How can I get some clients for my new business - The Book-keepers Forum (UK)

AnnetteB · Newbie

How can I get some clients for my new business

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Hi Annette,

welcome to the forum.

It can seem like a real uphill struggle at first. And I know that at times it seems that there are more bookkeepers and accountants than clients but keep on in there.

Have a read of some of the threads on this site about peoples experiences and strategies at networking events such as breakfast clubs.

Setting up a website doesn't seem to do a lot as far as selling your services is concerned but once your known by other means it's peoples first point of contact so a professional looking website would definitely help in the long run (conversely a cheap lookin one may have the opposit effect).

Some people on here have found more clients from a card in the local chippie than advertising using yellow pages (Which doesn't seem to have a great cash to clients conversion factor).

If things are looking bleak try doing a bit of temping in something like credit control to bring in some money whilst you try to get some clients.

Keep us all informed on here as to what develops won't you and good luck with the new venture. Once it takes off it will be like a snowball rolling down a hill I'm sure.

Take care,

Shaun.

BudgetB · Guru

Hi Annette,

The first client is always the hardest to get. Magically once you have that one others seem to just appear.

Personally I find that advertising in the local paper works best for me, always has done. Used to get some from the Yellow Pages, so can be worth having a little ad (haven't put an ad in for some years now, although lately have had a couple just off my free line entry which was nice).

You could try direct mailing local businesses, or popping in to see them, or a local networking meeting, or gumtree, or asking round friends and family till you find someone that's self employed, contact local accountants to see if they need any outsourcing, people per hour website.

Amanda · Expert

Hi Budget B

I haven't tried Gumtree is it any good???

Whats a good number of clients to aim for if you are say a part-time self employed bookkeeper (I have kids, although getting easier now youngest is nearly 9), I am looking to taking on a few more but wondered what a manageable number was. Also do you work from Home/Office or do you go to peoples offices to work?

Sorry for all the questions just trying to guauge whats best, especially as alot of people are choosing to do their own bookkeeping to save money, although we all know in the long run they probably spend alot more due to poor record keeping!

Cheers
A

BudgetB · Guru

Not had a great response from it, but it is free, and you can link to your website so it is generally helpful in profile raising, and their pages tend to feature quite highly in Google rankings so you can get a link to your website listed higher than you'd be able to achieve getting your actual website for a general search term.

I can't really answer how many clients you'd be looking for, as it all depends how much work they bring. I've had clients range from an hour per month to 8-10 hours per week. Really you just have to keep taking on until you have no time left. I work 95% from the office, I tend to go out to work as little as possible as clients expect me to be on the end of the phone if they want me, and I prefer working in my own environment. That said there are quite a few businesses out there that really would prefer someone to come to them, so it depends on your preference and how much you want the work!

ICBUK · Guru

Hi Annette,

Are you an ICB member, they have a manual on finding clients but I don't think all members know about it.

Also if you are ICB don't forget the new members directory which is free advertising.

Jymlyn · Senior Member

Hi James

I am an ICB member, can you please tell me where this info is - is it in the members area? Thanks in advance
Kind regards
Lynda

AnnetteB · Newbie

Thanks for all your advice and welcomes. I have just advertised in gumtree and am doing a whole load of direct e-mails to local businesses. I am not a member of the ICB but may look at this. I do have one client which I have had for a few years which I used to keep my hand in it while I had my full time job.
Just hoping get something soon but thanks again for all the advice, I may try the local paper.

Annette

BudgetB · Guru

You need to keep on top of Gumtree so you don't slip down the listings.

Good luck!

kjmcculloch · Guru

I had a look at the ICB site and the single page of advice for finding new clients. I think the last sentence sums the whole thing up nicely. They are talking about the yellow pages and then the sentence appears:

"Many of our members in practice tell us that this is the single most important way of getting good new business."

Where can I find these people. The vast majority of people I speak to across all industries say they get nothing from the yellow pages and for many it is the "single biggest waste of their advertising budget"

What are other peoples feelings? Has anyone actually gained a good client from the yellow pages in recent years?

Kris

Susie Sue · Senior Member

I advertised in Yellow Pages last year and got ONE (wow!!!) enquiry which luckily turned into work and I am still working for them now. That was it though - I didn't renew!

attilabenko · Guru

I did not advertise in yellow pages, but they are keep calling at least once a week if I changed my mind...
When I tell them do not call me again they don't seem to listen.

Jymlyn · Senior Member

I had the same - until I told them I was on the Telephone Preference list - no more calls!

PamelaG · Member

Attila, I took out the free listing on the yell.com website last week and they have called me 3 times already!

