Been trading nearly 3 months and no clients

axl2derv

Any help would be grateful.

On this basis of ruling out "word of mouth", does anybody have any other suggestions?

Thanks

Carl

farmergiles

Try asking your local dentists for book keeping work. I am currently temping in a practice that specializes in Doctors & Dentists and quite honestly, some of the Dentists accounts are a mess. They need organising and they can afford to pay £100 per month for book keeping services.

Poodle

Hi Carl

Do you have any family members that you can get on board, normally at a reduced rate or nil, but at least it could get you going.

Poodle

axl2derv

Unfortunately not. Any other ideas?

Thanks

Carl

PAMDILL

Take it you have done the old cards in windows and looking out for small new businesses.

JodieR

Here's a few ideas:-

Sign up for some courses with business link or the like. You may learn something, but more importantly it'll put you in contact with other sole traders who may need your services

Make sure you offer things that bigger accountants don't/won't/can't. An easy one is to make yourself avaliable for evening/weekend appointments, and offer to collect/deliver papers etc. Point things like that out on flyers etc.

Do some voluntry work and make sure you do an excellent job to get a good reference for your marketing stuff.

Contact accountants and see if they've got any work they can subcontract to you. Probably be April before this kicks off, but might be an idea to introduce yourself during the quiet months of Feb/Mar.

If you use an accounting package sign up to forums where people can ask for advice on it. If you get a good name for yourself offering help you may well get clients from it.

When I started 4 years ago I got out the yellow pages and sent a letter to just over 100 small businesses (with a business card attached) - within the first year I got about 7 replies from this, and pretty much all my clients have come from referals from them. Then last week i got a call from someone who'd kept my business card from the letter I sent him 4 years ago!


Good luck

axl2derv

JodieR wrote: »

Here's a few ideas:-

Sign up for some courses with business link or the like. You may learn something, but more importantly it'll put you in contact with other sole traders who may need your services

Make sure you offer things that bigger accountants don't/won't/can't. An easy one is to make yourself avaliable for evening/weekend appointments, and offer to collect/deliver papers etc. Point things like that out on flyers etc.

Do some voluntry work and make sure you do an excellent job to get a good reference for your marketing stuff.

Contact accountants and see if they've got any work they can subcontract to you. Probably be April before this kicks off, but might be an idea to introduce yourself during the quiet months of Feb/Mar.

If you use an accounting package sign up to forums where people can ask for advice on it. If you get a good name for yourself offering help you may well get clients from it.

When I started 4 years ago I got out the yellow pages and sent a letter to just over 100 small businesses (with a business card attached) - within the first year I got about 7 replies from this, and pretty much all my clients have come from referals from them. Then last week i got a call from someone who'd kept my business card from the letter I sent him 4 years ago!


Good luck

Thanks for the advice. I have sent out 100 letters today to the following businesses:

10 x Plumbers
10 x Electricians
10 x Hairdressers
10 x Doctors
10 x Dentists
10 x Builders
10 x Butchers
10 x Pet Shops
10 x Roofers
5 x Plasterers
5 x Gas Engineers

Hopefully I will get some replies shortly. Will keep you posted.

Have you got any more ideas?

Thanks

Carl

farmergiles

That's great that you have sent out all those letters, good luck.
Be careful with the Doctors. They have multiple streams of income and their accounts are very complex to do. If you do get any interest from them, contact their accountants for advice as to the way they want everything presented. As I said earlier, I currently work in a practice that specializes in Doctors & Dentists and the Doctors are horrendous, complex and complicated.

Emthi

well said farmergiles

110% you are correct