Closing the Deal (Part Two of a Two-Part Series)

6 Steps for Turning Prospective Clients into Current Clients

You’ve made a good first impression and now you want to deliver your sales pitch and seal the deal. That may be easier said than done. But when you attend to the client’s needs and follow 6 simple steps, it can happen, and quite possibly, before the bill arrives.

1. Arrive early

It’s important that you properly set up your meeting. Most sales pitches are delivered over a meal; it’s a great way to lure prospective clients from their own businesses in order to discuss your services. In that case, you should ensure the restaurant is aware that your reservation is for a business breakfast, lunch or dinner. Give them your card before the clients arrive in order to avoid that awkward moment when the bill is presented. You can also determine seating at this time, which is important when meeting with more than one prospective client.

2. Build your professional relationship

Set the meeting’s tone by getting to know the client better before jumping into your pitch. Ask questions and listen to their answers. Just about everyone likes to talk about themselves, their families, their businesses, and even the weather. Exhibit genuine interest in your client’s life and you’re sure to build a solid base for your professional relationship.

3. Time your pitch

You want to avoid interruption and ensure adequate time to deliver your pitch. If you’re having breakfast, you don’t have much time and will want to start fairly soon. Lunch appointments are a little longer and you should wait until everyone orders before you start. Dinner appointments are the most leisurely and you should wait until everyone has finished their entre before you start talking business.

4. Ask the right questions

It’s important that you determine your prospective client’s needs. What are their current accounting needs? Do they already have an accountant? Are they satisfied with their current accountant? What services would they find most beneficial? The more you learn about their business and corresponding accounting needs the better equipped you’ll be to cater your pitch to align with their business objectives.

5. Emphasize benefits

Before you even practice your pitch try to take on your prospective client’s perspective. What would they most want from an accountant? While you probably offer everything from standard bookkeeping to payroll services, the client is more interested in how those services will benefit their business. It’s much more appealing to hear that you’ll help them cut costs and increase profits than it is to know that you can manage their accounts payable and accounts receivable.

6. Listen to and answer questions

This step is often overlooked. We can be so focused on delivering our pitch that we forget to listen to our prospective client’s questions and thoughtfully answer them. This will help you best determine what their deeper concerns might be. Often this is where the deal is sealed as the client comes to realize that you’re genuinely interested in what is best for their business.

Enhancing Your Sales PitchYou’ll be better equipped to seal the deal when you have a professional designation to back your experience and expertise. Not to mention, when you receive training in small business accounting, you will enhance your service offerings and become a full-service financial provider! What client wouldn’t want their tax preparer to become a one-stop shop for their financial needs?And when you enroll in Universal’s Professional Bookkeeper Program, you learn how to become a client’s Profit Expert, enabling you to contribute to a client’s profitability – a skill that makes your services invaluable. Imagine how that will enhance your sales pitch!Get started today! UAC has been training professionals like you for over 25 years. Benefit from our experience and expertise. Enroll now and gain the skills and confidence necessary to secure more clients and seal countless deals!

Closing the Deal (Part One of a Two-Part Series)

7 Tips on Forming a Good First Impression

Meeting with a prospective client in order to pitch your services can be intimidating and nerve-wracking. Does it help to know that much of your prospective client’s decision will be influenced by their first impression of you? In fact, your contact will form that first impression within mere seconds of meeting. It’s important that you do your best to make it a good one. We recommend you consider the following when meeting clients to discuss your services.

1. Looks matter

We’re not suggesting that in order to succeed you must look like a contender for a beauty pageant or the cover of GQ. But we are saying you need to appear well-groomed and professional. Depending on the setting, a formal restaurant or a casual bistro, you should dress appropriately and ensure that all the details-from your hair to your shoes-are attended to and project a positive image for your practice.

2. Consider the contact

You don’t want your contact to feel out-of-place or uncomfortable. When selecting a meeting place you should consider the prospective client and what would put them at ease. This includes how you dress as well. You would probably select different attire when meeting a tattoo artist than you would when meeting a stock broker.

3. Practice a firm handshake

Just about everything you do in that first meeting will reflect back on your business and the services you offer. A firm handshake projects confidence and strength while a limp handshake projects a lack of confidence and strength. If necessary you should practice your handshake until it becomes second nature.

4. Express thanks

Lydia Ramsey, in her article “Seal the Deal in Seven Seconds,” says that while only 7% of your first impression is formed by the words you use, it’s important that you choose those words wisely. She suggests focusing on your first 12 words by expressing gratitude for the opportunity to meet with the prospective client.

5. Use the client’s name

Everyone loves the sound of their own name. And when talking to a prospective client, especially within those first crucial minutes, it’s essential that you say their name. But don’t overdo it; you just might start to sound like you’re schmoozing which is never very appealing.

