How to Get Bookkeeping Clients Quickly: 3 secrets for accountants

It’s beautiful weather as spring rolls in to lighten everyone’s mood. People try cheerfully going about their day. But something is nagging their minds about what they have to do. It’s something that they can’t postpone any longer. This time of year can, of course, only mean one thing. Tax time! So this means big business for accountants, right? Not necessarily. You may think accountants would have a field day getting clients left and right. But that’s not always the case. There are so many capable accountants and bookkeepers out there that you must know how to get bookkeeping clients in order to get ahead in this game.

How to get accounting clients

Always Ask Everyone for Referrals

Too often people are shy about getting referrals. This should not be the case especially if you want to grow your firm or personal tax client base. People know a lot of other people. How many people does the average American know in his or her lifetime? According to the New York Times, it’s 600! Among all these people, there are definitely some who know someone else who is going through a living relocation, are not satisfied with their current CPA, or a host of other reasons. If you put yourself out there, the people that you know will put in a good word for you. Especially if they know that you’re a highly-capable accountant and an all-around great person. According to recent research by the Hinge Research Institute, 82% of companies get referrals from people who had no business with them before. Therefore, it doesn’t hurt to go out of your way to speak to your neighbor or have a snack with the guy who owns the discount store down the street. Asking everyone you know for referrals is an unbeatable way on how to get more clients.

Hustle Your Clients

When you think of hustle, or someone hustling someone else, you immediately think that person hustling is up to no good. On the contrary, based on a new study by the Journal of Consumer Research, being smart, hard-working and super-busy to get to where you want to go, or simply hustling, is the trait that manifests authority and influence. So don’t be afraid to exert your influence with your clients. Don’t be coy about giving details of yourself or your business. With your potential clients, articulate to them how much value you can add to their business. Ask questions about what they want and what they need. Gain an understanding of their thinking, their plights, and dilemmas. Then offer them customized services with fair prices that will meet their budget and bookkeeping needs. Your existing clients are a sure bet to get more clients. Use articles that you have written or published and market them to show that you’re an expert in the accounting field. The point is, keep working and hustling your prospects and existing clients, and soon enough, you would have doubled your tax client base.

Use Social Media

I cannot stress enough how effective social media is. According to Hubspot, 92% of marketers said that social media helped their business with 80% of them saying that it helped direct traffic to their websites. Create a website that showcases your accounting expertise and credentials. Write blogs and articles on the latest trends and studies in the business. Use social media like Twitter and Facebook to market your articles and publications. This will make people know more about you. And with retweets and sharing, your circle of influence will expand, and more traffic will be directed your way.

In summary

In this shrinking world, there is so much competition out there. If you want to get ahead as an accountant, follow the 3 ways just mentioned on how to get bookkeeping clients. And you can be sure that come tax time again in the spring, you’ll be busy working those taxes with your tons of clients, all the way to the bank!