Semi-Retire in 12 Months or Less

You Can Semi-Retire in 12 Months or Less

How can I say that? It’s easy, I’ve seen it happen. People just like you and me who started a professional bookkeeping and tax practice 12 months ago are semi-retired. What did they do and how did they do it?First, let’s talk about what I mean when I say semi-retired. How would you like to work half time or less and make the same amount of income you make now? Literally hundreds of graduates of the Professional Bookkeeper Program are doing that right now. In fact, some are working half time and making a more than they did before… a lot more.Anyone who starts a business will tell you that it takes work, patience and a willingness to do a little selling. Allen Bostrom, President of Universal Accounting, in his book In the Black: Nine Principles to Make Your Business Profitable says, “Nothing happens until you make a sale.”

Do I Really Have to Be a Salesman?

No. You don’t have to become a salesman, but you do have to understand how to find potential clients and show them why you are the best qualified to make their business more profitable. Once they see the benefits in hiring you, it will be an easy sale. It’s not as hard as you think? There are a lot of really simple and effective ways to market your bookkeeping and accounting practice that you can put into effect right away without any background in sales.Universal Accounting provides some time-tested marketing methods within the Professional Bookkeeper Program that enable people who don’t consider themselves to be marketers to reap fantastic results. “Marketing” is simply the process of getting the word out about the benefits that your business provides.

Successful People Do What Other Successful People Do

If I wanted to be a professional baseball player, I’d do what professional baseball players do. I’d practice like they did, hang-out where they hang-out and do just what they did. I’d create a model of success from watching them and duplicate it in my own situation. Marketing is no different.You don’t really have to be a genius to be a good marketer. You just have to be persistent. Look at what has been successful for others and duplicate it into your own life.

What Do I Do When It Doesn’t Seem to Work?

You might be saying to yourself, “What if the marketing methods you suggest don’t work? I don’t want to fail.”Many of the folks who are now retired asked that same question. Let me share with you what they found out as they put these simple marketing principles into action. An early retirement or semi-retirement is very doable. Click HERE and read more about how others have semi-retired in as little as 12 months.

How To Guarantee that Your Skills Will Turn Into a Great Income

1) First of all… don’t give up.

To be successful in marketing your business and services you need to be persistent.Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? Victory doesn’t go to the swift, it goes to the persistent. Slow and steady wins the race.The difference between reaping the rewards of your marketing efforts and having nothing to reap is not your ability to sell or create great advertising, but your unwillingness to give up. Marketing is a numbers game. If you do the right things for the right amount of time, you’re efforts will produce the right results.

2) Follow a Time-Proven Formula

Follow the system that leads to success and you will find success. The marketing methods taught in the Professional Bookkeeper Program are tested and proven. If you follow the steps outlined by Universal Accounting, you will find and keep clients.How do I know this? I have seen it happen. You don’t even have to take my word for it. There are literally thousands of people all over the country just like you and me who have found the personal and professional success that they were looking for by following the simple steps outlined by the Professional Bookkeeper Program. It’s that easy.

3) Don’t Become a Focus Group of 1

I’m sure you know people who judge everything based upon what they would do or how they would respond. Don’t.As you learn more about marketing, you might find that you personally wouldn’t respond positively to a particular campaign or program. That’s ok. That’s why they make chocolate and vanilla. Different things appeal to different people. The marketing strategies taught by Universal Accounting have been used successfully by many industries all over the world for many years. They work.

and 4) Remember Rule #1, Don’t Give Up!

Don’t shortchange your results by giving up too soon. I’m sure that there were two or three times that the tortoise thought to himself, “There’s no way I can beat the hare. He’s faster than I am. He’s too far ahead of me. I’m just too slow.”Don’t let doubt get in the way of your success.

