  • What do they want? Define your solution.
  • What’s in it for the customer?
  • Why should they choose you?
  • Is yours the most affordable alternative?
  • Is it of the highest quality? Are you the only business offering it in your niche market?
  • Do you boast 100% consumer satisfaction?

Ross O’Lochlainn suggests writing down TEN REASONS your ideal client would pick you:

Because ___________________________________________________. A ◻ E ◻

Because ___________________________________________________. A ◻ E ◻

Because ___________________________________________________. A ◻ E ◻

Because ___________________________________________________. A ◻ E ◻

Because ___________________________________________________. A ◻ E ◻

Because ___________________________________________________. A ◻ E ◻

Because ___________________________________________________. A ◻ E ◻

Because ___________________________________________________. A ◻ E ◻

Because ___________________________________________________. A ◻ E ◻

Because ___________________________________________________. A ◻ E ◻

3. Rate Each Reason for Appeal and Exclusivity

Put yourself in a customer’s shoes and rate each reason on a scale of Appeal (1 = “might be something to consider” to 5 = “this is EXACTLY what I need”). Write the number in the provided box.

Stay in those shoes and now rate each reason on a scale of Exclusivity (1 = “This is pretty much available everywhere” to 5 = “I’ve asked and I’ve Googled and I just can’t find this anywhere else!”). Write this number in the provided box, too.

4. Calculate the Level of Appeal and Exclusivity

Go back to each reason and multiply the level of appeal by the level of exclusivity. For example, if your reason was “because we offer a unique dining experience since the meals are cooked using volcanic heat”, it might get a “3” for Appeal and a “5” for Exclusivity (El Diablo in Spain — you’re welcome).

It looks like this: 3 x 5 = 15.

Where did you score the highest? Circle your top 2-3 reasons.

5. Write your USP

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The last thing in knowing how to get clients based on the book is to answer your client’s Q: “Why should I buy from ONLY YOU?”

A: “Because ONLY I ________________[cite your top 2-3 reasons]_______________.” There you have it!

 

Other Helpful Ways to Obtain Clients More Effectively

6. Host a Webinar

Webinars are becoming more popular nowadays as an effective way of getting prospective clients and letting current customers stay.

What is a Webinar? A webinar is a video workshop that can be streamed online. Here, business people can share advice based on their expertise and coach people in their craft.

Since they’re conducted live, webinars give the attendees the opportunity to ask questions. This makes it similar to any forum or master class conducted in person.

Another advantage of webinars is it gives businesses high conversion rates as it allows someone to share their knowledge on a specific subject, answer questions in real-time, and engage with attendees.

If you want to gain more bookkeeping clients, consider doing a webinar. This can help you since you can position yourself as an authority in the industry, which will add to your credibility and make you attractive to employers.

7. Level Up Your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategy

SEO is also another popular digital marketing strategy businesses use today. SEO refers to the process of raising a website traffic’s quality and quantity by increasing the site’s visibility to people who use search engines like Google.

Most people usually go online to search for something primarily because it’s so much easier and there are a lot of options.

Decide on which helpful keywords you’d like to use on your blog posts to optimize your posts and then follow the best practices in pumping up your SEO application for lead generation. This can help you in several ways:

  • If you move up the search rankings for keywords related to bookkeeping, more people will be able to find your site and learn about your services.
  • Creating expert blogs can add to your credibility. These posts can also be shared to your social media pages, which can increase your visibility.

RELATED: 6 Tips For Managing Expectations With Clients

8. Practice Doing Guest Blogs on Other Sites

If you enjoy writing about bookkeeping, you can consider guest-blogging for other sites. This can increase your credibility, visibility, and not to mention, that blog’s audience can become your own.

Try searching for a blogger with an audience who might be interested in your services and send them an email about your proposal.

Your relevant guest post doesn’t need to look like an ad. Be authentic and fun so you sound interesting to this market.

Don’t forget to link back to your site because that’s your ultimate goal in the first place.

9. Try Facebook Ads

Facebook is one of the biggest and most popular social media platforms these days. It allows you to reach millions of people worldwide, so an investment in Facebook ads might be a good opportunity to advertise your services.

Facebook ads are less expensive than other forms of online advertising, and it lets you filter who’ll see your ads. You get to select people based on their location, interests, and the pages they like.

Just log in to the platform’s Ads Manager, then click on the “Campaigns” tab to get started.

10. Check in with Your Past Clients If They Need Additional Assistance

If you’ve been in the bookkeeping business for a while and have already established a client base, you may not need to go far to gain customers. Do a follow-up on your past clients and see who may be in need of your bookkeeping services again.

Shoot them an email and see how things are going. If you’re offering something new, let them know as well since this might just be exactly what they’re looking for.

11. Contact Prospects Who Never Used Your Services

It might be intimidating to cold call or reach out to someone who’s never worked with you before. However, this is a powerful strategy you can utilize to attract more customers.

For this, you can utilize your website’s mailing list or those who’ve attended your webinars. These people have already expressed interest in your services by engaging with you, so they might also be interested in availing your services.

Send them an email, but make your email catchy and personalized. Ask them if they can do a quick phone call with you to talk about what you can offer to them.

If they’re up for it, you can also ask why they decided not to work with you. Their answers can help you improve your services and how you’re offering them to prospects.

12. Create Active Social Media Pages

Social media has become powerful in reaching out to a wide range of audiences, giving businesses the chance to increase their market reach.

An important thing to remember in learning how to get bookkeeping clients and creating your own social media pages is to stay active to effectively build your online presence. This means posting every day, updating your pages regularly, and generally injecting life into your accounts.

The key to becoming an effective business on social media is to treat your pages as a personal account instead of a sales page. Personalize it like it’s not really a business, so it looks unique and interesting, helping you build your market’s trust.

13. Utilize Twitter to Answer Questions from People

A lot of people use Twitter to look for recommendations and advice, and you can take advantage of this to let people know you exist and that you can help them. It may be a simple idea, but it can turn into a very effective way to reach out to people who need you or in finding clients.

If they ask questions and you know you can help them, answer them. If they are looking for bookkeeping people to hire, be sincere and let them know what you can do for them.

Try searching on Twitter using (keyword) recommendations, hiring (keyword), or hashtag help. Don’t forget to link your profile when answering people’s questions.

Your greatest weapon is that which makes you unique, if only you can learn how to find it, use it, and sell it! By mastering and showcasing the special quality that only your business can offer, you find what truly makes your business tick—and what really lures your ideal customers.

By making your business the obvious choice, you make it incomparable and unstoppable.

What other tips on how to get more clients can you share with us? Leave them in the comments section below!

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on April 25, 2016, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.