Diversify Your Offerings

While it may sound counterintuitive to increase your service offerings during economic turmoil, in the long run, it can be the one thing that will ensure survival for your tax practice.

The longer the recession runs, the more competitive the market will become.  A prospective client will have less money to spend, and he’ll be looking for a financial provider that can give him more bang for his buck.

Consider the accountant who has access to much of the same information you do.  If that accountant offered tax preparation services in addition to accounting services, might you lose a client to a financial provider who is not only more convenient, but perhaps more cost efficient?

You gain a competitive advantage by becoming a one-stop financial shop for prospective clients.

Accounting Services

Thumb through your local phone book to see how many small businesses exist in your area.  Consider that all these businesses are required, by law, to keep an accounting record.  Most small business owners don’t have the expertise necessary to effectively manage their own books.  If you could perform those accounting services while increasing their profitability and decreasing their spending, your fee would be worth its weight in gold.  And you would have a competitive advantage.

UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper Program is designed to teach you how to start a business’s books from scratch.  Whether you’re an experienced accountant or a beginner, this course will enhance your knowledge and confidence in order to add accounting services to your menu.  You can earn valuable certification demonstrating that you have the expertise required to manage a business’s financials.  Add to that the training you will receive on marketing your new skill set and you have a program that’s practically risk-free!

Here are what just a handful of graduates have said about the Professional Bookkeeper Program:

This is the best investment for the money and for my future.- B. Davies

We would like to thank you for the opportunities you uncovered for us through your excellent accounting course. – S. & C. Scharp & S. Young

Having been a CPA in ‘Big 8 Firms’ and a top level executive in bluechip companies I especially appreciate your ability to simplify the subject. You definitely are providing a greatly needed service to people who are interested in being independent. – D. Bird, CPA

Watch video testimonials here!

QuickBooks Services

By why stop with accounting services?  Increase your business’s appeal by offering QuickBook services as well.  UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide (PBG) to QuickBooks will help you master this accounting software, and once you do, you can offer QuickBooks setup, help and consultation services, charging $45 to $75 per hour.

More than 85% of small businesses use QuickBooks to manage their accounting.  That’s a large percentage of your target market!  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.  And it won’t be long before they realize that it will save them more time and money to let you manage all their accounting and tax needs.

Take advantage of this package deal and enroll in UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper Program and its complementary course the Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide to QuickBooks.  Not only will diversifying your services enable you to wait out the recession, but it will enable you to grow your business and gain a competitive advantage.  Order now!

Making Your Startup Work

What to Focus on When Starting a New Business

There are countless things to think about when starting your new business.  From costs to clients, from office supplies to offices managers, you can waste your workdays worrying about   all of them.  Thankfully, not all of them are created equal, and if you focus on each and every one you will become overwhelmed and unproductive.  You must limit your focus to a handful of issues that require the most attention in order for your startup to succeed:

1. Cash flow.

It’s important that you closely watch cash flow from the very beginnings of your business.  Determine how much money must come in for your practice to be profitable.  Only when you are properly managing cash flow can you know whether your current business efforts are successful.

2. Money-making efforts.

There are a lot of valid tasks you can perform in your business, but in the beginning you should focus much of your time and energy on money-making efforts.  Of course that means you should perform as many billable hours as you possibly can, but in order to have clients for which you can invoice those billable hours, you must first market your services.  If you haven’t yet developed a marketing strategy, now is a good time to decide which techniques you will use to promote your business to your target market.

3. Quality clients.

Especially when it comes to clients you should live by the adage “quality over quantity.”  That may seem counterintuitive because in the beginning you will feel the need to secure as many clients as you possibly can in order to get your business up and running.  But in the long run you will be grateful you spent your time searching for a few regular, high-paying clients rather than a lot of sporadic, delinquent ones.

4. Customer service.

Client retention has a lot to do with the customer service you provide.  When you treat your clients with courtesy and respect, they are more likely to refer you to their family and friends.  Also consider what they most need from a financial provider and do all you can to provide them with those services.  If you can become a one-stop financial shop for your clients, they will often respond with increased loyalty.

5. Hiring good employees.

You may not need to hire employees initially, but when you do you must ensure that you hire well.  Hold out for hard-working, qualified applicants before you make any decisions.  You can lose more time and money revisiting the hiring process because you didn’t hire good employees the first time around.