The Professional Bookkeeper Program: The Most Comprehensive Small Business Accounting Program on the Planet

There isn’t a more complete bookkeeping and accounting program anywhere. From A to Z you’ll learn everything you’ll need to know to do the books for any small business. Did I say any small business? That’s right any small business. It doesn’t matter if it’s the bicycle shop down the street or a construction company that has 100 employees, you’ll be prepared.But that’s not all. Let’s mention some of the things you’ll get from Universal that nobody else even offers.

  • 6 months of Support. If you have any questions, we’re just a phone call away, with all the expert help and support you’d ever need.
  • 6 months of Marketing Support. As you grow your business you’ll have the same kind of resources for your own marketing efforts that larger corporations with an entire marketing department draw upon.
  • You’ll utilize the experience of some of the most savvy marketers in the business, people with years of experience in the field. Universal’s training is unique. We wouldn’t feel good about teaching you how to become a professional bookkeeper or accountant and not show you how to find clients too.

You owe it to yourself to look into this wonderful opportunity to create the kind of personal and professional success that you deserve. There has never been a better time. Small businesses all over the country are looking for what you have to offer. All you have to do is click on the link below and find out more about the exciting and rewarding business of professional bookkeeping and accounting.

A Great Deal On the Most Complete Small-Business Accounting Training Available Anywhere!

Having a solid understanding of the Accounting and Bookkeeping methods and procedures is a great first step in learning the concepts behind Financial Business Analysis. You will learn to do books for small to mid-sized companies and how to analyze the books to prepare reports. You will learn to interpret reports so that you can advise your clients how to reduce costs and to better understand their financial standing and profitability. Your clients will look to you as an invaluable source of information about the financial health of their organization.

Outsourcing of Tax Returns is on the Decline

Attention: Outsourcing of Tax Returns is on the Declineaccountant… Opportunities for Local Professional Tax Preparers on the Rise

Wanted -More Professional Tax Preparers. Over the last few years, many large accounting firms are sending tax returns overseas. They thought the cost savings of sending tax returns to chartered accountants in India and the ability to have returns prepared overnight there would make the outsourcing of tax returns a financial boon.

However, concerns over privacy and data security have made outsourcing less popular this year. Read on, and I’ll show you how this helps your tax preparation practice.

Legislation in California Makes it Harder to Outsource Tax Preparation

In California, if accounting firms have anyone other than an employee prepare a return, they must inform their clients in writing that their data is sent outside the firm. David Wyle, [An Outsourcer] SurePrep’s founder, quoted in an article found in the September 2005 issue of Accounting Technology Magazine, said:

“In California, anyone not an employee of your firm is considered an outsider. So if you have per diem contractors work in your office during tax season, technically you need your clients written permission.” He goes on to say, “Between last tax season and this year, we lost over 130 customers. It’s not that they went to other outsourcers, they just stopped outsourcing.”

Business School Graduates are More Interested in Consulting, Mergers and Acquisitions than Accounting and Tax Preparation

Kishore Mirchandani, President and CEO of Outsource Partners International, [Another Outsourcer] says that enrollment is high in business schools, but students are more focused on economics and finance, not accounting. He says they are more interested in disciplines such as consulting and mergers and acquisitions.

This Trend Contributes to a Great Opportunity for a Professional Tax Preparer

At Universal Accounting we’ve learned over the years that universities weren’t providing the number of professionals needed to meet the tax preparation needs of both individuals and small businesses. That leaves the larger accounting firms with a limited amount of options. They can either outsource, and send your private and personal data overseas to a chartered accountant in India, or turn people away.

Neither of these options sounds that appealing to most people.

As quoted in Accounting Technology Magazine, CEO of Creative Solutions Jon Barons says, “I believe that outsourcing of tax returns is the wrong solution to the problem.”

The Right Education Will Allow You to Take Advantage of this Trend

Although professional tax preparation does require a specialized skill set, it doesn’t require a college education. In fact, according to Mr. Mirchandani, students at business school are more interested in other aspects of business and aren’t even interested in tax preparation or accounting.

