In this day and age of texting, instant messaging, and cell phone stock trading, you must be quick and succinct in order to promote your business.  While the elevator pitch is a fairly effective way of endorsing your services in 60 seconds or less, professionals are expecting an even more truncated approach to self-promotion.

In May 2008, BusinessWeek online introduced the concept of the Escalator Speech which can be relayed in 10 seconds or less.  If you can get that right, more professionals will be willing to stay for a more detailed explanation of your services.

Your escalator speech should be contained in one sentence that is relevant and concise.  Also coined the Twitpitch and the Fortune Cookie Message, it should represent your business well and generate interest in your services from qualified, prospective clients.  Consider the message relayed by Google founders to their investor: “Google would provide access to the world’s information in one click.”  The investor quickly appreciated the vision these young upstarts had for Google.

So how do you pare down your message so that it can be relayed in 140 characters or less? (While 140 characters may sound like a lot, this sentence, counting spaces and punctuation, is exactly that long-not much room for hot air.)

First, you must understand and appreciate the value your business offers.  If you have trouble articulating why your business stands out from the competition, it may be a sign that your business doesn’t yet have a competitive edge.

Second, you must know how your business benefits the listener; this will generate interest in your services.  Brian Solis, author of PR 2.0, explains that this means you must tell the investors how your business will generate income and tell prospective clients how your business will solve their problems.  This may require a different escalator pitch for different audiences.

Third, think of your escalator pitch as a slogan or tagline that would work well in an advertising campaign.  You may even want to start with your mission statement, and tweak it to fit your needs.  Consider Universal Accounting Center’s slogans as an example of springboards to potential escalator speeches.  Changing the face of accounting, one small business at a time may become, “UAC trains students in small business accounting, providing graduates with the skills that will increase a small business’s profitability” (137 characters).    And, If it’s about accounting, it’s Universal may become, “Learn small-business accounting at UAC where we have taught graduates how to start successful bookkeeping practices for more than 25 years” (138 characters).

Your business will benefit from your ability to promote your services quickly and succinctly.  Vinnie Lauria, co-founder of Lefora, explains, “If you have to take more than one sentence to explain your service, people aren’t going to wrap their heads around it.”

Take the time to scrutinize your business enough to create an escalator speech that adequately relays your value in one sentence.  You’ll find that when you do, listeners will be more likely to stick around for even more.

Associate with Peers

You can see how other bookkeepers and accountants are promoting their services by joining our accounting and tax forum.  Upon joining, you can associate with other professionals who are encountering the same issues and challenges with which you may be currently dealing.  Take the time to create a profile today. It’s free and provides you with the perfect networking opportunity.

References

Tozzi, John.  “The Escalator Pitch.” 16 May 2008 BusinessWeek.com

Why Now’s the Perfect Time to Shift Gears

In the face of recession the natural tendency is to lay low, to duck and cover.  It’s likely that your competitors are doing that already, which is why this is the best time for you to shift gears and take advantage of the economic downslide.  Here are six things you can to move ahead during the recession:

1. Take advantage of down time

Remember all those times that you bemoaned your crowded schedule and lack of free time?  And remember all those things you had to place on the backburner because you lacked the time to attend to them?  Take advantage of downtime by doing those things you may not have had time for before: networking, de-cluttering your office, researching industry trends, reorganizing your files, following-up with prospective clients, etc.

2. Hire good talent

Now’s the perfect time to hire good talent for less.  The recession has left lots of talented individuals without jobs and without appealing positions to which they can apply.  You will be able to select from a qualified pool of applicants and bolster your staff in order to prepare your business for number three!

3. Prepare your business for an influx of new clients

Think positively and prepare your business for what might result in an influx of new clients for you.  As you market more aggressively (see six below), build your staff, and take advantage of downtime, you’ll find that your client roster will begin to grow.  So use this time to prepare yourself by ensuring that you have the resources necessary and processes in place that will enable you to manage all that business more efficiently.

