Marketing, finding clients......ASSISTANCE PLEASE!!! Thank you

First of all, thank you for your feedback I appreciate it! Secondly, I should have mentioned that this is remote bookkeeping, I haven't considered anything in a local or regional sense but I guess I should.

My emails were not cold (intrusive maybe) - in my opinion. I'm personally not a fan of that type of marketing, and was very friendly and personable with the emails " Hi! I specialize in retail bookkeeping services and wanted to know if you guys wanted more info"

That's it.

I don't have a website but I have nearly all social media handles. Linkedin, instagram, facebook which I actively post content, and the basics of my specialized bookkeeping.

I also have a (kinda lengthy) document that in depth describes my offerings (why I'm different) but I haven't added it to any of my social media accounts because of the major disinterest lol! Total bummer.

I haven't added prices or anything, just the basics but I guess I should do that as well.

As far as going to local retailers, I've actually taken the online route and watched detailed youtube videos from potential clients about what systems they use in their stores, daily operations and gathered notes about what they could use (definitely) to improve and make everything more efficient.

I've learned some valuable information from the Facebook groups I've joined, and was looking into next trying to land a CPA referral, so I'll do that and take the advice you've given about scaling down to local and regional advertising.

My approach wasn't that cold, I didn't throw my prices and services at people I just sent emails asking if they are interested. Which they made clear they aren't lol.

I offered these influencers (who coach beginning businesses and also own stores) free bookkeeping for a week if they were to give a honest review. Simple.

Yes I'm desperate lol. Definitely. Thank you for the honesty.

Not very long at all. And I haven't done anything on a local scale but I will definitely look at visiting a few stores.

Thank you!! Appreciate the help!! I'm not sure if I will try the social media ad route again, most of the bookkeepers have told me that word of mouth, maybe a youtube channel/forum is how they landed their first clients. All have said ads were a waste of money. If I do use ads I will contact you, thank you again.

Thank you for the feedback. I've done a lot lol, it's exhausting to even think about which is why I just gave a summary.

I started with searching for stores and emailing the following :

"Hello! I'm a bookkeeper that offers specialized services to boutiques including payroll and onboarding, and would like to know if you are interested."

That's it. Received zero responses from the dozens of boutiques I sent this to.

Then I created a instagram page, started posting useful content related to bookkeeping, got two likes and one follower from another bookkeeper.

Went to instagram and paid for ads to reach more people. Ad was a image with my email, and specialities. Received one like and that was that.

Decided to reach out to a few influencers on Instagram, sent them very polite messages and received nothing.

Then used facebook to reach out directly to a dozen more boutiques, two replied and told me they were tied. I thanked them for their responses, and that was that.

I've also tried to join several groups, Quickbooks Pro Advisor forum, and a few other forums and to the ones who were kind enough to approve I posted a few questions, and I also posted my info in those that were ok with advertisement.

Why me? Bookkeeping can be very cold (and often incorrect and incomplete), and I offer specialized and personalized retail specific services like payroll and new hire onboarding along with industry knowledge concerning day to day retail operations.

My ideal client is a small, trendy store owner with 15 or less employees.

She probably stopped because bookkeeping is very boring and demanding if you don't manage it correctly and it's no fun working for construction companies.

I haven't used craigslist yet (because it's craigslist) but I have heard that it is the way to go although I really wonder if it would apply to my specific niche.

Wait... THAT was your email message? No wonder they didn't respond. You didn't give them enough information to decide if they were interested.

Seriously, you're going to need better sales copy than that. You need to tell them what you are offering, why they should choose you, and then make them an irresistible offer.

But, let's continue...

Did you follow up with another email (or a phone call)?

Did you offer them "value"? That is, did you, perhaps, include the link to a free report you created that they would find valuable? And that would help establish your authority and expertise?

Do you have a website that effectively sells them on your service? Did you include your URL in your email?

There's a structure that copywriters use called AIDA. It stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. Your email barely even checks the box for the first "A."

In a nutshell, my first thought is...

Why in the world would they bother to respond to that email?

John

Hit the quote button, so people know who you are responding to.

What you have done (the way you did it) is not marketing.

I am going to give you homework: before you do any more marketing, read Dan Kennedy's Ultimate Sales Letter and Ultimate Marketing books (find them on amazon or whatever bookstore you prefer; not exact titles, just the beginning).

Easy to read and will help you immensely.

You could be done by Tuesday. And, then, you will really understand why what you have done had no chance.

Also, Tanda Copywriting, a member here, has a guide to setting up an online funnel. Pretty thorough. Get it, after you are done with Kennedy. Or learn anywhere else how to set up a proper funnel.

Then learn how to drive traffic.

Lots of work, but can be done in less than 2 weeks and will pay you back forever.

Do get a website.

And, when you get it going, look into Silo structure for SEO. And backlinko skyscraper technique (google them).

Thank you, I really appreciate it. I always assumed cold emails/calling only count when it's towards non business owners.

I'm going to add all of my bookkeeping information on a webpage, I don't see what I have to lose lol.

You assumed they were rude. Your loss.

First, a good number if your messages went into the junk folder; all, or almost all, that did not went into a maulbox where dozens, if not hundreds, of other messages went that day.

You never told us what your subject line was; but it was competing for attention with a lot of others.