6. What’s working.

You should expect to make mistakes a time or two as you get started.  In fact, if you’re not making any mistakes it means you’re not taking any risks; you should attend to your mistakes and see what you might learn from them.  In addition, you should focus on what is working.  As you regularly assess your efforts, determine which are most profitable and continue or increase those efforts.

If you are ready to launch your tax practice full-time, you should consider adding accounting services to your menu.  Not only will this attract more prospective clients, but it will ensure you have business year-round and not just during tax season.

The Professional Bookkeeper Program

You want your services to appeal to the greatest number of prospective clients.  Over 85% of the opportunities in the accounting field are within small businesses.   In fact, Universities prepare their students for corporate accounting which doesn’t address small business needs.  Also more than 50% of small businesses fail within the first five years, and much of that failure can be attributed to lack of accounting expertise.  Those small business owners need an accountant who can address their small business accounting needs.

When you enroll in the Professional Bookkeeper Program, not only do you learn small-business accounting, but you are trained how to become a company’s Profit Expert by using that accounting information to help these small businesses make informed decisions that increase their profitability which in turn increases your value to clients.

In less than 60 hours you could earn professional certification that demonstrates your newly-acquired expertise.  You can do all this on your own time and at your own pace.

The Universal Practice Builder Program

You may be surprised to learn that most financial providers struggle, not because they don’t offer quality services, but because they don’t know how to effectively market those services.  For over 25 years Universal Accounting Center has trained financial professionals like you in small business accounting.  In all our years working with accountants, bookkeepers and tax preparers we’ve come to understand how to best market those services.  We help you apply strategies and approaches that will grow your business to the point where you become so busy you may have to turn some clients away – that or consider increasing your staff in order to increase your capacity (and your bottom line!).

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 these two programs together, you increase your service offerings and your ability to market them.  Not only that, but both come with an iron-glad guarantee promising that if, after completing these courses, you feel they did not live up to your expectations, you can return the materials to Universal for a 100% refund.  Not many organizations will back their training programs with that type of guarantee.

Take advantage of this marvelous opportunity to secure your new business venture.  Order now!

Beating the Competition

5 Steps in Gaining an Edge

Successful businesses must always look for ways to gain a competitive edge.  This does not have to be a lengthy or expensive endeavor.  In fact, in implementing the following five steps, you could find your businesses leading the competition with higher earnings and a larger, more expansive client base:

1. Create a board of advisors.

You will be able to make informed business decisions much more quickly when working with a board of advisors.  To do so, select 3 to 10 individuals with expertise from which you can benefit.  Also select those who would find your expertise equally appealing.  While you are not required to compensate members of your board, the partnership is only attractive if you can offer something in return.  Consider working with legal representatives, business insurance representatives, banking representatives and, perhaps, an accountant.  With a board full of individuals with broad and deep expertise, you’ll find your business better equipped to increase its profitability.

2. Research the competition.

Whether or not you like it, you are competing with other tax preparers for clients.  You offer similar services to a shared target market, meaning you are one of many options from which that target market can choose.

In order to be a good competitor you must know your competition.  How does the competition market their services?  What benefits do they offer?  To which demographic are they marketing?  Are their marketing approaches affective?  You must answer all these questions and more by performing simple research.

First, determine which of the tax preparers in the area are prominent.  Then study their marketing strategies.  Talk with your board and other professionals to see which of these competitors are getting rave reviews and determine why their services are most popular.

3. Practice stellar customer service.

Good customer service doesn’t ensure that you’ll get along with all your clients all of the time.  But it does show them that you’re invested in their satisfaction and will do your best to serve their needs.  And because of that your clients will feel valued. Those valued clients will then become key members of your marketing team, sharing your contact information with friends and family.  And nothing speaks louder to potential clients than a current, satisfied customer.

4. Gain an advantage.

A competitive advantage is gained when you offer your target market something a competitor cannot.  When you market using that competitive advantage, you are able to edge out the competition.  In order to become the premier tax preparer in your area, you must achieve a competitive advantage and incorporate it into your marketing strategy.  The best way to do that is by offering complementary services to your clients.  By adding small-business accounting to your menu, you are able to attract and retain clients interested in working with a full-service financial provider.

