“Marketing and Selling without slime…the secret to success with these sister functions”

Recently, I told you that your primary job wasn’t doing bookkeeping, it was MARKETING.

Well, that’s not the whole story. You also need to spend a fair amount of time closing…or selling.

Marketing and Selling go hand in hand. They are sister functions – kind of like Siamese twins. After all, the goal of your marketing is ultimately to sell your services.

Sure, there are different purposes to your marketing at different times…like building your list, educating your clients and creating awareness of your product or service, and there are multiple and varied avenues through which you can deliver your service – articles, blog posts, Twitter, Facebook, press releases, video…and the list could go on.

BUT, no matter the marketing tool, the end goal is to sell your product – and done right, create long-term clients. (It’s much easier to keep a client than it is to get a new one. Client Acquisition can be costly.)

Marketing is just one step in a multi-step cycle that should lead to s-a-l-e-s.

Now, now, now…don’t panic…when you understand what sales and marketing are REALLY about, you can feel GOOD about sales. When you know this secret, you can stop hiding and really put yourself, your business and services out there.

The SECRET to marketing and selling without slime is simple: Solve Problems and Create Results for people.

If you do these two things, then the slime factor disappears.

Your service becomes about…well, service.

You’re not trying to swindle people, trick them or take advantage of them…you could even say that if you have solutions for people’s problems, then you are OBLIGATED to “get the word out”.

The good news is that if you are solving people’s problems and creating results for them, then those people will sell themselves!

3 Steps to Solving Client Problems and Selling without Slime:

1. Prospect/Market – let people know you’re there through all those marketing channels mentioned above. Talk to people and find out what their problems are and how you can help them. Take the position of a trusted advisor. Listen to their problems – and if you aren’t the one who can best solve their problems, then say so…and if you can, refer them to some people who can. The word will get around that you are trustworthy and that goes a long way in marketing and sales.

2. Present your service packages or product– Repeat your client’s problems to them and show them how you can help. Let them know the benefits of your service. Tell them what your service will do for them…and don’t just list the features. Tell them a story…how will it FEEL to have that problem solved.

3. Close – There are many different ways to “close the sale”. (This could be its own topic.) Closing is where most people “lose the sale”…either they don’t want to ask for the sale, or they’re afraid of offending the client. What you need to remember is that you need not force the situation. Done properly, the client understands that you can solve his problem and sells himself. The client WANTS to buy from you at this point. You should also keep in mind that “it’s not about you”! This is about how you and your service can help the client.

When you approach marketing from the perspective of solving people’s problems and creating results for them, you never have to feel guilty, sleazy or slimy again.

Remember: Your business is about helping clients with a need or problem. NOT marketing and NOT selling is actually doing people a disservice.

Plus, you’ll stand out from the crowd as a trusted advisor who knows how to make their pain and problems disappear. (That’s a great position to be in…and it makes both marketing and sales much easier!)

Weekly Prosperity Quote

The common misperception is that you have to work harder to earn more money. Ultimately, your earnings will increase when you change your thinking – rather than your activities.

~Brian Koslow, 365 Way to Become a Millionaire~

Weekly Prosperity Quote

Because money is a major physic symbol of security, every thought you have that endorses your insecurity affects your money-making abilities.  Money flows towards stability and away from its converse.

~Stuart Wilde~

4 Steps to Greater Profit and Client Satisfaction: How to Work Less, Provide More Value and Make it Easier for Clients to Buy from You with Packaged Services

Offering packages is the most uncomplicated way to work with a client.

Plus, offering your services through packages creates demonstrable value and results for your clients.

Here’s what this means for you:

Creating packages of your services allows you to break free from the “hours for dollars” model of pricing which puts a cap on how much money you can earn. After all, time is limited. Value is not.

Hear me on this one and it’ll change your work life – and positively affect your bottom line:

“The fees you charge have nothing to do with supply and demand and everything to do with value.”

Packages are a means of demonstrating and communicating this value to your clients. When clients see the value, they don’t argue with you on price…

Here’s what you need to know about creating packages.

A package is a collection of services (the features – or the “what” – that you provide) that produce particular results (the benefit) for the client.

What makes packages such a wonderful and dynamic way to organize your bookkeeping services is that packages are focused on the problems you solve for the clients. Packages allow you to present your services in a way that the solutions and results you provide are front and center.

Creating packages that provide top value for your clients and give them the most bang for their buck builds you a loyal client base with clients that are easy to handle because they understand and can see the value YOU provide.

AND…since you are (finally) charging based on results and value, you can feel good about being paid well (perhaps even charging more) for the services and value you provide.

Creating packages is as easy as 1-2-3.

1.  Create a complete inventory of the services you provide. List things like:

• Services that are “part and parcel” of doing bookkeeping, like posting vendor bills and scheduling for payment, preparing invoices, calling in payroll to third-party provider.
• Things that are “just part of what you do” – These are things that are taken for granted as being included in the service, like reminding client that their bank balance is low, re-ordering their checks, stuffing and mailing client invoices.
• Services you gave away and later resented – These are things you provided for client but for which you weren’t compensated, like cleaning up the mess from the previous bookkeeper so you could do your job, providing copies of client invoices at your expense, giving away time as a consultant.

2.  Design your service levels…this is the easy part.

• Assign each component to a level of service
• No more than 3 levels – a top, medium, and basic.

3.   Distinguish each level of service in terms of service or time.

• Add a service – Deluxe Package contains everything from the basic package plus preparation of 1099’s. The Ultimate Package contains everything from the Deluxe plus a year-end tax package for the client’s CPA.
• Vary the amount of time – Package A is 8 hours, B is 16 hours, etc.

4.  Name each package or service level…Be as creative as you like with yournames.   You can name them based on colors, competency, or metals.

• Competency – Basic, Deluxe, Ultimate
• Metals – Platinum, Gold, Silver

Creating packages allows you and your client to focus on deliverables. Create your packages NOW so that you can eliminate client confusion and make it easier for clients to buy from you…so that your business is easier to run, makes you more money, and allows you more freedom.