4. Cut expenses

Of course it’s a good idea!  Take a look at your budget and see if there’s anything you can cut.  While an accounting practice doesn’t have much overhead, you may consider ways you can streamline your workflow, accomplishing more in less time.  Your objective should be to increase billable hours while cutting unnecessary expenses.

5. Diversify your services

The best way to take advantage of this recession is by making it more appealing to prospective clients.  Have you considered adding QuickBooks services to your menu?  Or perhaps you could learn how to prepare a small business’s tax returns as well as manage their books?  You’ll definitely gain an edge over the competition when you are able to provide full financial services for your clients who will be more than happy to take all their financial needs to just one firm.

6. Practice aggressive marketing techniques

Chances are your competitors are currently trying to maintain their rosters rather than grow them.  Big accounting firms are focusing on their A-list clients rather than their smaller ones who are no longer worth the time or energy to maintain.  Your aggressive marketing techniques will enable you to acquire many of those small business accounts that have been overlooked or forgotten.

Not only that, but when you market like there’s no tomorrow, you inspire more confidence in current clients who see your efforts as evidence that your business is thriving despite the recession.

Universal Can Help You Market More Effectively

UAC has been helping professional like you gain the skills necessary to succeed as small business accountants.  With over 25 years experience, we not only know the skills required to succeed but the strategies you need in order to market your skills more effectively.

It’s no secret that accountants are not marketing experts.  In fact, some accountants even get a little nervous when talking about promoting their services.  With UAC’s Universal Practice Builder (UPB) Program you will have everything you need to grow your business and your bottom line.

Here’s a sampling of what you will gain from enrolling in this amazing program:

• A guarantee of $30,000 in new annualized billings in only 12 months
• 12 marketing strategies that you can implement immediately
• A process which can produce 15 to 25 qualified leads per month
• 3 months of coaching via telephone and Internet
• Training on a computerized database tracking program
• A presentation DVD to show potential clients

While your competitors hunker down for a long recession, you need to take advantage of this time to grow your business and become the premier accounting firm in your area.  And when you enroll now you will receive QuickBooks Made Profitable (QBMP) for FREE, a program designed to help you use your QuickBooks expertise to enhance your services and attract even more clients!  You’ll be trained in the following:

• A proven system in using QuickBooks to attract larger numbers of potential clients
• Representing yourself as a QuickBooks expert
• Leveraging your time
• Meeting potential clients
• Offering clients services that will help them reduce taxes, increase profits and put money in the bank

Only ostriches hide their heads in the sand.  Don’t duck and cover simply because the economy is struggling.  You can take advantage of the recession and have a stronger business as a result.  Order this package today and begin a journey to a brighter financial future for you and your business.

5 Tips in “Thriving” an Economic Recession

Many would agree that there’s no question we’re currently experiencing an economic recession.  That has many small business owners panicking as they worry about the longevity of their businesses and livelihoods.  Entrepreneur.com’s networking guru, Ivan Misner, has written a blog series entitled “I Refuse to Participate in a Recession” where he examines how business owners, in changing their perspectives, can thrive, as opposed to survive, an economic recession.  This week we will examine five tips designed to help you change your experience with the current economy.

1. Assess your internal dialogue.

How you experience the economy has more to do with what you’re telling yourself about it than it does the statistics, the news forecasts and the bailout proposals.  If you have determined that things are bad and they’re only going to get worse, for both the nation and your business, then chances are they will-not because that’s what’s destined to happen, but because that’s what you believe will happen.  Your internal dialogue determines whether or not you become a victim in the current economic crisis or a survivor-or should we say, thriver.

2. Focus on what you do want, not what you don’t want.

The Law of Attraction exerts that your life is a reflection of what you think, what you focus on, and what you expect to happen.  You must turn your attention away from worry and fear.  While it is a good idea to develop a plan for the worse-case scenario, once that plan has been laid you must move on to brighter thoughts.  Consider what you do want for your business and keep those ideas in the forefront of your mind.  Those thoughts will continue to attract more positive things into your life and business.