5. Forge strategic partnerships

Also called “natural business relationships,” strategic partners are business professionals who share your target market but do not offer competitive services.  They are individuals with whom you can share ideas, advice, and yes, referrals.  But more than that they literally become a work force that buoys your business, enabling you to labor more efficiently and enjoy great profitability.

Strategic partnerships are scalable, meaning that depending on the size of your practice, you must pick professionals who are compatible with your business size and type.  Occupations that correspond well with tax preparation include loan officers, checking representatives, financial planners, insurance representatives, lawyers, etc.  If you were the CEO of a large tax firm then you would try to connect with leaders of organizations that complement your business’s size and prestige.  If you are an independent tax preparer with a handful of clients then you would look to other small business owners or employees of like organizations.

In order to be successful, these strategic partnerships must be symbiotic, meaning they are beneficial to both parties.  Before approaching a potential partner ask yourself the following three questions:

1.  What will they get from this relationship?

2.  What will you get from this relationship?

3.  Are they the type of person who will give you referrals?

Are they the type of individual who will provide referrals?There is no use wasting your time on individuals who are not interested in participating in this type of relationship. While it does not require an abundance of time and energy, it does involve the commitment to meet regularly and help one another.  These questions will enable you to screen those who may not be ready for this type of collaborative effort.

Gaining a competitive edge requires you to do all those things your competitors are not doing.  While the above 5 tips may take time and energy from your busy schedule, they ultimately pay large dividends and place you at the head of the competition.

Start Today!

If you are interested in adding accounting service to your menu, order our DVD, “Start Today and Have Your Own Bookkeeping Service,” and learn everything you need to know to begin.  This video will show you that growing your own accounting practice is achievable, profitable, and easy.  For less than $10 you can discover that adding bookkeeping services to your menu is definitely within your reach.  Order today! Or watch the video online now for free.

A Dream Deferred

Langston Hughes wrote the following poem entitled “A Dream Deferred.”

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry uplike a raisin in the sun?Or fester like a sore–And then run?Does it stink like rotten meat?Or crust and sugar over–like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sagslike a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Webster defines “defer” as “to put off action; delay.” In actuality it’s a fancy way of saying procrastinate. Are you procrastinating your dreams? And what will happen to your dreams if you do? Most importantly, what will happen to you?

Start Your Own Business

Attending to your own future is not selfish. As you invest in a brighter and more lucrative future for you and your family, you are taking action to improve your lifestyle while preparing for a more comfortable future.

In a number of months you could have a thriving bookkeeping service with a sustaining client base and a more independent lifestyle. Not only can you determine how much money you will make, but you can decide when and where you will work. We’re guessing you’ve dreamed of enjoying that kind of professional freedom! And achieving that will take less time than you imagined and an even smaller financial investment.

The Professional Bookkeeper (PB) Program

This PB Program can help you become proficient in small-business accounting, giving you the expertise and confidence necessary to start a business’s books from scratch. In less than 60 hours you could earn professional certification evidencing your proficiency to prospective clients.

In addition to becoming a Professional Bookkeeper, this program will also teach you how to market your new skills, securing those clients that will ensure your business’s success. From startup to year-end, this program is designed to help you begin your new accounting practice with ease.

But don’t take our word for it. Read what some of our graduates have to say about the program:

Even with 15 years of accounting background, I found myself learning something new nearly every day. – B. VarechokI can honestly say that the hands-on training from Universal Accounting Center was far more helpful than that of my degree program. The training I received in you class was superb, exactly what I needed for the type of accounting business I was trying to start. I have been so pleased with the training I received from you, that my two part-time employees are currently taking your course. -S.A. Ivins The Small Business Accounting class was one of the most enjoyable and probably the most useful and practical I have ever taken. That includes the MBA I recently received.-N. LeeAs an average for each client I am making about $30 – $50 an hour, I’ve been able to quit my full-time job. Thanks again to everyone at Universal Accounting Center! It has created for me a brighter outlook financially, as well as more free time in my personal life. And, I didn’t have to go to college for years and pay thousands of dollars for an education.-S. Thomas

Take Advantage NOW!

If you enroll in our Professional Bookkeeper Program now, we will also sign you up for an additional program, QuickBooks Made Profitable. 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.

