When you start out with your bookkeeping business, have you considered the image that you are projecting?

After all, like it or not, you can only make a first impression once.

That’s right, you can only make a FIRST impression ONCE.

Are You Projecting a Professional Image?
We are amazed by the number of bookkeepers that are telling their clients they a run a professional bookkeeping service, and issue their invoices on an excel spreadsheet or a word document.

We asked one bookkeeper in our Bookkeepers Marketing Program why she was not using her MYOB accounting software for raising invoices.

Her response was that since she didn’t have many clients “it wasn?t worth it”

Since when does projecting a professional image become dependant on “having enough clients”?

How many bookkeeping clients is “enough” to justify using your software package to generate invoices?

Should I be GST Registered?
The ATO rulings regarding the income level of which you are required to register for GST are clear.

Does that mean that you don’t need to register for GST if your income is below the
threshold? Absolutely

Does that mean that you SHOULDN’T register for GST until you reach that threshold? – that’s your decision.

From a marketing perspective, how does it look to your client if you are not GST registered? Maybe they don’t care.

However if they see a bookkeeper that is GST registered and one that is not, they may automatically assume that the bookkeeper that is registered has a stronger business, and a higher turnover.

Similarly we’ve seen bookkeepers getting lovely “fluffy” pink feminine business cards with a free clipart image to further “pretty up” their cards.

What does that project to a prospective client?
Does it project an image of professionalism, or rather the archetypal stay-at-home-mum wanna-be bookkeeper who’s doing hubby’s books and a few other mates for some extra income?

Maybe they want to project that image, and play at being a bookkeeper.

Have a look at your invoice templates? Do they project a professional bookkeeping image?

Have a look at your business cards / stationery ? Do they project the image of a professional bookkeeping service?

Have a look at your website? Does it project a professional image and give your potential bookeeping clients confidence in your services?

Have a look at your business attire? Does you project a professional image in your dress code, or look like you do bookkeeping as a hobby? Some bookkeepers don’t care how they dress, and turn up to clients looking scruff, and then wonder why the clients are concerned about their attention to detail

When you start out with your bookkeeping business, look closely at the image that you are projecting,