6. Smile

No matter how nervous you are be sure to smile. A genuine smile will put the client at ease and set a friendly tone for the meeting.

7. Be energetic and personable

Even your walk says something about you. If your demeanor is sluggish then your prospective client will think that’s how you work. Be energetic, positive and friendly. This effort will communicate volumes about your work ethic.

Almost as important as your pitch is the first impression you give a prospective employer. As you attend to your appearance and the way your present yourself, applying the seven tips described above, you’ll find it much easier to close the deal. Come back next week when we will discuss how to present the perfect sales pitch.To enhance your sales pitch and learn crucial marketing techniques, you can enroll in the Professional Bookkeeper Program. You can add new services to your offerings and broaden your target market. If you would like to learn more you can order our video “Introduction to the Professional Bookkeeper Program” today. For less than $10 (or free when you watch it online) you can learn everything you need know about this amazing course.ReferencesRamsey, Lydia. “Seal the Deal in Seven Seconds.” 2 July 2008 About.com

Are You Ready For The Tax Season

Get Your Checklist Taken Care Of: Training and QuickBooks Pro

This week its coming down to crunch time. There is only two more months until the Tax Season ’07 officially kicks off. Are you ready? I’m sure all of us have one or two things they still need to do, but for us who are wondering do we have the training that will allow us to get through the season with flying colors.. it’s getting down to the wire.

For what you may ask? The Universal Professional Tax Preparer’s Program is the most comprehensive tax preparation program available on the market. In the program, as you may know, you will be able to get the rundown on the standard deductions and exemptions as well as the complicated employee business expense and miscellaneous itemized deductions among many, many other skills taught. And the time is quickly passing to get the program and to master all the material before the season starts!

It is estimated that if you only spend one hour a day on the course materials, (which is a comfortable pace for most) that you will be done with the course and ready for the certification process in 60 days. If you carry that out, it takes you into the last week of December. Don’t procrastinate getting enrolled into the program. You will be able to have the confidence and the know-how to properly give the best Tax Prep Service to those that come to you and those you are doing business with. Give yourself that added edge in your tax preparation career!

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What else will give you that edge for the ‘ Tax Season? Have you dreamed of having your own accounting clerk who manages your accounts payable and receivable? A personal tax practice requires you to manage lots of fiscal information, and that probably requires more of your time than you might like to spend, especially when that time could go towards more billable hours. Most business owners’ dream system would include the ability to do the following:

• Track clients and vendors so that you can easily find their information from one location

• Quickly create invoices so that you can receive payment sooner.

• Write checks with one click.

• Remind you when bills are due.

• Process easy-to-read financial reports.

• Manage accounts payable and receivable.

Thankfully there is a system that can do all those things for you, making the business end of your tax practice more manageable and less time-consuming. QuickBooks Pro is that system, servicing more than 80% of small businesses like you. And as a tax preparer you know how valuable it is to use the same system many of your clients are using.

Get the Information You Need from Your ClientsAs a tax preparer you know how valuable it is to get the information you need from your clients, and in the right format. In fact, the biggest complaint many tax preparers, accountants and bookkeepers have is that the information they receive from their clients is difficult to sort out and sometimes unusable. This is true whether the client is doing the books by hand or through QuickBooks. Potentially, many of them are already using QuickBooks, so you can simply teach them how to use it so that you can get the information you need, making your job much easier.

Make Extra MoneyOnce you master Quickbooks, you can offer help services to other Quickbooks users, and that’s not just limited to your current client base; you can attract new clients by offering Quickbooks set-up and consultation services for $65-$95 per hour. You’ll find companies who want to do their accounting tasks themselves, but need help in configuring Quickbooks to meet their needs. And once you’ve helped a company set up its initial QuickBooks system, who do you think they’ll turn to for help? You, of course! After all, you’ll have the training and expertise they’ll need whenever they run into a problem. Because even if businesses are doing the books themselves, they will need help in certain areas or have problems that only you can solve. Taxes and depreciation come to mind immediately, along with installation support, accruals, job costing, estate planning, and a myriad of additional services that only you can offer. And once your Quickbooks clients recognize the value and competence of your expertise, they’ll come to you for their tax needs.

Learn QuickBooks Now!Universal Accounting Center (UAC) has a training program that will teach you QuickBooks quickly, and painlessly. UAC’s Guide to Quickbooks Pro is a self-paced program that enables you to complete the parts that interest you and skip over the parts that don’t. Even if you have used the program for years, the program teaches you shortcuts and methods you may not have known. You will be impressed by the simple flow and completeness of this program. So why wait? In just a number of hours you could be ready to better manage your own finances, and add new services to your own practice, increasing your bottom line.