It’s time to stop deferring your dreams. You and your family deserve more. When you enroll in our Professional Bookkeeper and our QuickBooks Made Profitable Programs, you make a personal investment that will pay large dividends in your future. Take advantage of this special deal. Enroll now!

The Real Way to Beat a Recession

10 Tips on Working More Efficiently (Part One of a Two-Part Series)

Also called “working smart,” efficient work strategies can makes any small business more profitable as owners determine how to get more done in less time. And as we are in the middle of what some would call a recession, getting more out of your work day could help you and your business fair better during difficult economic times.

In this two-week series we will discuss 10 tips on working more efficiently so that you can eliminate the unnecessary and find more time for billable hours. Here are the first five of 10 tips designed to help you work smart:

1. Clean and organize your workspace

You can waste hours looking for important documents if your office is not clean and organized. While this tip may seem like one designed to lengthen your workday rather than shorten it, you’ll find that setting aside just a few hours to tidy up your office will save you a lot of time in the long run.

And this tip is not for looks alone. You want to ensure that all your files are quick and easy to locate. So don’t just hide them in a box in the closet. Take the time to truly organize your workspace. And once you do, dedicate a few minutes at the end of each day to clean up your office so it doesn’t become unruly once again.

2. Schedule workday around your most productive times

One perk in being self-employed is that you’re not required to comply with a traditional work schedule. This can be incredibly helpful for those who may work better early in the morning or late at night. Determine the times of day you are most productive and schedule your workday around those times.

There’s no use working 9 to 5 if you find you’re most sluggish in the last afternoon. Maybe you could work from 6 to 11am and then again from 8 to 10pm. Ensure your schedule is realistic and works for you and your family. And if your schedule is highly unconventional, make sure you devise a method for contacting clients and colleagues, as their schedules are likely to be more traditional.

3. Establish a routine

Once you determine a work schedule you should develop a routine. Routines can help you work more efficiently. Determine when you will read and respond to email; abide by that routine. Determine when you will call and meet with clients; abide by that routine. While there will definitely be times you must break from this schedule, generally it can help you stay on task and reserve the bulk of your time for billable hours.

4. Hire help

Sometimes it does take money to make money. Some of your more tedious tasks could be accomplished by a part-time employee. While you may need to pay this individual minimum wage or more, think of all the time it affords you to make more money and possibly take on additional clients.

You may find your best employee lives in your home, just a hop, skip and a jump away from your office. When you hire a teenage child to work for your business, you not only equip them with valuable experience and key employability skills, but you also enjoy important tax breaks. As long as the child is under 18 he/she is not only tax deductible, but in a proprietorship they’re exempt from FICA, Unemployment, Workmen’s Compensation, and tax withholding.

5. Consider replacing some paper files with electronic files

Sometimes all that paperwork can bog you down. You may want to consider which files would be easier to manage electronically, eliminating the paper trail as well as making information much more accessible.

By following just a few tips, you could make your business function more efficiently, which will make you and your business more productive, and in turn, more profitable.

Join us next week when we will discuss the following 5 tips for working smart.

6. Perform similar tasks at same time

7. Dedicate more attention to higher-yielding clients

8. Avoid unnecessary meetings

9. Reduce the number of emails you send and receive

10. Be productive and not just busy

UAC Can Help You Work Smarter

Let Universal Accounting Center help you maximize work efficiency. In learning new skills you can enhance your service offerings and become more profitable. Our DVD 4-pack is designed to let people like you discover those skills that can enhance your practice. It includes the following DVD’s:

Introduction to the Professional Bookkeeper Program–Learn how becoming a Professional Bookkeeper will improve your accounting skills and help you in your accounting career.

Yes Sample Marketing CD-Learn how to introduce your services to a potential client. Use this either for role playing, watching it while meeting with your client or passing them out.

Start Today and Have Your Own Bookkeeping Service–Learn how to make over $80,000 per year working from home while getting more clients than you can handle. Know how to charge your client so you can afford to take that next vacation while they get such a great deal they will be telling all their friends about you.

The Art and Science of Getting Clients–Learn proven marketing strategies designed to help accountants market their skills in order to get more clients.

Each of these DVD’s can help you work smarter. Order now and save nearly $25.00 on this valuable set. For less than $20 you can be on your way to a more efficient tax preparation business-or better yet, a more efficient full-service financial practice!

