Research Your Competition

Have You Watched the Game Films?

Like a Football Coach Getting Ready for the Big Game – You Better Know Your Competition

Even if they don’t know you. You have to know your competition.During the week, as the players on the field practice, the coach sits in the office, watching film from his next opponent’s previous game. He wants to know as much as he can about their strengths and weaknesses, when he can rush the quarterback and how good their defensive is. The coach needs to prepare for the “big game” as much as the players do.The preparation the coach and the team do before the game often allows the underdog to win the big game. You’ll find the same holds true in your professional tax preparation business.

How to Learn More About Your Competition?

There are a lot of ways to find out more about your competitors. Let me share with you a few of them.

Become one of their customers: Get a first-hand look at how they treat their customers and the types of services they offer. By becoming a customer, you’ll actually see how well they keep their promises and follow through. As you interact with your own clients, this becomes valuable information that is difficult to obtain any other way.
Call and request information: If you don’t want to become a customer, you can call and request information as a potential customer. Find out how professional or amateurish they seem. If they produce any literature about their service or willingly offer pricing information over the phone or through the mail, this is great information to have. It helps you get a handle on how to position yourself as you prepare your pricing and literature. (But remember, many companies have caller-ID, so you might not want to call from your business phone.)
Search their Web site: If they have a presence on the web, become familiar with what they say to their customers. You need to know their sales message as well as you know your own. If they offer a newsletter or other e-mail correspondence, sign-up. It’s a great way to find out what they are saying.
Study the Yellow Pages: You may not find specific information about your competitors there, but you can get a handle on who your competitors are. It might surprise you to find that there aren’t as many as you think. Don’t overlook the Yellow Pages.
Talk to current customers: Conduct a survey or send out a questionnaire to learn more about your competition. Most people welcome the opportunity to express what they like and don’t like. It’s human nature to want to offer help. Ask for it… and you’ll find people willing to offer advice and information all over the place.

“Knowledge Is the Fountain From Which Creativity Springs”-Jay Conrad Levinson

Knowledge gives you power. With it, you get power to compete with other small businesses like your tax practice (and the big franchises too). By promoting your strengths and exploiting their weaknesses, your practice grows and generates the income and lifestyle you and your family deserve.

Remove the Risk and Reap the Rewards

“A farmer wanted to buy a pony for his daughter. There were two for sale in his town. Both ponies were equal in all aspects. The first man told the farmer he wanted $500 for his pony – take it or leave it. The second man was selling his pony for $750.”But the second man told the farmer he wanted the farmers daughter to try out the pony for a month before the farmer had to make any purchasing decision. He offered to bring the pony out to the farmer’s home along with a months worth of hay to feed the pony. He said he’d send out his own stableman once a week to show the little girl how to groom and care for the pony. He told the farmer the pony was kind and gentle, but to have his daughter ride the pony each day to make certain they got along together. “Finally, he said that at the end of the thirty days he’d drive over to the farmer’s and either take back the pony and clean up the stall – or ask, then, to be paid $750.Which pony do you suppose the farmer decided to purchase for his daughter?”

Jay Abraham/Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got

Make it Easy to Say Yes

In any sales situation; it doesn’t matter if you’re selling automobiles, high tech computer systems, or even accounting services; if you make it easier for your clients to say yes, you will find a “competitive edge” that is usually overlooked by the competition.

How do you do this? Take away the emotional, psychological and financial risk factors that are always associated with any decision. It doesn’t matter if they are stated or not, most people associate a level of risk with making a change in what they buy or what services they purchase.

Remove the risks, make it safe for your clients to do business with you, and you will have eliminated the primary obstacle to doing business with you.

Is there Anything Safer than Risk Free?

I think Risk Free is even better than Free. Many companies offer a 100% money back guarantee. If you aren’t satisfied with their product or service, they’ll refund your money. There is no such guarantee, either real or implied with something that is simply free.