Imagine what you would pay for that accounts payable and receivable clerk we talked about earlier. Let’s say that clerk charged $25 an hour and you used her services 10 hours a month. That would cost you $250 dollars a month. Not bad, you think, especially if you can make that amount in less than 3 hours time preparing taxes. But in one year, that would cost you $3000. The retail cost of UAC training coupled with the QuickBooks Pro software is $485, but for a limited time you can get that for just $385; less than what you would pay that clerk in two month’s time. And if you already have the software, or are just interested in a trail version, it’ll just cost you $285. And in addition to having a system that can help you better manage your own business, you’ll also have the training to offer Quickbooks help services to current and potential clients. This could be just one way to expand your practice beyond tax season. Don’t wait; order today!

Universal Accounting Center

If It’s Accounting, It’s Universal:

Get to Know More About the Company That Will Change Your Career!

Universal Accounting is a company that is making a difference in the lives of their students! For those who are pursuing or looking into the possibilities of pursuing a career path into the Accounting, Bookkeeping and Tax Preparation services, you need to get to know more about what all Universal offers in their comprehensive training programs.

If you prefer onsite classroom study or looking for the benefits received on independent study, we have developed the programs that you will be able to get the one-on-one experience in your own home. The skills we have used over the course of the last 28 years, with the trial and error, the fine-tuning of accounting methods and strategies, and what we and thousands more have experienced running their own practices – we have provided to you the advantage to stay on top of your profession. Our coursework is designed to be exactly what you will be doing when you are servicing the biggest customer base available, the small business owner.

If you are looking for the knowledge, the skills, and the know-how to start or build your accounting or tax practice, or just looking to gain the essential skills to further your career in your place of business, Universal’s Programs are what you are going to need.

Click here to take the Video Tour of Universal and all that we offer to you, the accounting and tax professional to be the best in your field and to have the success in business and in your professional life that you are seeking.Our exclusive short term courses do just that!

Imagine staying on top of the latest in the industry and having access to the experts who can assist you through training? Imagine what you are learning can be applied the very next day at work? Imagine being able to keep the materials, and the reading for continued referencing as you take that path in Accounting, Bookkeeping and Tax Preparation? You don’t have to imagine too hard, because that is one of the many things you receive when you enroll in these specialized programs! Click here to get to know Universal Accounting.

Are You Ready For The Next Step?Be in business for yourself, but not by yourself getting paid what you’re worth! Are you tired of thinking, “Why not me?” You have gotten this far in your search to do what you want to in your chosen career, take the next step. The time is now to be able to get the training and the change you desire in your professional life. Click here to find out if Professional Tax Preparation Certification is a fit for you.

Be the Profit Expert Professional for Small Business! Don’t hesitate another day in getting the Accounting and Marketing Training that makes the difference. Click here to get more information on what you need to know about becoming the Profit Center Expert for small business accounting and tax!

Dealing with Unhappy Customers

When Clients Get Cranky:5 Tips on Dealing with Unhappy Customers

Everyone can relate. We’ve all been the cranky customer: unsatisfied with service and wanting to talk to that one person who could respond to our problem. Maybe we’ve been belligerent, pounding on the counter and demanding a resolution. Or perhaps we’ve been calm yet resolute in getting a desired response. Whatever type of dissatisfied customer you may have been, one thing is certain, you wanted a timely and positive outcome.As a small business owner you are almost certain to encounter, at some time in your career, a dissatisfied client who wants you to respond to what they perceive as a problem. You could point to the door and tell the cranky customer to be on their unmerry way, but that isn’t always the best approach, and it won’t generate new business for you (imagine how you might have felt if that was the response you had received). While there may not be a happily-ever-after to your cranky customer story, there are ways you can mitigate the problem and relieve some of the tension. And who knows, just the right response could lead to customer loyalty. Try the following actions the next time you encounter a difficult client:

1. Think like a client

You took a moment in the first paragraph of this article to remember your experiences as a dissatisfied customer. That’s an invaluable exercise, allowing you to feel the aggravation your client might feel as they approach you with a problem. It’s important to sympathize with their frustrations and initiate, as much as you can, what they would perceive as a positive resolution to their issue. Taking a stroll, even a short one, in your clients’ shoes might help you to piece together a more satisfying resolution.

2. Act like a friend

In the business world we sometimes get wrapped up in our professional image and forget that our clients want to be treated like people and not business transactions. While it’s important that we retain a professional image and not get too personal, a friendly and personable approach to your client/accountant relationship is highly recommended.

3. Perform like a professional

Regardless of how upset your client becomes, it’s important for you to remain calm and not become emotional yourself. Respond like a professional and you’ll have no regrets. It will also prevent the situation from escalating out of control.

