Free Consultation To Find Bookkeeping Clients
Should you offer a free consultation to find bookkeeping clients?
Some people say “YES” – and we say “No”
Mark emailed us to say : ” I disagree in some respects to your comments regarding a ‘free consultation’. If I’m prepared to offer only the initial hour of my time free of charge to secure a long term client, I consider that this is cheap advertising? The prospective client has nothing to lose and I get my ‘foot in the door’ to sell myself and my services. People only need a plumber once every 10 years. They need a bookkeeper every 3 months (or less). There’s a huge difference.”
Of course the client has nothing to lose and everything to gain – and if it takes you an hour to get yor foot in the door, you’re probably doing something wrong – it takes us just five minutes (or less) on the phone
In our experience, giving a free consultation has not helped grow our business – there’s always people out there that want something for nothing – so it’s upto you how much / what you cover in that hour
We speak to new clients every day on the phone, converting around 80% of them, without offering our services for free – the remaining 20% just want the cheapest – or worse still find family/friend to “help them with their books”
The beauty about running your own bookkeeping business is just that – it’s your own bookkeeping business, so you call the shots !!!