Taking the plunge! Whats the most effective way to gain new clients?

System
System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
edited June 9 in General accounting discussion
Hi there. After 20 years working in practice for someone else in staffordshire I have decided to go it alone. I already have a few clients from word of mouth but does anyone have experience of the transition into self employment and gaining new clients. At this stage I dont want to make any costly advertising mistakes. Any advice of which direction to take next would be really useful.

Comments

  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Taking the plunge! Whats the most effective way to gain new clients?

    I have found that the best form of advertising is local village/church magazines, and the price is very reasonable.

    I have a client who repairs washing machines and he says that over 90% of his new customers that are not word of mouth come from this form of advertising, and yellow pages makes up the rest.

    For some strange psychological reason people seem to trust people that advertise in this way more than in yellow pages - bizarre but true - and i suppose also that it directly benefits the local community.

    I know that you can also join the AAT block ad in yellow pages - one of the many things on my list to do is to find out how much that costs.

    Hope this helps.
    Claudia
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Taking the plunge! Whats the most effective way to gain new clients?

    I agree, word of mouth is the most effective. Join some local networking groups - BRE, BNI or Business Link.
    You could try approaching local practices to get some subcontract work - it might not pay so well, but it could help with the bread and butter in the early days, plus you have the added advantage of someone to ask if you're not sure of anything.
    Good luck
    Sheelagh
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Taking the plunge! Whats the most effective way to gain new clients?

    I advertised that the first appointment was free with no obligation worked quiet well.

    The hardest part is to get people through the door.

  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Taking the plunge! Whats the most effective way to gain new clients?

    I made the mistake of avertising in the local paper - it was only a very small ad (which was all I could afford) but cost me £250 and the only call I got from it didn't come to anything. Although, to be fair, I did it beacuse I'd heard of someone else who'd run a newspaper as and never had to advertise again - so maybe my ad was just rubbish!

    After that I did a small mail shot myself and got an excellent response to that. That was mainly advertising doing tax returns and I said that i offered discounts for getting information to me early, which may have 'excited' some people.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Taking the plunge! Whats the most effective way to gain new clients?

    Hi, anyone with the free one-liner in on Yell.com will be getting bombarded with sales calls for the new edition of yellow pages at the moment. I must admit that I was pleasantly suprised at how much a reasonable size add costs - £222 for a quarter column no colour add.

    What I have found that it is worth looking beyond the rate card that papers and trade mags quote and really nag them down in price. I have been able to get a quarter page full colour add at half price in some publications by persistantly pleading poverty. Also if you time it right they sometimes need to fill space and would rather accept you offer than leave it blank. Don't forget that there is the cost of supplying the advert on top of that !

    It's all very embarrasing but I am sure that most self employed people would agree that working for yourself is a rollercoaster of emotions trying to get started !
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Taking the plunge! Whats the most effective way to gain new clients?

    I used to work in classified advertising sales for a local daily paper, they usually run campaigns which at the start the price is set in stone, but as said by Sevren, at the end of the campaign they always will negotiate on prices to fill remaining space. Call your local paper and enquire when their next advertising campaign will be that would relate to your business, that way they will have your details and anything that applies to you they will ring you and you can take your time to make up your mind, then go in right at the end!!!! i had clients who paid loads less by doing this for every campaign we ran!
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Taking the plunge! Whats the most effective way to gain new clients?

    Further to the comment regarding local networking groups, you could try looking at ecademy. Although there are a number of accountants on there already, there may not be an active one in your area.

    The site also contains information and links to local networking meetings that may be in your area. Some of these that I have been to do not impose the exclusions and membership fees that the BRE and BNI do.

    There are probably some smaller, local networking groups too. These usually have very reasonable membership fees and put on very useful seminars for their members.

    Hope that helps!

    Steve
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Taking the plunge! Whats the most effective way to gain new clients?

    Hi Louise,
    I'm new to the forum today & saw your message. I don't have any help on how to get clients because mine all came from referrals. However I'm in Stoke-on-Trent and I am looking to scale down my work. I want to pass on some clients to a competent person who has good knowledge of QuickBooks software.
    If you fit this bill I would like to talk to you about the possibility of you taking some clients from me.
    Regards,
    Gill
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Taking the plunge! Whats the most effective way to gain new clients?

    Hi Gill

    Would be really interested but my quickbooks knowledge is not brilliant - far better on Sage. Does it have to be quickbooks? I have about 15 years experience using Sage.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Taking the plunge! Whats the most effective way to gain new clients?

    Hi Louise,
    I'm afraid QuickBooks will be a must. It's the best package for the functionality required and my clients will not change (nor would I recommend them to). It's very easy to use so if you think you could work with it then let me know.
    Regards, Gill
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:Taking the plunge! Whats the most effective way to gain new clients?

    I started my own business just under 3 years ago and went straight to my local Business Eye/Venture Wales for free advice. I was entitled to 3 years free help and advice and was introduced to a local business advisor who took me under his wing and referred lots of new start up businesses my way. I received nearly all my clients this way and soon the networking started with all these new businesses and the next set of referrals were on their way. In my experience, it's all about networking. I've never had a single client from any advertising I've done, yet I'm really busy.

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