3. Maintain a positive attitude.

Try to remain as positive as possible.  While thinking more positively is a good first step, maintaining a positive attitude has a lot to do with your emotions as well.  Try to do those things that enable you to feel more upbeat and positive.   Exercise, read, maintain your hobbies, watch comedies.  It’s much easier to remain positive when you’re participating in those activities that make you feel good.

4. Become more competitive.

Consumers are now, more than ever, keeping a close eye on their pocketbooks.  This increases the competitive nature of the marketplace.  If you don’t increase your competitive advantage now, you’ll feel the impact on your bottom line later.  Consider adding complementary services or increasing your marketing efforts in order to counteract these effects.

5. Take action.

Entrepreneurs that passively “wait out” the recession will probably find their businesses in need of serious resuscitation when the dust clears.  Take action to improve your business regardless of what the economy is doing.

The Universal Practice Builder Program

Now is as good a time as any to grow your clientele.  Regardless of the economy, small business owners are still required by law to keep accounting records.  However, the market will grow increasingly more competitive as prospective clients look for the best accountant to meet their needs.  You must better market your services in order to generate the most appeal for your particular skill set.

In all our years working with accountants, bookkeepers and tax preparers we’ve come to understand how to best market your services.  Our Universal Practice Builder Program will provide you with 12 marketing strategies that will enable you to secure 15 to 25 qualified leaders per month, a guarantee of $30,000 in new annualized billings in only 12 months, three months of master coaching, and access to a proven plan that will help you retain clients.  Again, you can complete this amazing program on your time and at your own pace.

When you order this program now, you will receive a second valuable program, QuickBooks Made Profitable, for free! Designed to help you attract even more clients using your QuickBooks expertise, this course will enable you to start and maintain an even more lucrative practice.

80% of small businesses use Intuit’s Quickbooks software.  Learning Quickbooks will help you keep more efficient records, enabling you to teach your clients how to use the software so that you can get the information you need which will make your job much easier.  In addition, this program will teach you how to attract more clients using your QuickBooks setup, help, and consulting services.

Take advantage of this marvelous opportunity to stay the course and thrive the current economic recession.  Order now!

References

Misner, Ivan.  “I Refuse to Participate in a Recession (Part 2).” 1 October 2008 Entrepreneur.com Blog Network.

Just answer a few questions for us:

• Would you like to make more money?
• Are you interested in being your own boss?
• Would you like to enjoy a flexible work schedule?
• Have you considered spending more time with your family?
• Do you want to improve your standard-of-living?

Not many people would answer “no” to any of those questions. Unfortunately, the majority of people do not know how to accomplish them. Luckily for you, Universal Accounting Center is in the business of helping their students see that all of the above do indeed happen.

What Are You Waiting for?

A more prosperous economy? Your ship to sail in? The perfect time?

When you take a passive approach to life, waiting for something good to happen, you’ll find those good things are forever beyond your reach. Truly successful people don’t wait for anything; instead they choose to make good things happen for themselves.

A little work, a small investment, and some elbow grease are all that’s required to start and build your own accounting practice. That and two power programs.

The Professional Bookkeeper (PB) Program

In order for your accounting practice to be more appealing than the competition, you must offer specialized services. Small business accounting is a specialized service. Consider that your prospective clients will need someone trained to do one or more of the following:

• Master accounting for retail and wholesale businesses
• Establish the accounting method that best fits the business
• Set up an efficient system for a “Ma & Pa” manufacturing company
• Track job costs simply and efficiently for a construction company
• Effectively handle flooring for an inventory financed business
• Consult on key business issues with confidence
• Enter data quickly and accurately
• Prepare payroll like a seasoned pro
• Avoid costly IRS penalties
• Spot and avoid dangerous trends before they become tragedies
• Save a company thousands of dollars in auditing costs
• Prepare a loan application package
• Make positive change happen!

The PB Program will teach you how to do all that and more. In less than 60 hours you can receive professional certification that demonstrates your expertise to potential clients. You will be able to do for them what few other accountants could do. The only thing left for you learn would be maketing.

