How is the best way (that you have found) to get new bookkeeping clients to carry you through until tax season? I have some marketing people say they will find guaranted clients at 80% of annual revenue. Or one will help you set up a marketing op.
John Earl, in 1991 I used to subscribe to a list from the PA Dept. of State (maybe there are similar ones in your state) where I would pay 25 cents per corporate name, specify what county I wanted, what types of businesses (that is, if not just "all" I could pick non-profit, or foreign corporations, or professional corporations, and there may have been a couple of other designations), and then I would write individualized letters (by entering names and addresses into my own database / word processing program and writing my own mail-merge letters) to let the new companies know of my availability.
I started doing it when I was new to being self-employed, giving them that tidbit that perhaps they could relate to.
Then I kept sending little newsletters every so often (such as my annual payroll update to clients, and my annual automobile-info update to clients) to the same corporations that had gotten the initial letter. The repetition would sometimes generate new business even if the initial letter did not.
It's a lot of work, but it might work out. I still have a few of the clients involved, although many of them either went out of business or moved on for another reason.
The best way is through people you currently do work for recommending you and also your reputation
I agree with both answers so far. Word of mouth referrals is the most effective marketing method for accounting professionals. There are ways to develop your refferral networks and relationships. I'd recommend you watch a FREE webinar from Intuit Academy about Effective Marketing for Accounting Professionals. Here's the link:
http://learn.intuit.com/files/...
Also, if you visit the Intuit Virtual Conference area you'll find a recording of the webinar on Effective Marketing -- some info is duplicated, but there is more info that has been updated in this webinar.
Good luck--getting more clients is always a challenge & takes time, but you can do it!
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Hi johnearl12,
I think the most important step you can take is to have a website that ranks well in the search engines. That way, when folks search for a bookkeeper in your area, your name will come up.
Another tip - as suggested by Amy-in-PA - is to send out a newsletter every month or so. You can buy newsletters specifically for bookkeepers. Some are even integrated with your site and sent out automatically from an email marketing system, so you have virtually no extra work.
Finally, set up a Facebook fan page for your business, if you haven't already. Get active on Facebook as a businessperson. It's a great medium for referrals.
Good luck!
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