At Universal Accounting, we understand that the needs of small businesses aren’t even seriously addressed in most colleges and universities. A need exists for small business specialists to help those businesses and individuals with both their tax and accounting needs. That’s why we’ve been teaching small business accounting since 1979.

With literally thousands of our graduates successfully providing tax preparation and accounting services to businesses all over the United States, I think it’s safe to say that Universal Accounting trains hundreds of small business experts every year. And if you are considering becoming a professional tax preparer or bookkeeper, Universal will help you become a small business expert yourself.

The Professional Tax Preparer Course is the “Perfect Education”

Click Here and Learn What Many Tax Professionals Consider the “Perfect Education”

booksAt Universal Accounting Center, our commitment encludes providing our graduates with the most complete and comprehensive education in tax preparation anywhere. You won’t find a more complete curriculum for working with small business and individuals, period. And that includes the universities.

To further demonstrate our commitment to you and your education, we even offer a 100% money back guarantee. I am unaware of any guarantee from any college or university program.

Universal Accounting’s Ironclad 100% Money Back Guarantee

“If, after completing all of the learning activities, you do not feel that youhave received your money’s worth, simply return the materials toUniversal Accounting Center, for a complete refund.

Purchase and complete the course, and if you don’t feel that you’ve received your money’s worth, you can return the materials and get a fair refund. All of us here at Universal Accounting are confident that you will find this training to be of value that we all stand behind it, 100%.

Become a Full Financial Services Provider

The Universal Accounting Financial Services program teaches you both Tax Preparation for individuals and businesses as well as how to service the Accounting and Bookkeeping needs of your clients. Combine the two services and greatly increase your profits and make marketing your service to businesses with varied needs much easier.

Powering Up Your Client Database

Powering Up Your Client Database and Getting Personal

It’s fundamental that your database should include details of your bookkeeping clients’ names, addresses, telephone numbers and facsimile numbers.

Adding details of the names of other family members also makes good sense as does any significant dates that you can get your hands on – birthdays and anniversaries for example.

Armed with a loaded database, it’s time to derive some substantial benefits for your business.

It’s time to get personal with your clients!

Getting personal is really a matter of making sure that you’re aware of what’s happening in your clients’ lives and letting them know that you’re thinking of them either by way of a telephone call or a card.

The hackneyed birthday card has become passe but most people will appreciate either a humorous card or a computer card complete with a personal message from you.

You can expect a similar good reaction to your wedding anniversary or congratulations card in relation to a business or personal success or an addition to the family.

When things are not going so well for a client, it’s amazing how you can buck them up with a brief telephone conversation when you simply indicate that you are thinking about your client.

Getting personal not only makes both you and your clients feel good about yourselves but from a purely commercial perspective, it can lead to a dramatic increase in the volume of referrals that you receive and this is just from being a caring person.

It’s never too late to implement a getting personal strategy!

Module 4 of our Professional Bookkeeper program, entitled “Building a Successful Accounting Service” describes other marketing methods to make your Accounting or Bookkeeping service grow!To see an overview of marketing concepts that the Professional Bookkeeper course will teach you Click HERE.

Other sections from this week’s newsletter:

  • Articles to Help You In Starting Your Own Business
  • Start a Bookkeeping Service? Great Idea!
  • Seven Steps to Strengthen Your ‘Client Sales Pitch’

UAC’s Christmas Package

One Ready-Made Business to Go

As a child you waited and waited for that most wanted package from Ol’ Saint Nick himself. You wrote him exactly what you wanted and anticipated that package would be placed under your tree come Christmas morning. Nowadays, your tastes may be a bit more “involved”. Sure you may want a Lexus for Christmas. Or maybe your wish list is a bit more modest: new shoes, a bookstore gift card, a family vacation. But what about those more obscure wishes of yours? As much as we’d like to find world peace or a better life in our stockings, that’s just not something the Sainted Old Elf can deliver.