The Universal Practice Builder Program

Marketing strategies, promotional campaigns, advertising techniques. Those are generally things accountants are unfamiliar and even uncomfortable with. Knowing how to appeal to your particular demographic will enable you to create a marketing approach that is successful, lucrative, and productive.

The Universal Practice Builder Program will help you do that by equipping you with 12-proven marketing strategies that will enable you to secure 15 to 25 qualified leads per month. You’ll also learn how to prepare instructional seminars that will enable you to demonstrate the value of your services to prospective clients. In addition, for three months you’ll have access to a personal coach who will help you apply the things you learn while setting and achieving your business goals. Not to mention, all this comes with a guarantee that you will earn $30,000 more in annualized billings in just 12 months!

Again, what are you waiting for?

It’s time you took action! Pursue your dreams, start that practice and take a bigger piece of the pie. Go on! You deserve it. Enroll now.

They All Start with YOU

Winners compare their achievements with their goals, while losers compare their achievements with those of other people. - Nido Qubein

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.-Edmund Hillary

The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark. - Michelangelo

The power of the mind is truly mind-boggling. Have you ever pondered the difference between two talented and capable individuals-one successful and one not? Often it’s the attitude each possesses that marks the difference in their achievements. What attitude do you live your life by? And with what mindset do you approach your career?

If you believe that you are on a path to great accomplishment and success, you are. It’s that simple. If you believe that your journey will be rife with struggle and failure, then you’re right as well. We are what we think.

The truth is you CAN start your own accounting practice. And if you already have one, you can make it even more profitable. Others have proven that it’s not only a profitable venture, but it’s easy and attainable. All you need are the skills, know-how, and the ability to market yourself to prospective clients. Sounds easy, right?

UAC Makes It Easy

While we’re not in the business of handing out confidence to our graduates, it seems to come naturally through the course of taking our programs. Here’s what some have said:

You’ll be glad to know that in the time since I completed the course, I have gone from 1 client, a friend of mine, to 27 clients in a matter of just 8 months. I’m finally realizing the potential that I always knew I had.- V. A. VonTonder

This course has literally changed my life. When I started I hardly knew the difference between a debit and a credit. Now I have the confidence to tackle almost any type of business and do their books.- A. Moody

The best part was that it gave me the courage and confidence to start my own business, which has been a dream of mine for years.-C. Christensen

In attaining confidence, these individuals have achieved the mindset necessary to successfully start their own bookkeeping service with grace and ease. Would you like to join them?

The Professional Bookkeeper Program

Designed to train individuals in small-business accounting, this program enables students to gain the expertise necessary to target a very lucrative niche market.

Just for fun, thumb through your local yellow pages. How many of the businesses you see are small, local businesses? Probably quite a few. All of those small businesses are required by law to perform various accounting functions. They need small business accountants.

Fortunately, for you, most accountants have been trained in corporate accounting rather than small business accounting, leaving these small business owners in need of a properly-trained professional who can attend to their specific needs. And if you know how to market your services, you’ve got an even greater advantage over your competition.

The Universal Practice Builder Program

Don’t feel bad. Most accountants are uncomfortable marketing their services. But once you know a handful of proven marketing strategies, methods for building an effective professional network, and can apply it all with a mentor by your side, the rest comes easily.

For over 25 years UAC has been teaching individuals like you small-business accounting. In the process we have learned quite a bit about how to effectively market those same services to the best prospective clients. When you enroll in this course you will get the following:

• A guarantee of $30,000 in new annualized billings in only 12 months
• The skills to become a Profit Expert for each of your clients
• 12 marketing strategies that you can implement immediately
• A process which can produce 15 to 25 qualified leads per month
• 3 months of coaching via telephone and Internet
• Training on a computerized database tracking program
• A presentation DVD to show potential clients
• Seminar training for three different instructional courses
• Access to a plan proven to help retain clients

When you couple the Professional Bookkeeper Program with the Universal Practice Builder Program, you have just about everything you need to start and/or grow your own accounting practice. Just bring a positive attitude and we’ll supply the rest. Don’t wait another day to realize your potential and change the course of your future. Enroll now!