ICBUK · Guru

Hello,

It's a booklet, not online (I know, trust me I'm the IT guy I want it on line but the council don't).

The booklet is not huge, 24 pages in total, but it has a section on finding clients.

I will get one posted to you Lynda.

With regards to Yellow pages, Sue how much was your advert? I cannot remember but I think Yorkshire was around £58 per year? So if you get one client per year giving you 3 hours work, you have made a profit. Why did you cancel?

kjmcculloch · Guru

Do these illusive booklets need to be requested? ICB have NEVER told me about the existence for such a document.

Kris

PS, I've re-read your post James, I'm sorry I think that's laughable. The ICB want us, the members to take all our tests in an online format, yet they are so reluctant to embrace the same technology. They can't make examiners type notes and can't make information easily available. I can only imagine there carbon footprint with all this paper, maybe that's why they don't tell members about such information booklets.

-- Edited by kjmcculloch on Thursday 21st of October 2010 10:14:20 AM

ADAS · Guru

Hi Linda / Kris

I got my booket with my AICB certificate. James it makes sense to me to upload it to the members area, I can only guess why the council don't want it on the website but putting it in the restricted access area makes absolute sense to me.

kjmcculloch · Guru

Maybe just got left out of my pack then, not sure why I didn't get one. I'll phone them and see. Is it worth it Tony? Any blue sky thinking in it, or same old same old?

Wella · Expert

attilabenko wrote:

I did not advertise in yellow pages, but they are keep calling at least once a week if I changed my mind...
When I tell them do not call me again they don't seem to listen.

Decided not to re advertise in yellow pages this year after not getting even one call. Shredded the renewals and numerous reminders. I got the (expected) phone call last week. After telling them, that (in my opinion) it had been a waste of money, I just told them I may not keep the business going next year, so it would be pointless. I haven't had any more calls (yet)

Bill

kjmcculloch · Guru

It's amazing you need to lie to get them off your back. It wouldn't be as bad if they added value to your business, but they don't. I have one client who has advertised in yellow pages for the past 20 years. When I asked him how much work he got from it he said none, he does it because he always has. This is the type of person they love.

Kris

Wella · Expert

Hi Kris

It was either tell a small fib or get aggressive. Most cold callers tend to be thick skinned and shrug off aggression (and hanging up) and just let you come back round on the contact list, for one of their colleagues to try.

Like most other reasonable people, I have tried being polite but that just keeps them on the phone longer and you end up in a duel of wits, which to be honest I dont need. It is much easier, less stressful and more satisfying to tell them to foxtrot oscar

I have no qualms about telling them untrueths, they had none when they were trying to sell me the space.

For the most part, the Telephone Preference Service has kept other cold callers away (I just have to remember to be carefull, when filling in forms, especially on line)

kjmcculloch · Guru

I'm not having a go Bill, I just think its amazing you need to lie to get these parasites off your back.

Kris

RobH · Expert

Bill! Language! Some of us sensitive you know!

Wella · Expert

Kris

Sorry did it sound as if I thought you were having a go. Not at all, just me venting my own frustration at these parasites, and letting others know some of my methods for dealing with them

Bill

ADAS · Guru

kjmcculloch wrote:

Is it worth it Tony? Any blue sky thinking in it, or same old same old?

To be fair it's worth a read but nothing new, Kris. I'd post the list but given James comments and the copyright clause at the back I don't want to get in any trouble.

It does mention using a well known search engine but doesn't mention having a web-site. I think it's fair to say the ICB aren't as net savvy as perhaps I'd like.

I found other sections more useful than the advice on how to find clients.

-- Edited by ADAS on Thursday 21st of October 2010 11:16:35 AM

Wella · Expert

Hi Rob

Being the pacifist I am, cold calling is one of the very few things that gets me so @$£%!!! wound up.

If I kept calling someone that didn't want me to, I would probably have the boys in blue (if there are any left) knocking on my door handing me an ASBO or restraining order

RobH · Expert

I know what you mean. I still advertise in Yellow Pages but I have seen far less response in recent years which coincides with internet surge I think. I have always found that a small ad works better than an expensive one. Last year I was persuaded to take out an ad that cost £2500 and I never saw a return. This year I have taken out smallest and I have had a couple of calls.

Rob

ADAS · Guru

I feel sorry for cold callers to some degree.

I allways say something like "I respect the fact you're just trying to do your job, now if you don't mind - I'm just off to do mine"

You must have very thick skin to do that job, I know I couldn't

kjmcculloch · Guru

I don't mind cold callers, after all I cold call too. I might even be interested in what they have to sell, I generally listen or ask them to call back at an agreed time if I'm busy. But like others on the thread I do despair with large companies who seem unable to maintain their database.