If you guarantee your product or service you need to tell your clients about it. What good is removing the risk for your clients if nobody knows about it? You’ll need to make it part of the core of your selling message. Never be afraid to tell someone that you stand behind your product or service 100%.

What does guarantee really mean? It means that you completely take away the risk of doing business with you. You assume the risk. How can you apply this to your Bookkeeping clients? One way would be to offer to provide services for a month, at the end of the month if you have not completed the predetermined objectives for the month, your services are free.

Because you are providing a service, don’t make your guarantee apply to a vague and unmeasurable standard… if you can’t measure your performance, how can you guarantee it? At the end of the month, determine with your client if you met the standard and decide if you are going to continue.

The second half of the guarantee is the commitment of the client to work with you if you meet or exceed what you promised. Of course, you had better perform.

Now, Let’s Talk About Something Better than Risk Free

Have you ever heard of a Better-Than-Risk-Free Guarantee? I once knew of a photography studio that offered a 100% Money Back Guarantee plus $5.00 if you weren’t happy with your senior pictures. That’s a better-than-risk-free guarantee.

Of course, you’d better be convinced that your product or service is good enough to stand the test of your guarantee. Your willingness to offer this kind of guarantee speaks louder than your words to convince your clients and potential clients of the value and quality of your service.

What Do I Do If Someone Actually Uses My Guarantee to Ask for A Refund?

This is sometimes the hard part. You smile, give them the refund, and thank them for the opportunity to provide your service for them. Then, you ask for another opportunity to work with them.

Try as we might, sometimes we make mistakes. When we courteously acknowledge an error, do all we can to make it right, and express our continued interest in working with our client they will often be willing to give us a second change. At least, they’ll hold no ill-will since we graciously complied with our promise to reduce the risk for them.

Here at Universal Accounting, We Want to Remove the Risk For You. There’s Never Been a Better Time to Purchase the Professional Bookkeeper Program

Businesses all over the country need of the services that only a skilled and qualified Bookkeeper can provide. As government business regulations become more and more complicated for small businesses, this demand will continue to increase. You can take advantage of this trend.

The Professional Bookkeeper Program puts the tools for starting your own successful Accounting and Tax practice in your hands. Click on the link below and learn the skills you’ll need to know to start this satisfying and profitable business. You’ll learn all the skills you’ll need to start your practice, including how to find clients, how to keep clients and how to make starting your own business achievable, profitable and easy.

Discover the Lifestyle that Could be Yours… You Owe it to Yourself… Click Here

Now That You’ve Received the DVD

I Hope You Enjoyed The Video

30 Minutes With the Power to Change Your Life

Everything he touched went into his little mouth. If you have small children, you know exactly what I mean. When my children were tiny, everything they saw went into their mouths. At first, I was concerned that there was something wrong, but I learned that it is very normal. Babies are trying to utilize all their senses to understand the world around them. Taste just happens to be one of them.I have since come to realize that I am the same way. I don’t put everything into my mouth, but the more senses involved in a learning experience, the better I understand. For example, seeing with my eyes, hearing with my ears and reading are more powerful than simply reading alone. That’s why the Professional Bookkeeper course is such an effective learning tool.As I have looked at other programs, I have been surprised that there aren’t any others that use this method. It’s unique to Universal Accounting’s Professional Bookkeeper Program. In fact, most courses will simply provide a textbook for you to read and a test. That’s it.The Professional Bookkeeper Program is different. The Professional Bookkeeper Program (PB) is the only distance learning program I’m aware of that duplicates that classroom environment like this. With the ability to review and rewind topics until you’re confident that you understand, it’s even better than the classroom. I’ve never been able to hit the rewind button on a professor in any college course I’ve ever taken. But you can with the PB program.