In recent newsletters we have spoken about networking strategies and the need to update and maintain a date base as a platform for marketing activities.

Have you ever considered the value of your network of clients, contacts, suppliers and mentors? If you are the same as the majority of business owners, the answer is a resounding “no”.

Well - what is the value of your network. A simple “lots” answers this question. Our network has been developed and nurtured over a period of many years from an amazingly wide range of contacts.

Could you imagine conducting business without your network. To say the least it would be most difficult. People who commence business without the benefit of a network like yours can really suffer - one of the major benefits of purchasing a franchise business is the fact that it comes with its own built in network and there is no need to “re-invent the wheel”.

Once you begin to appreciate just how important your network is, you begin to realize that you should not only cherish it but also regularly communicate with members of your network and be on the lookout for additional members with whom you can conduct business or who can help you in other ways. Obviously this is a two way street and you should also be focussing on ways which you can be of assistance to members of your network without considering what they can do for you.

Your own network is the final outcome of all your networking activities and, as such, forms a vital part of your total marketing efforts. With this in mind it is something which should always be on your mind.

Learn More About What Module 4 of Our Accounting and Bookkeeping Course Teaches About Marketing Your Business

Other sections from this week’s newsletter:

• Success Begets Success
• Start a Part-Time Bookkeeping Service
• Growing Your Client’s Profit

24 hours a day… 7 days a week. How would you like to have a sales force that never sleeps, works 24 hours a day, never expects to be paid, and delivers your complete message without leaving anything out each and every time they meet with your clients? Any business owner would love to have such a tireless and faithful sales force.

You might be thinking to yourself, “;Who would be willing to work so hard and not expect to be paid?”;

You may find this hard to believe, but the tools to create this sales force are literally right at your fingertips.

Your Sales Force Can Use The Personal Approach

If I were to suggest “;direct mail”;, you might think only of those cheaply made 1/2 sheet fliers that you get with coupons. That couldn’t be further from what I’m talking about. The biggest mistake most business owners make is assuming that all direct mail is impersonal, cheesy and poorly crafted. That is not the case.

Over the past 25 or 30 years, the Wall Street Journal has used a very effective direct mail campaign to solicit new subscribers to their magazine. You may have even received a letter yourself. Over the years I’ve received a couple of them myself.

I’ve noticed that the letter has remained fundamentally the same each time I receive it. Why? Because it works. Isn’t it interesting that something most of us pass off as cheap and cheesy, the Wall Street Journal has used effectively for years? As we discuss the beauty of the “;sales force that never sleeps”; let’s talk about why what’s good for the Wall Street Journal will be just as effective for you.

Let’s take a look at why the letters from the Wall Street Journal work and the coupons you’ve seen before don’t:

1. They use a personal approach. They send a personal letter. Don’t make the mistake of dismissing this because it’s something as simple as a letter. The truly great marketing minds of the last 50 years will all tell you that a personal, finely crafted letter is one of the single most powerful selling tools in existence.
2. They use statistically proven methods to make sure their letter gets read. Believe it or not, the science to the “;direct mail”; sales letter has been tested and successfully demonstrated for years. They use these tested methods whether or not they personally would respond to them. Statistically substantiated methods prove far superior to acting as a “;focus group of one”; like many of us tend to do. How many times have you heard someone say, “;I wouldn’t read or respond to that!”.
3. They present their message in a concise and interesting manner. Nobody wants to waste time reading fluff… despite the fact that they send a 4+ page letter, they make sure that every word pushes the reader through the letter, the sales pitch and the close.
4. They unashamedly ask for the reader to subscribe. They make no excuse that the purpose of the letter is to gain your subscription. By presenting the benefits to you, the reader, they demonstrate the ability of the Journal to meet those needs and ask for your subscription. Their salesman always asks for the order at the end of every presentation.
5. They continually seek to test and improve. Like all great direct marketers, constant testing against this proven letter is required. Some of their potential subscribers get a modified letter to make sure that the letter they send out gets the best results possible. But they keep the tried and true. Why? Because it works.