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!

Using Your Down Time to Expand Your Business

It’s mid-summer and you’re probably experiencing a lull in business; not too many are interested in taxes this time of year. What are some things you can do? We have a suggestion. Why not use this time to enhance your skills and become a full service financial provider? You’ll be able to increase your service offerings and turn your business into a full-time, year-round venture. It’s finally time to quit your day job and give yourself a raise.

How Easy Is It?

You may think that adding accounting services to your offerings would require a lot of time, energy, and money. That’s simply not true. In 60 hours you could not only have the skills, but the confidence to perform small business accounting for a growing niche market. Universal Accounting Center’s Professional Bookkeeper (PB) Program provides hands-on training in the day-to-day accounting tasks required by small businesses. From payroll to bank reconciliations, you’ll learn how to manage more than your clients’ books; you’ll also become their Profit Expert, informing them how they can increase their business’s profitability and success. Imagine how valuable that service would be to small business owners who often struggle to last longer than 5 years.

Testimonial: This course has really helped open options I never thought I had before. The training was easy to understand, and the hands-on work emphasizes that understanding and know-how.-Barbara W.

How Much Could You Make?

We’ll do more than give you an average income range; we’ll share an equation that will help you calculate how many clients you will need to earn the income you desire. You can charge the average client $300/month. If you have 20 clients you’re earning $6000 per month. That’s $72,000 in one year, and that number doesn’t even take into account how much you earn during tax season. Depending on your needs, you can increase or decrease the number of clients in order to hit your target income.

Testimonial: As of July 1st, I am leaving my job of 15 years and working my business full time. I already have enough clients, on contract, to give me a larger annual income than I had working for my employer.-Robbie Ursu

How Many Clients Could You Have?

We challenge you to take a drive down your main street or thumb through the yellow pages of your local phone book. How many small, local businesses can you find? And that doesn’t even include the countless entrepreneurs working from their homes. Your potential client base is huge and continues to grow every year.

Testimonial: After completing UAC’s training I opened my business. I now have 15 clients, and have only had one meeting that did not result in a new client.-Victoria Richardson

How Long Would It Take To Get Started?

The Professional Bookkeeper Program is designed to teach you everything you need to know to get started. And because operating an accounting and bookkeeping practice from your home requires little to no startup costs, you could have your practice up and running as soon as you’re ready. This program is practically a ready-made business; you add confidence and stir.

Testimonial: I did not imagine that I could face this world out there and talk confidently about accounting and bookkeeping, let alone start my own business in it. But having this class, I have developed the confidence that I need to go out there and be on my own and the confidence to make a go at it. I’m ready to face the world!!!-Julie M.

Now is the perfect time to take advantage of a lull in business to grow your clientele and become a full-service financial provider. It’s not only easy, but profitable and can take just a couple months to get started. You’ve already got a strong base with your tax preparation business. Why not take advantage of your standing by growing your business this summer?

The Professional Bookkeeper Program

It’s never been so easy to grow your tax practice into a full-service financial consultancy.  By adding bookkeeping services to your menu your business becomes busy year-round, enabling you to quit your day job and live your dream as a self-employed financial professional.  Don’t delay your future; enroll in the Professional Bookkeeper Program today!

Taking a Sales Pulse

4 Ways to Determine the Health of Your Sales Efforts

In an article published on Entreprenuer.com entitled “Vital Signs: Give Your Sales a Checkup by Analyzing Crucial Data,” Kimberly McCall addresses the importance of regularly assessing the effectiveness of your business’s sales efforts. McCall references Frank J. Rumbaukas Jr.’s book, Never Cold Call Again, and shares 4 ways to determine sales success. Rumbaukas suggests that small businesses run a sales checkup every three months in order to correct potential problems before a company suffers. He explains that when companies wait too long to take a sales pulse they “allow too much damage to occur-the longer you wait, the harder it is to correct a problem.”Rumbaukas recommends looking at the following four elements in taking your business’s sales pulse:

Conversion Rate

The conversion rate indicates how many potential clients become actual clients. A good conversion rate indicates that your leads are qualified; you’re promoting your services to the right market and your potential clients generally find your services to be valuable. A low conversion rate indicates that you may be focusing your marketing efforts on the wrong people, or perhaps, your pitch isn’t strong enough and doesn’t appeal to your potential clients’ wants and needs.