Your starting point is to assume you are reaching busy people who are targeted by many.

Do you respond all the postcards and letters business people send you? And those spent time and money to reach you.

The subject line has to interest me, your prospect. Your first body sentence has to want to make me read the next.

And so on.

Which means you have to know what are they're top worries, and address those.

If I were a roofer, IS YOUR ROOFING COMPANY LOSING MONEY would catch my attention; if a dentist, carpenter, etc., it would not. If I was a roofer who thought my company WAS losing money, it would really catch my attention.

I am saying segmenting your prospects by company type is a good idea. Segnenting by age, recipient sex, marital status, education, interests, etc. Is even better.

If I am a man who owns a roofing company and worry about sending my kid to University and about not having enough time to suprrvise my crew and find new clients, I would read an email that was talking about getting me more time, so I can find new clients so I can save more eavh month so I can pay for my boy's tuition.

If my problem was that I was 60 and should have retired by now and play golf instead of working, guess what bookkeeper's message would interest me?

By the way, you are competing with bookkeepers and accountants who have in-house bookkeepers.

I think you should enlarge your prospect list and go after tax preparers and accountabts who do not have in-house bookkeepers. Pay them a finders fee; pay them to email to their clients about you.

Personal branding is a good point, I read this yesterday and have a unique logo lol (not much but I've started the concept)

Definitely!! Thank you I will add how bookkeeping is very important to a business, and has to be done in an organized, coherent manner.

No I haven't done any videos, I was going to make a Youtube channel but after receiving pretty much no feedback I figured I wouldn't get any views lol.

Thank you all for the great tips, I'm going to get started on all of this right now.

I'm not sure I even know what the true definition of an engagement is - I received no likes or comments. Is it simply a click?
I believe the results to be a waste - It was just a test and although I used the wrong ad (surely lol) no one seemed even remotely interested. There are a lot of bookkeepers but none specialized like myself. I'm surprised no one sees the speciality as a need, but it might just be my marketing.

Maybe I have it all wrong, are my services really needed? Or do people just not know exactly what it is I'm offering.

I think I may add a complimentary service (solution like you mentioned) to stand out even more.

I just tried looking for CPA's. Is a CPA even necessary for a very small business?

I found one within my niche, and sent a message.

I'm redoing my "pitch" currently and will try I guess to messages potential clientele on social media because there's no way to ensure they will receive an email.

I'm going to try direct mail as well but not right away, that sounds like a really good idea.

Research is where I got the niche idea from - sources stated that this was a grand need, and the reasoning made sense.

Looking at a CPA for referrals

One potential client stated they were using a bookkeeping company, another had a personal bookkeeper.

My bookkeeping would definitely be more expensive than a company but it's because I offer more. I handle HR tasks, as well as payroll which would definitely save businesses a lot of time and energy.

But yes I'm going to think of an additional complimentary add-on that would match well

I have a very detailed contract already drawn up with all of my offerings and non offerings.

I would say long term simply because good bookkeeping is difficult to come by. One potential client stated that they have had the same bookkeeper since grand opening.

This is a part-time offering for me. Unless I sign a great client I want to continue with/vice versa this is probably, fairly, short term.


1) Why do people look for the service / business you are looking to start?

Accounting/Bookkeeping is difficult, timely and usually requires prior financial knowledge to know what you're doing. Takes up time and energy that can be spent generating profits/operations. Is also the most important part of any business. Not being on top of P & L, and cash flow, sales tax can have your business bankrupt or closed.

2) What questions are those people looking to find answers?

Where to start? How to create an easy, efficient process of managing source documents, forms and banking? How to save more time?

3)When do businesses look to start a relationship OR replace a previous provider for the service / business you are planning on offering?

-When they would rather one person do what two (or more) does, I could be a replacement for two different roles.
-When they decide that they would like a more reliable payroll plan.
-Also when they want to add a more personalized, modern, fun touch to onboarding a new employee.

It's bookkeeping, not accounting. I know the difference and outline it in my contract. I don't offer tax services. They both go hand and hand which is why I use them together, sorry.

Onboarding is a big deal with high turnover. It takes a lot of time and energy to continuous train/hire people every week and bring in the paperwork. No that they can't do it, it's just more efficient to have a bookkeeper handle this alongside of payroll.

I'm a finance student. Working towards a BS in Finance.

You're right about the CPA needing familiarity, I've reached out to two on linkedin and we'll see where it goes. That's something I've realized and don't mind connecting with them and letting them review my skills.

You think I would need to make presentations in person? I don't think so at all - If they are in my area I've already decided I don't mind a site visit or two, but I outline clearly in my contract what I use and what exactly they will receive from me. All of the software/processes I use are cloud based.

These small stores don't require a lot of bookkeeping so yes this is part-time.

Short term, eh I'm aware that these are small businesses that may or may not be able to keep a bookkeeper at any given time. Cash flow is often very tight and can change quickly month to month.

It truly depends on the clients I work with.

I actually started with Fiverr and Gumtree. Both were full of scammers lol. An yes I've considered going to an event or two with clients and I think I will. I'm going to make business cards.

Thank you!

Of all the things you have tried that haven't worked, chamber of commerce networking you mentioned is the one you will very likely have the best success with when you learn how to do it.

Thank you for all of your advice!! Have a blessed 2020