Find New Clients, Reintroduce Yourself to Old Clients or Keep in Touch with Current Clients

The personal letter does all these things. You’re “;sales force that never sleeps”; multi-tasks and reaches out to all of your contacts. Remember, a personal, well crafted letter is one of the most powerful sales tools you can use.

You might say, “;I don’t see any other bookkeepers or accountants using a sales letter.”; That’s great. Using a sales method that others don’t in your particular market is a really smart move.

Universal’s Marketing Module Offers You Proven Sample Letters to Use with Your Clients and Prospective Clients

The Wall Street Journal uses a letter that has been tested and has proven itself over time. You can benefit from the same type of testing. Part of the Professional Bookkeeper Course offered exclusively by Universal Accounting includes a marketing module filled with tried and tested sales letters, presentations and contact ideas that have been successful for years.

No other program offers as complete an education in small business accounting as Universal. No other course offers the tools to ensure that you are successful. Learning everything you’ll need to know and providing you with tested and effective sales tools that you can start using today will ensure your success.

The need for professional bookkeeping and tax professionals has never been greater. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that the need will continue to increase for the foreseeable future. There has never been a better time to start your business as a skilled bookkeeper and tax professional.

You can build your Bookkeeping Practice by using methods proven effective. You don’t have to be a marketing genius. Universal Accounting has the tools that allow you to join the ranks of successful bookkeepers and tax professionals all over the country. People just like you and me who never considered themselves to be marketers before, but with tried and tested methods have discovered how truly simple a successful marketing effort can be.

The most complete education in accounting is one click away. Enroll now in this time-tested course that will not only train you in small business accounting, but enable you to effectively market these skills. Order now!

Are You Sabotaging Your Professional Image?

Positive or Negative Image

When we interact with clients and coworkers, what is their impression of us? We might like to think that they see us the way that we see ourselves, but often that is simply not the case. From how we dress to little habits that we have that we may not even notice ourselves, we each display aspects that others may read negative things into, whether accurately or not. What kinds of things might we be doing today that could harm our professional image? While the focus of the article below is on issues that we often relate to females, many of them apply to both genders to greater or lesser extent.

Inappropriate or Suggestive Dress

Inappropriate dress is one of the most obvious ways to undermine your credibility with potential clients. While this applies to both sexes, it is especially true for Women. Experts cite inappropriate television role models, fashion designers, and a lack of self-awareness as the causes of poor career-wear choices among women.

If the clothes that you wear are suggestive in nature, it cheapens your image, especially to female coworkers or clients. They may see you as not focused on business or that you want to get ahead by appealing to men in a sexual way. If female coworkers sense this in you, it may engender feelings of competition or resentment. Male coworkers or clients may get the wrong idea, that you are interested in them or again, that you are cheap. If they are attracted to you by the things that you wear, you create a distraction to the business that needs to get done. You may then have to deal with unwanted advances or other problems. Simply put, the business that you do for clients is complex enough without adding to it with interpersonal issues and potential conflict.

Speak too softly.

Some women speak but are not heard because they do not speak loudly enough. Speaking softly often conveys a lack of confidence in what you are saying. Your clients need to know that you are secure in your ability to do work for them. Those that are noticed are those that are often outspoken and convey that they have something meaningful to say.

Also, when you speak softly and are not heard, you create a laborsome conversation where a client must continually ask, “What did you say?” Even worse, your clients may misunderstand what it is that you are saying and come to incorrect conclusions. Misunderstandings will make you less effective and will often strain client relations.

Wear their hair too long.

Experts consider long hair too girlish and distracting. Long hair should be pulled back and off the face during the workday. It is said that well over half of the information that is conveyed in a conversation is done non-verbally through facial expressions and other non-verbal cues. If your face is partially hidden by your hairstyle, you reduce your ability to effectively communicate. Some people that are shy by nature wear long hair and let it hang down intentionally to obscure their facial expressions and to “hide”. You do not want any of these connotations to badly affect your professional image with clients.

Smile and giggle too much.