Hands-On Learning is Hands-Down the Best

I started in the warehouse and drove the delivery truck. I learned to work at the feet of my father. It wasn’t always easy, but he taught me valuable lessons that I still remember.As my father and I swept the warehouse floor together I learned how important it is to do the job right, even if it was sweeping the floor. And by washing the delivery truck every week, I learned to take pride in my appearance and how I presented myself. My father made sure I learned these important lessons when I was young. He didn’t just tell me how to do it, he showed me how.Dad always said, “Son, there are givers and there are takers. Make sure you don’t become a taker.” I learned some important lessons seeping that warehouse floor. Not the least of which was the requirement to “give” your best everyday. He was a tough task-master sometimes, but it was an education that I couldn’t have found anyplace else.I don’t work with him anymore, but his hands-on teaching style has stuck with me. The PB Program is the same. (Only, we won’t make you sweep the warehouse floor.) You’ll actually do the books for several small businesses. Businesses like a bakery and a mini-mart. You’ll get hands-on experience that will guide you through the world of small business bookkeeping. And, it will stick with you.

Questions are Only a Phone Call Away

When you have questions, you’ll have a personal coach who is waiting for your phone call. At Universal Accounting, we don’t feel like we’ve succeeded until you have. We want to make sure that you have all the tools you need to learn the ins-and-outs of small business bookkeeping and accounting.Whether by telephone or e-mail, your questions will be answered by accounting experts who can walk you through each of the learning modules so that you are confident that you understand each and every concept. This is an exclusive benefit of the PB Program. In all my searching, I haven’t found anyone else who offers this level of service.

The Most Complete Guarantee in Education

I don’t know of a college or university that offers a guarantee. But Universal Accounting Does.

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 complete refund. All of us here at Universal Accounting are so confident that you will find this training to be of value that we all stand behind it, 100%.

Why Should I Train With Universal Accounting’s Professional Bookkeeper Program?

There are a number of educational options available to learn bookkeeping and accounting and you might be asking, “Why should I choose the Professional Bookkeeper Program?”That’s easy. For over 25 years, Universal Accounting has been considered the small business accounting experts. We’ve been teaching people just like you and me the nuts-and-bolts of small business accounting since 1979. With literally thousands of happy and successful graduates, you don’t have to take my word for it. Click HERE and see what they are saying about the Professional Bookkeeper Program.Why should you choose the Professional Bookkeeper Program?

Experience. We’ve been teaching small business accounting for over 25 years.
Hands-On Learning- It’s the best way to learn and we’re the only people who teach this way.
DVD and Textbook Learning Materials- The best-of-both make your bookkeeping education second-to-none.
A Live Voice on the Other End of the Phone- A personal coach to help and motivate you is a PB exclusive.
The Best Guarantee in Education- Your education is risk free. You won’t find a guarantee like this anyplace else.

A Great Price for the Most Complete Training Available Anywhere!

The first step to one of the most rewarding and satisfying businesses available is only a few mouse clicks away. There has never been a better time to start your own professional accounting and tax business than right now.

Become a QuickBooks Specialist (QS)

Demonstrate Your Expertise with QuickBooks

A business woman works at her computer. Become the expert. Mastery of the most popular accounting software used by small business owners makes you a valuable asset. Universal Accounting Center’s Professional Bookkeeper’s Guide to QuickBooks will train you how to use the tools provided by QuickBooks to work more efficiently and effectively.Most small business owners lack a critical component to their financial success: a background in accounting. In fact, as they try to utilize the tools in QuickBooks, they are unable to take advantage of the complete functionality of their software, because they lack an understanding of the accounting process.

The QuickBooks Specialist Designation – A Universal Accounting Exclusive

Learning QuickBooks from the “Small Business Accounting Experts” just makes sense. Universal Accounting has taught small business bookkeeping and accounting for over 25 years. Who better to teach you the intricacies of how QuickBooks addresses the accounting process?Don’t simply learn the software… learn accounting. You will not only learn how to enter data, you will learn to make sense of it all. With an understanding of what the financial data means, you can offer sound business advice that will positively affect any company’s bottom-line. Becoming a QuickBooks Specialist enables you to add QuickBooks setup, consultation, and help services to your menu, increasing your appeal and your bottom line.

