Please Help! New MIP in need of advice on how to get customers.

Grace

Hi all,
I recently got registered as an MIP and now looking for work. I am an experienced bookkeeper and been doing it for over ten years on various companies. As a mother of three, I find that working from home is best for me as I am able to cater for my kids' needs as well as prospective clients. I work hard and very reliable. Now that my kids are growing up, I have more free time and can expand my work hours to full time. Please can someone offer me an advice on how to get customers?

Grace

Note: not just a bookkeeper, an experienced accounts person, I should say.

Gem7321

You need to 'put yourself out there' so to speak. Get on facebook, linkedin, get a decent website and advertise wherever you can. Keep an eye out for new businesses opening up in your area and pop in with a card and generally spread the word.

It may also be worth contacting some local accountancy firms who would be interested in outsourcing their bookkeeping work or recommending you to their clients for bookkeeping work and you offer the same recommendation to your clients for them.

Best of luck!

Paul C

I found that clients like having a local person doing their work - so a card (you can get them printed cheap circa £20 on 123print etc) in the right location near my home gradually drew in the clients.

I paid for one in the busiest shop locally (which paid for itself) and then put some on free boards in cafes etc. My best one...was a card in the local chippy. Sad but true lol. I have a very basic free website that I set up and it seems to re-assure my clients who then phone or email after reading it.

Google adwords very good if you set to be seen locally e.g. 10 miles only and set a daily budget - eg 50 or 75p per day (I know it small but it brought the enquiries in).

Some of your local accountancy firms are probably very keen to find more bookkeepers so they can focus on the accounts and tax?

burg

For us the most successful has been a decent website and a Google adwords campaign. Our website is very different to most other accountants and seeks to attract new start ups with clear and helpful advice. Adwords campaigns can be very cheap as Paul C has suggested but if you learn from your result and continue to play with what works and what doesn't you can build this up to regular enquiries.

Our adwords costs alone can be hundreds of pounds per month but we average 8 new enquiries per month and have 7 so far for October. If you can then work on signing these up you can grow very quickly. In the last 12 months alone this has gained us 28 new clients. A further 29 clients have then been gained through referrals. The referrals will come as you gain more and more clients.

Different accountants have different success with different methods. Just try the ones pointed out to you and see how they go. Be prepared to give them time as I have clients who heard about me last year come along.

Good luck.