Many women don’t realize they smile and giggle as much as they do. It’s often a nervous habit, but it robs them of their credibility. You want to be seen as mature and businesslike, one who is in control of yourself and your emotions. You may find that others assume less intelligence than you actually posses because of stereotypes that we have all been exposed to.

Smiling too much or giggling may also give the impression to male clients that you are interested in them for more than business, no matter how innocent your motives might be. You may be seen as flirting with them or making advances.

Use nervous gestures.

Hair-twisting and hand wringing, for instance, are annoying to others, and send a negative message. They will be seen for what they are, indications that you are uncomfortable. When clients sense that you are uncomfortable, they will wonder whether you question your own skills and ability to do the work that they are paying you for. When you radiate confidence, it puts your clients at ease as well.

Apologize too much.

It’s important to acknowledge a genuine mistake, but it’s not appropriate to take responsibility for something that is not your fault. People with little confidence tend to apologize for things that are not their doing. You do not want to be associated with people with low self-confidence.

Conclusion

Whether we like to admit it or not, to a greater or lesser extent, we all take visual cues from others and relate them to those that we have worked with in the past. The mind is a giant association machine, so it is impossible to completely disassociate what we see now with what we have seen before. Knowing that others’ minds work in this way can be to our advantage. If we dress and conduct ourselves in a way that clients relate to very professional people that they have known in the past, we will leave a better impression and have a better working relationship.

Learn More Business Secrets that Work in Our Forum

The first goal of marketing is to get the word out about your product or service. Don’t fool yourself with the field of dreams myth that, “if you build it, they will come.”

The fact is, no matter how good your product or service is, until people know that you exist and have a service that solves their problems, nothing happens. Nothing bad happens, but nothing good either.

Get the Word Out

Continual networking boosts business and helps you become more widely known in your community. People tend to buy from those they know.

In networking, make it your goal to be known by many, the first step to increase the reach of your marketing efforts. Most networking groups don’t cost much more than the price of lunch to attend a meeting. They provide the ideal low-cost way to spread the word about your service in a low-pressure friendly setting.

Be Ready To Tell Potential Clients What You Do

Once you begin to pursue a networking strategy, it becomes obvious that you will be regularly asked that familiar question - “What do you do for a living?” It’s inevitable that this will happen, so it’s smart to always be prepared with an answer.

Benefits, Not Features

When asked what it is you do, this is an open invitation to explain the benefits of your service. Let me stress the word benefit. If you provide accounting and tax services and someone asks what you do, you could answer in a couple of ways:

1. “I enter payroll, bank, and sales transactions into their respective journals and prepare ledgers that summarize the data.”

In response one, the best you can hope for is that they won’t yawn during the explanation. Don’t describe what you DO, describe what you can do FOR THEM, as in:

1. “I help small businesses to identify areas where they can cut costs and increase profit margins through good accounting. I help them really understand their business finances and how to use that data to make profitable business decisions.”

Get right to the point. Answer the question for them, “Why do I care?” Why? Simple, I can help you make more money. I will show you how to make sense of your company’s financial data. I will make accounting easy to make business decisions based on data, not just gut instinct.

Your “30 Second Networking Commercial”

At networking events, you mingle with many other businesses and pass out a lot of business cards. You get one chance to make an impression and make sure your business card doesn’t just join the pile each contact already has.

Quick! You’ve got 30 seconds to describe who you are. You’ve got to be ready with an answer that gets attention and makes someone want to hear more. As in example 2. above, show what you can do for their business or that of someone they know. You will also add information about who you are and where you do business. This quick explanation of benefits in networking circles is called “your 30 second commercial”. If it’s good, it will help you get business. If you hesitate, the opportunity is lost and your contact moves on.

Keep It Short and Direct

No doubt you can recall innocently asking this question of another person, whom you have just met, and being forced to listen to a 10 minute diatribe in response. When the response is eventually complete you may be fortunate to remember a couple of the points covered but you will have forgotten it all within a few days (maybe hours).

To ensure that you don’t squander this opportunity to promote your business you should write down your commercial and then rehearse it until you have it word perfect.