Profit Margin per Sale

If your profit margin per sale is high that indicates you’re marketing to the right people, those willing to pay your fees without negotiating. They value the services you offer without asking for a discount. If you find yourself continually lowering your prices in order to secure clients then your marketing methods may be faulty or, perhaps, the demographic to which you’re marketing them. Continuing too long with a low profit margin is one sure way to set your business on a failing course.

Length of Sales Cycle

The length of your sales cycle is measured in the amount of time it takes potential customers to enlist your services from the point at which you first make contact, which may include an advertisement, the exchange of business cards or a phone call. A short sales cycle indicates that your marketing efforts are effective and your leads qualified. A longer sales cycle indicates that you should revisit your marketing strategies and consider different approaches.

Consistent Performance among Sales Reps

This indicator probably doesn’t apply to most small business owners who have no sales reps on their staff. In fact, many don’t even have a staff. If you’re the only sales rep you have, and if you’re not doing a very good job marketing your services, you should consider investing in some training that would enable you to better fulfill your business’s marketing needs. Some consider the cost of training to excessive, but ask yourself if an improved marketing plan could improve the profitability of your business and perhaps decrease its likelihood of failure.

Our UPB Program Will Build Your Practice

If, after taking your business’s sales pulse, you determine that your marketing plan could use a little revamping, we suggest you enroll in our Universal Practice Builder (UPB) Program, designed to train even the most marketing-averse business owners how to promote their services in the right way and to the right people. Our experience training financial professionals like you for over 25 years has proven that most tax preparers and accountants lack confidence in their marketing abilities; most feel more comfortable with a calculator than they do with a prospective client. But in order for your tax practice to truly succeed you must learn to get over those fears by placing your confidence in new-found marketing strategies and approaches. Most of our graduates agree that next to the practical training they receive through this program, confidence is the most valuable thing they take with them upon completion. Would your business benefit from 12 proven marketing strategies and 15 to 25 qualified leads per month? Would your business profit from having a sales rep (i.e. you) confident with their marketing skills and expertise? If you answer “yes” to these two questions, the time to enroll in this program is now-the time to change the course of your business, today! Don’t wait another minute to quicken the pulse of your tax practice.ReferencesMcCall, Kimberly. “Vital Signs: Give Your Sales a Checkup by Analyzing Crucial Data.” February 2007. Entrepreneur.com 3 April 2008.

Sales Tip: Timing Is Everything

5 Techniques for Dealing with Unresponsive Potential Clients

You’ve done your homework. Your presentation was outstanding, but the prospective client is not in a buying mood. So what should you do? Try these techniques:

1. Know when the timing is right. If your prospect seems distracted when you’re making your pitch, stop in your tracks. Say, “It seems that your mind is on something else. Am I right?” If the prospect admits that his or her mind is drifting, graciously tell him or her that you’ll call back or visit again later.

2. Don’t miss a beat.Make sure you call back or drop in for another visit. Start from the beginning. Present your pitch all over again. Your presentation will sound fresh since the prospect wasn’t listening the first time around.

3. Give it another try. Contact people who have rejected your initial offer, and tell them that you’re still interested in doing business with them. Share new information about your services and how they’re benefiting countless individuals and small business owners.

4. Keep the door wide open.If your customer isn’t in a buying mood, he or she will resent any hard-selling efforts to change his or her mind. Say, “Thank you so much for your time.” This keeps the door open for future correspondence with this potential client.

5. Walk in your prospect’s shoes.Remember that today’s buyers are strapped for time. They’re being pulled in a hundred different directions, just like you. If you behaved professionally despite their curtness and apparent rejection, you’ll outlast their negative moods and your competition.

Additional Marketing Training

If you are interested in receiving high-end training in marketing, you will be interested in our Universal Practice Builder Program. Our professionally-developed DVD program will teach you how to increase your annualized billings by $30,000 within 12 months, guaranteed! You’ll also learn 12 proven marketing strategies that will generate 15-25 qualified leads per month. Not only that but you’ll receive three months of coaching via the Internet or phone. Visit our Universal Practice Builder site to learn more. Your future is waiting!