And what about what we wish for our business for the next year? Think the closest you could get to business success is a fancy new shredder? Is a successful accounting and bookkeeping business that far fetched? Not when it comes to Universal Accounting Center’s offering a package that could increase your business profits in mere months. With UAC’s year end offer of the Professional Bookkeeper, and QuickBooks Training Programs success is at your fingertips!

Increase Your Client BaseMost business owners are looking for ways to get more clients; more clients mean better business. And small business makes up over 80% of accounting opportunities. UAC’s Professional Bookkeeper Program teaches small business accounting, so while you may have learned accounting somewhere else, chances are you weren’t taught how to cater accounting practices to the small business. Small businesses function differently from big businesses, which means that accounting practices must also be different. For over 25 years, Universal Accounting Center has been teaching people like you small business accounting. And even if you’ve never taken an accounting class before, the PB Program will give you the proper training to tackle any accounting situation with ease.

The PB Program also enables you to earn the Professional Bookkeeper Certification, which will give you the credentials necessary to function in today’s competitive environment. Not only that, but UAC’s program will teach you how to market your new skills and provides you with follow-up support from a Personal Achievement Coach and certified CPA’s who can answer your questions anytime.

Increase Your Efficiency and Profits Most business owners would agree that efficiency is priceless when it comes to running your business. When you work efficiently, you get more done in less time, enabling you to use that saved time to either enjoy your earnings or make more money! Intuit’s QuickBooks Pro is the accounting software used by 80% of small businesses. Not only can it save you time in running your own business, but it enables you to teach clients how to get you the information you need in a format you can use. And once you learn QuickBooks Pro, you can offer QuickBooks set-up and consultation services for $65-$95 per hour. Add to that QuickBooks helpservices and you’ve not only increased your efficiency, but you’ve increases your earning potential!

The Professional Bookkeepers Guide to QuickBooks Pro is a self-paced program that enables you to complete the parts that interest you and skip over the parts that don’t. Even if you have used the program for years, the program teaches you shortcuts and methods you may not have known. And like the previous two programs, you’ll receive follow-up support so that you can email your questions at any time.

UAC Offers the Power Package: All Three Programs for One Low PriceAll three of these programs are bundled for a year-ending special that only newsletter subscribers can enjoy. In fact, this fantastic pricing for the 3 in 1 bundle is ending come December 31st! Time is clicking away! Enroll yourself in the programs proven for business success

Get yourself the present, the package you deserve – business success; it may not fit in your stocking, but it’s something you and your family can enjoy for many years to come! Check it out today, there is still time to complete the Professional Tax Preparer’s Program before January 1st! Enroll in our proven professional programs and enjoy Christmas early this year.

The Power of FREE

Any marketer will tell you that FREE is the most influential word in marketing. It creates more interest in readers than any other single word. It can ultimately generate tons of business, including accounting clients. Businesses do it all the time. Just check out Sunday’s paper and look at all the coupons and free offerings you find. They know that when you come in or call for the freebie you’ll probably buy something else.

The key is to make the FREE service or gift something that will lead the prospective client to become a monthly paying client. Of course, the free item won’t be free to you, but when used effectively, they can generate thousands of dollars in fees for your service. An average small-business client will use your service for 2 years, or 24 months. If you just do accounting services for that client, you will bill them $300. Over the course of 24 months, that comes to $7,200 in business. If you also provide tax services for that client, you collect $400 per month, or $9,600 over that same 2 year period. Because a single client is worth so much to your business, you see the value of marketing more effectively.

Here’s a short list of what you may want to consider offering:

FREE Accounting Services

This may include free setup or free payroll processing. However, to earn the free charges, they must first be a paying write-up client. One graduate of the Professional Bookkeeper program offered free QuickBooks help (one visit) and picked up five monthly paying clients. At $300 per month each, that single promotion increased her income by $1,500 every month! See How Many Clients Your Business Will Need To Provide For Your Needs, Wants, and Desires

You’ll need to place some limitation on each free service, and state it in your service agreement with your clients. For instance, limit the setup cost to entering the balances in the computer (for our Professional Bookkeeper students, see Module 3, “Advancing Your Account-Ability” on how to do this). Payroll should be limited to three to five employees. If you want to offer free tax preparation services, limit them to the 1040 form so that you can make money on all other tax services, such as supportive forms, including a Schedule C, if necessary.