How to Use Your 30 Second Chance To Make a First Impression

What do you include in your networking commercial? The most important things you need to cover are:

• your business’ name
• what services you offer
• benefits of using your service
• where you do business
• the type of clients you have

Example 30 Second Networking Commercial

It needn’t be lengthy. Below is an example of what you might use. Alter it to fit your personality and situation.

“I’m the owner of ______________________, a bookkeeping service right here in __________. I help business owners reduce their taxes, improve their profits, and manage their cash flow better. For instance, just recently I . . . (your own story in the remaining 20 seconds).”

Leave Something With the Contact

At the conclusion of your commercial there is the best opportunity to hand over your business card. If you did a good job creating interest in the first 30 seconds, your contact will likely ask you to elaborate on some of the points outlined in your commercial.

If your contact doesn’t appear to have a comment, don’t have to wait to be asked a question. Simply introduce your networking commercial into the conversation at the appropriate moment. With a bit of practice, it’s not difficult to determine when the moment is right. You’ll get a feel for it and be an old hand at networking in no time.

Use Your Commercial Early and Often

It’s time for you to start writing and rehearsing if you don’t already have your 30 second networking commercial. Make sure that you pique a contact’s interest right away to separate yourself from the crowd.

Make it a habit of looking for networking opportunities to use your 30 second commercial in. Don’t wait for a networking meeting, though they are a great place to prospect for clients. At the local florist, at the tire shop, and dozens of other times during the week, you interact with small business owners that need the services you have to offer.

Some find it useful to make it a goal to talk to 5 people each day about their service in informal, non-threatening conversations. If you are standing in line at the grocery store, strike up a conversation of some sort. You will be surprised how often you can find ways to mention what you do in casual conversation.

Realize that what you have to offer is an opportunity for small businesses to be more profitable. In a perfect world, they would be the ones trying to find you and, in fact, many already are. Small business owners know they have trouble with their own books. Once you show them that you can help them cut costs and make more money, THEY will be the ones asking the questions.

Effectively Market Your Service and Make Great Income

The Professional Bookkeeper Course devotes an entire module teaching you marketing strategies to quickly find paying clients. You will learn how to bill for your services and get $30 to $60 per hour and how to explain your services such that small businesses are glad to pay it.

Learn How the Marketing Module of the Professional Bookkeeper Program Teaches You To Make $30 to $60 Per Hour

“Marketing” is not a dirty word

No business will be successful, with any product or service, without some form of marketing. Regardless of what those get-rich-quick schemers say, you will have to do more than just hang out your shingle, and start counting the money. You need to get the word out.

Any good marketing program requires that the company have an edge over the competition.

A story of three furniture stores, sitting side-by-side in a shopping center helps to emphasize this point:

Being in a recession, furniture sales had dropped way off. Each furniture store owner was considering ways to improve sales. The owner of the store on one end had a thought and raced to the sign shop to pick up a banner, which he proudly displayed across the front of his store, “Inventory Clearance Sale.”

It worked! Customers were coming to his store instead of the other two.

In an effort to regain customers, and boost sales, the owner of the furniture store on the opposite end acquired his own sign announcing, “Year-end Clearance Sale”. It worked, too. His old customers returned, and he even had some new ones coming in.

That caused the owner in the middle store, in a state of desperation, to get his own banner, which he proudly displayed above his door, stating, “Main Entrance”.

Each owner, providing the same merchandise, worked to get an edge over the competition. You too must seek an edge or a competitive advantage because, as you are surely aware, there are other accountants doing the same thing as you will be doing.

There are all types of advertising mediums we can use today; everything from expensive freeway billboards to high-cost television advertising. Each medium might do a good job with a particular type of industry while working poorly with others.

Word-of-mouth is the most effective and consistent marketing method for a bookkeeping and accounting business. It�s inexpensive, it�s the most direct approach, and it produces results.

I have three articles to help you get the most out of Word-of-Mouth marketing.

See: The best way to market an accounting and bookkeeping service

How to get a new client every week

Save time and money by finding clients near your home

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