If I say I'm not interested I don't expect to keep getting calls week after week. Equally if I buy your item I don't expect others to keep calling. I recently changed my energy supplier after a cold call from a large British gas company. Yesterday I get another call from them asking me to switch, it scared me a bit thinking what kind of company am I signing up to?

I think the key is to maintain your lists.

Kris

BudgetB · Guru

RobH wrote:

I know what you mean. I still advertise in Yellow Pages but I have seen far less response in recent years which coincides with internet surge I think. I have always found that a small ad works better than an expensive one. Last year I was persuaded to take out an ad that cost £2500 and I never saw a return. This year I have taken out smallest and I have had a couple of calls.

Rob

You know why that is don't you - when people look through the Y Pages they think that people with really big or flashy adverts are going to be too expensive, the ones with simple boxes and smaller ads are therefore clearly providing a far more affordable service so they phone them.

In reality it's completely untrue of course, but that's the psychology of the users!

RobH · Expert

thats what I figured out a couple of years ago which is why I still have bruises on my left leg from kicking myself with the right one after being talked into going back to a large ad!

Jymlyn · Senior Member

Thanks for that James!

Kind regards

Lynda

RuthA · Senior Member

I had a call from Yellow Pages yesterday telling me that they will be stopping the free ads, from now on if you don't pay then your name is listed at the back but not under your type of business section. She also told me that the cheapest ad they could do for me was £30 per month so I politely declined!

Peasie · Expert

The lassie from BT must have thought I'd flipped when she phoned me earlier today. She started by saying she knew I was an existing customer of BT and I could receive free calls and have a better deal than my existing deal on broadband. She tried to find out who I was with on broadband at which point out of the blue I calmly said "there is no price whatsoever you can sell me broadband that I would be interested in".

What she probably wasn't aware of was one hour earlier I had tried getting through to BT on behalf of my parents. You know the script with their phone lines, " press 1 for....., press 2 for..., blah, blah blah" - well, they have extended this concept to emailing them. You have to go through a pile of questions to see if it has been answered before when all you want is an email address to can use with your email program. When I tried to eventually send the email from their website I was told I couldn't as the date was not in the correct format. There was no date on the form nor in my text.

Just extremely bad timing from the BT girl. I originally thought they'd done this deliberately to wind me up but then realised it was a mobile number I had used in the email to them so they would not be aware I had been trying to contact them earlier.

kjmcculloch · Guru

BT are extremely annoying from a personal point of view. I've never had them try to sell me anything for my business, but they do phone and write asking me to come back to them. I keep telling them no and not to call, but they don't listen. I recently lost the plot and told the sales person that I'd rather use carrier pigeon than BT, but it doesn't stop them.

Just another large, faceless company.

Kris

Susie Sue · Senior Member

ICBUK wrote:

With regards to Yellow pages, Sue how much was your advert? I cannot remember but I think Yorkshire was around £58 per year? So if you get one client per year giving you 3 hours work, you have made a profit. Why did you cancel?

Hi James,

£58 per year - I wish!!!! more like £230.00 and I needed it for other things this year. Maybe would not have cancelled if it was £58.

Quentin Pain · Senior Member

I know this has been said many times on this thread but DONT waste your money on print (eg. YP). Apart from the nuisance follow up calls, who actually looks in one these days (apart from business owners trying to find out who their competition is!).

We are all so web orientated these days, it is so much simpler to search for 'bookkeeper in Wigan' or wherever you are. And, if there are only 5 bookkeepers in Wigan, that means with very little effort you can get your web site to page 1 of Google for that term.

With a bit more effort you can get it to position 1 on page 1. Statistics show that 42% of clicks on page 1 go to the site in position 1. 75% of clicks go to the top 3 slots.

I am going to add a bunch of internet marketing articles on my bookkeeping website (see signature below) over the next couple of weeks showing anyone interested exactly how to do this. If you are interested let me know your biggest problem so I can make sure I address all needs.

-- Edited by Quentin Pain on Friday 22nd of October 2010 10:05:04 PM

ICBUK · Guru

Hello all,

Quite a bit of anti Yellow Pages here, which supprises me as the ICB is still getting 5-6 renewals a week for YP adverts.

Also, maybe last year, at some members meetings it was mentioned the ICB was thinking of closing this deal. The response was it was very much needed, and so the deal is continued.

Sue, £230, that wasn't under the ICB deal was it? I thought the most expensive was London at £150. Did you get more than £230 from this client (bearing in mind the client will be for more than 1 year)?