4. Save the day now and then

Sometimes you’ll have a client who will need you to go above and beyond the call of duty. If you’ve applied tips one through three you should be able to look at the situation objectively and determine whether or not it’s in your and your client’s best interests to help out. This may require you to reorder tasks and priorities or work late. While you don’t want to make it a habit to continually “rescue” your clients, you should be able to save the day now and then. It may generate customer loyalty and be just what it takes to satisfy that cranky client.

5. And comp when you have to

Nobody’s perfect; perhaps your client’s dissatisfaction is justified in some way. Refusing to admit your mistake will not do you or your client any good. If you find yourself at fault, even if it’s minimal, you should compensate your client by providing a discount or an additional service for free. It’s amazing how acknowledging your fallibility can earn a client’s loyalty and respect.Not every unhappy client can be magically transformed into a satisfied customer, but if you attempt to respond to their concerns in a reasonable and courteous manner, you’ll find the situation becomes much more manageable. And in the end, you and your client will feel a little better about the situation.

Taxes: Act Now-Save Later

Paul N. Gada, tax attorney and writer has said,”Tax filing insights can come in various forms, but just about all of them can be grouped into two categories: those dealing with the mechanics of your filing method and those that should be tied to your overall tax planning for the year.”It may only be October, but it really is time for your clients to start thinking about taxes. In fact, it should be on the agenda all year long. It’s been said that the difference between tax planning and tax filing has to do with what the date is. After December 31st the time for tax planning has come and gone. It’s time to file.

Tax Simplification is Not So Simple

In an article published on CNN:Money back on July 21, 2005, Krysten Crawford said, ” In the nearly two decades since Congress last cleaned up tax laws, more than 14,400 changes have been made to the Internal Revenue Code. Today the code and its myriad regulations take up nearly 100,000 pages – with a word length that is about 10 times the size of the standard English version of the Bible.”Despite promises to simplyfy the tax code, we still have a very complicated tax system. As congress changes and adjusts the tax code every year, the need to make tax planning a year-round process becomes more and more important. And the need for a small businesses bookkeeper and accountant to be actively engaged in the process is even more critical.

You Can Help Your Clients Plan Now to Save Later

Most small business owners work very hard at the day to day responsibilities of operating a business. They work IN the business and never get around to working ON the business. Especially for small business, keeping sight of the big picture is really important.Michael Gerber, in his book The E-Myth, states that as a general rule, CEO’s should focus 90% of their time on the coming year and 10% on today. They should work on issues that will improve the business in some way.I’m convinced that this also applys to tax planning. Often, the daily decisions we make have long-term tax ramifications that need to be considered as the business moves forward. The bookkeeper and accountant are in a unique position to assist the business owner as he works in today and plans for the future.

Look to the Future and Your Clients Will Appreciate Your Value

Many organizations find it very helpful to begin each year with some dedicated time to forecast into the future. Often this envolves sales goals, customer service objectives, large equipment or other purchases, but it should also include how those decisions might impact the company’s tax obligation for the coming year.As the bookkeeper/accountant you will want to keep up to date on basic tax issues and have a good working relaitonship with the company’s tax accountant to be informed of specific tax issues and how they affect the business. (You might also consider adding Professional Tax Preparation to your list of services to add even greater value to what you might already be doing. Click here to learn more about what Universal Accounting Center can do to help you add Professional Tax Preparation to your Bookkeeping service .)

Planning for Tax Savings in the Future Will Help the Overall Health of the Business Now

The real purpose of forecasting and planning isn’t all about a company’s taxes. (Although taxes should be a big part of it.) It’s all about improving profitability in the long term. Every business needs some sort of planning process, whether it’s a year end session for the coming year or for the next quarter, the next month, or the next week. In his book In the Black:Nine Principles to Make Your Business Profitable, Allen Bostrom gives some important planning questions that need to be asked about the company’s next fiscal year:

• What are your major objectives for next year?
• Will you need new equipment? How much will that cost? How will you pay for it? What are the tax ramifications of purchasing this equipment?
• Which profit centers are really working? Which are not? What changes need to be made?
• Will you need additional people? When? How many?
• What will be the financial and tax impact of the changes, as you are planning for the future?
• How will these plans affect your profitability next year?

Adding Tax Planning Services to You Product Mix Will Help Your Accounting and Bookkeeping Practice be Even More Profitable

The logical “next step” for many Professional Bookkeeping and Accounting Practices is to add Professional Tax Preparation Services to the mix. I feel so strongly about this, that I’d like to offer you a special bundled price if you purchase both the Professional Bookkeeper Program and the Professional Tax Preparer Certification together.

Special Bundle Pricing for Tax Preparation and Accounting/Bookkeeping Training

When you choose to purchase complete business service training, we will give you a significant discount. This includes things to get your business started such as Universal Accounting’s guide to Financing a Small Business, which shows you how to get funding for your business.

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