FREE Software

If you’re going to specialize in new businesses, you will get a lot of interest by offering free software. Offer the small business owner free accounting software set up in their business, training for their staff, and continued support when they sign up with you for monthly write-up services. This will not only be a terrific sales pitch, but it will ensure that they have the software you want them to have.

Of course, you’ll be spending a few bucks, but in most cases the software you’re going to purchase will be less than $200. That sounds like a lot until you figure that you will collect $300 in your first month with that client. If offering free software costs you a one-time $200 and gains your business $7,200+ in billings over the next two years, doesn’t that sound like the best $200 you’ve ever spent? ($300/month * 24 months) If you don’t have the $200 to spend, go with one of the other free services listed here that doesn’t cost anything but your time. But once you get your accounting service going and you are making an average of $30 to $60 per hour, you will want to limit the amount of free time you give away, because that is time you could be billing another client for.

FREE Monthly Newsletter

A free monthly newsletter is ideal for maintaining a relationship with your existing clients. It can also generate new clients as you send it to all the businesses you come in contact with in your area. It maintains a healthy client relationship and establishes you as the expert at accounting and tax when a prospective client is ready for someone to provide those services.

Each month, include brief articles aimed at the small business owner. Begin with just two pages of content focused on ways to improve their bottom line. The main thing is that you want to focus on subject matter of interest to them, specifically how to become more profitable. Why? You want to show them that you are the expert at cutting costs and increasing profit, the very reasons a small business might want to hire you.

If you send out an email-based newsletter, graduates of the Professional Bookkeeper program are welcomed and encouraged to put the Web addresses of articles on accounting-and-bookkeeping-tips.com right in the email that gets sent out. This site provide a wealth of ideas for newletter articles. This is just one way that Universal Accounting is here to support students of the Professional Bookkeeper program so it’s easy to get new clients.

FREE Seminar

If you’re not afraid of the limelight, a free seminar can be a great way to get your name in the local marketplace quickly. Similar to the newsletter, the seminar establishes you as an expert. More importantly, seminars also give small business owners exposure to you personally. People prefer to buy from those they know, so becoming known to many, so any good marketing strategy should include ways to let many small-businesses get to know who you are and what you can do for them.

Each session should provide interesting valuable information to the small business person such as: changes in the tax law, methods of improving profitability, understanding the financial statements, etc.

To promote the seminar, create a flier and take it to all the businesses within one mile of the seminar location and be sure to offer refreshments. If the flier and subject are interesting enough, you’ll pack them in. By the way, most libraries permit community interest meetings for free, or for a minimal charge, so you can hold these all over the city. One warning, this is not a one-hour commercial. The more value you give, the more positive you will be perceived. You want to show that you understand the needs of small business. Wow them with solutions to their problems. Whet their appetite for finding out more about your services by showing how good accounting points out opportunities to cut costs, lower taxes, and increase profit for small businesses.

Conclusion

Show small business owners that you have the knowlege and experience to help their business to be more profitable. Give examples of tax deductions, cost reduction, and efficiencies you can build into their business. Learn to show with specific examples how your service solves problems and helps business owners keep more of what they make, the kind of real-world training that only the Professional Bookkeeper program can prepare you for. You will learn how to talk to small business owners in a language they understand, their bottom line. Only the Professional Bookkeeper program teaches not only accounting, but how to take those skills to market to earn $30 to $60 per hour. An entire quarter of the program teaches how to turn the great skills you will learn into a life-changing income for you and your family.

Learn How the Marketing Module of the Professional Bookkeeper Program Teaches You How to Get Small Business Clients Fast!

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