-- Edited by ICBUK on Monday 25th of October 2010 09:34:59 AM

kjmcculloch · Guru

Hi James,

I don't think its so much anti yellow pages per se, but more a pro effective marketing or anti ineffective marketing.

I am not surprised that ICB gets so many renewals, there are always going to be people out there that believe that as the yellow pages have been around for years, it is necessary to have ones business included. Yellow Pages sales staff themselves are very good at making you believe that inclusion will make your business, and conversely that not being in their directory will break it. Not everyone is comfortable with marketing, so they may take the course of least resistance.

That's not to say that no business should consider yellow pages, there are still some. There will still be some tradesmen who will generate decent business from it. The majority of people who are au fait with ICT will generally use google for most things.

I can't see my target market reaching for a yellow pages, which is why this is not a part of my marketing strategy.

Kris

Quentin Pain · Senior Member

Very true Kris. James, some of us here are ancient (eg. me) and have been in business for decades (eg. me for 31 years). Back in 1979 when I started my first business YP WAS the only medium which had a measurable ROI. I recommended to everyone I knew. That is now a legacy thing as Kris explains. Us oldies were largely responsible for being ambassadors of YP.

Once the internet became mainstream, returns from that have diminished massively for me, so much so that I wont go near it anymore. I can get a far better return in other ways.

For a bookkeeper starting out, a series of small ads in the local paper (negotiate with them for the best price, don't accept the first price they say) will bring in more business. Placing a good looking business card anywhere that will be accepted (chip shops, business centres etc.) is also a no cost way to advertise.

The message is everything. Put yourself in your potential clients' shoes. If you were in business, what would make you choose you?

BobHarper · Guru

We have decided to offer year-end accounts and tax return as well as to focus on management accounting issues in our marketing. Just offering bookkeeping doesn't seem to be enough to get traction.

By the way, we are looking for qualified bookkeepers to join under a licence or full franchise if you want to be able to offer and all-in service we have accountants who will support you.

kjmcculloch · Guru

I read and replied to your other thread, Bob. I thought it was nice to see you on this forum looking for opinions, rather than blatant advertising of your services, I even thought you might be here to offer advice to the newer members. Then I saw this, I should have known it was too good to be true.

Kris

smartin · Veteran Member

Hi Annette

Welcome to the Forum.
I started my business in April this year and like you tried advertising. I also did a mailshot and delivered postcards and to no avail.

I was at the ICB regional event in May and spoke to other bookkeepers who all said the same thing.... NETWORKING.

I had not heard of it before but started investigating and found quite a few different events and decided to go in with both wellies first.
I started with the FSB (Federation of Small Business) who do a monthly breakfast meeting. Also a couple of Chamber of Commerce breakfast events and have also joined Athena (ladies only) which is brilliant.

I got my first job a month after starting Networking and today have just got (hopefully) my biggest customer yet - now 5.

So I feel networking really works.
I hate the early morning but it is worth it.

Shirley smile

BobHarper · Guru

Kris

We have decided to do a few things (mentioned above) and these are relevant to the question - it is not just how you get clients but what you offer. I have also decided to ask bookkeepers what they think. There are some interesting answers which seem to support the strategy.

Quite honestly, I think there is a place for a network of bookkeepers working with accountants. I see value for everyone and I think it is an interesting and unique opportunity - why not talk about it here?

I thought it was worth a mention because most bookkeepers cannot fulfil the year-end service of accounts/tax - Crunchers allows them to do that. But, they can also do a deal with a local firm of accountants.

I agree with Shirley that networking is key but people seem to want the "all-in" service and if they just want bookkeeping often the accountant pushes down the bookkeeper's price/margin.

Bob

ICBUK · Guru

Hi all,

Yes networking is the key, the ICB (I just found out) is starting a program for next year to get accountants and bookkeepers more involved. Probably going to be a slow start but hopefully the regional bookkeeper networking groups will have much more integration with local accountant firms.

The regional chairman in Oxford has done it this year and it works quite well.

kjmcculloch · Guru

Good to see ICB being more proactive, hopefully a sign of things to come.

Kris

PaulC · Veteran Member

Networking sounds well worthwhile to me - a number of people I've heard now have said this works for them.
Not sure Yellow Pages is the way forward these days but you can get a free listing on Yell.com so definitely I'd recommend doing that. Online advertising can work as well if done in the right way I find.

Flex Accounting Services · Senior Member

Definately networking is key, but also hand your business cards to anyone you meet or bump into !!
I have a freebie line in the yellow pages and I had a phone call from them too last week saying that they are changing the way they do things. I was in the middle of a VAT return when they called but I think he was trying to say that the free listings were being revised/removed.
I also very frequently check the job vacancies on the ICB website.
Bev