With the Right Instruction, QuickBooks Mastery is Easy

As an accountant/bookkeeper, you already have the skills to master QuickBooks software quickly and easily. And the good news is that your current understanding of accounting basics will make your QuickBooks mastery more powerful. Its simple menus and screens make it a snap to get any business books into the computer right away. Of course, the more you understand the reports the software generates, the more valuable the data becomes as business owners make decisions that will affect their profitability.

The Right Tool to Ramp-Up Business Profits

QuickBooks’ easy-to-run reports make the most important financial facts about your business just a click or two away, such as:

Cash on Hand.
Accounts Payable.
Accounts Receivable.
Inventory Levels.
Sales Reports.

Reports mean nothing without the expertise to interpret them. As a QuickBooks Specialist (QS), you’ll know how to use that information to make business decisions based upon sound accounting principles, principles that will make any business more profitable.

Becoming a QuickBooks Specialist is Essential

QuickBooks Specialist Logo Anyone who wants to maximize their value as a small business profit expert will want complete mastery of QuickBooks. It’s the accounting tool used by more small business owners than any other and will make your bookkeeping and accounting business even more profitable.If you order now, you’ll also get The Professional Bookkeepers Guild to Quickbooks, complementary program: QuickBooks Made Profitable. Don’t wait; order now and get these two amazing programs for one amazingly low price!

Stop Running with the Pack

3 Tips on Standing Out in a Competitive Market

Some business owners are happy to run with the pack, staying neck-in-neck with the competition. Unfortunately, winning businesses do more than keep up; they stand out, they lead, they become the premier accounting firms in their area.

If you would like to stand out in a competitive market, you must take steps to distinguish your services from other accounting firms. As you market your services you must emphasize what makes you different, unique, unusual. How do you do that? These three steps will help.

1. Study the Competition

Whether or not you like it, you are competing with other accountants for clients. You offer similar services to a shared target market which means you are one of many options from which that target market can choose.

In order to be a good competitor you must know your competition. How does the competition market their services? What benefits do they offer? To which demographic are they marketing? Are their marketing approaches affective? You must answer all these questions and more by performing simple research.

First, determine which of the accountants in the area are prominent. Then study their marketing strategies. Talk with colleagues and other professionals to see which of these competitors are getting rave reviews and determine why their services are most popular.

2. Determine Your Competitive Advantage

Once you’ve studied the competition, you can see how you measure up. In order to stand out, you must first determine what sets you apart. Reflect on the services you offer and what makes them valuable.

Ask yourself the following questions: Do you have a specialty or focus that would add value to your services? Have you received professional certification or recognition for your work? Can you offer financial consultations that would appeal to potential clients? Do you offer complementary services that would benefit your target market?

It’s important that you note these things that distinguish you from the competition. This is no time to be humble or modest-you offer valuable services and determining what makes them unique and noteworthy will enable you to achieve true success.

3. Market Your Strengths

Now that you know what sets you apart you must accentuate these characteristics in your marketing materials. You don’t want your promotions to sound cliché and familiar. They must be unique. Most of this will be easily accomplished with your new and improved marketing message.

In order to test this new approach, run a trial campaign so you can analyze its effectiveness. If it doesn’t grow your clientele, tweak your message until it does. Once you see success you can incorporate this new approach in all your marketing materials.

Marketing doesn’t have to be difficult. When you know a handful of effective marketing techniques like this one you can easily get your practice to stand out and lead the competition.

For this and more marketing strategies designed to help you get and keep clients, watch our video “The Art and Science of Getting Clients.” For less than $10 you can add this valuable DVD to your professional library, or you can watch it online for free! In less than 20 minutes you could be on the path to improved marketing success. Do it now, and watch your accounting practice grow!