The Successful Bookkeeper Podcast

Sales. It's a struggle for many bookkeepers, but it's a skill that can definitely be learned and effectively implemented. Debra Angilletta is the creator of Sales Mastery which is an online course for accountants and bookkeepers. She has some insight into how you can be better at sales without it being a painful process for you. During this interview, you'll learn... The importance of knowing your ideal clients & niching your business Tips on making a sale & the order to do it The significance of asking questions & tonality To learn more about Debra, visit MasterMySales.com. To connect with her on LinkedIn, go here. This episode is sponsored by our friends at SweetProcess. To begin your free 28-day trial visit SweetProcess.com/successfulbookkeeper today.

Facebook. When you're on it, you're probably overwhelmed with newsfeed ads for things you don't need. What if YOU could leverage Facebook affordably to promote your bookkeeping business to people who'd actually WANT your service? That's what this week's guest did and she received terrific results. Sarah DeHaan isn't a social media marketer by trade, but when she started her bookkeeping business (Anchored Bookkeeping Services), she had a vision and goals in mind, so she knew to make them a reality, she had to take action. She took a chance on creating a Facebook ad (targeted for Prince Edward Island entrepreneurs in Canada) that cost $46 dollars and it led to a meeting with an accountant that got things rolling for her business. During this interview, you'll learn... Why you should have a specific audience in mind for your Facebook ad An example of what copy to include in your ad The importance of starting small & affordably when it comes to creating your ad To learn more about Sarah, click here. To investigate Facebook Ads, explore this link. To create your own free Canva images, check this out. This episode is sponsored by our friends at Synder. To learn more about this smart solution to automate bookkeeping, visit SynderApp.com today.

Marketing. Some bookkeepers want nothing to do with it, but in order to find clients, it's likely a must. It doesn't have to be painful. This week's guest found a way to promote her bookkeeping business with minimal cost and anxiety. Leal Fix is the owner of Steadfast Bookkeeping & Consulting and a Pure Bookkeeping licensee. She placed an ad in an online classified advertising website called Kijiji and has never looked back. During this interview, you'll learn... Tips on making an effective online advertisement How a Kijiji ad can affordably market your bookkeeping business How to handle tire kickers To learn more about Leal and her business, visit her website. To connect with her on LinkedIn, click here. This episode is sponsored by our friends at Synder. To learn more about this smart solution to automate bookkeeping, visit SynderApp.com today.

eCommerce. It is powerful and important especially in the current situation the world is in. With his passion in technology, IT architecture and customer development, this week's guest has become an expert in the eCommerce space and understands how it can benefit bookkeepers. Michael Astreiko is the founder and CEO of a successful automation software called Synder which makes eCommerce bookkeeping an effortless experience. During this interview, you'll learn... How eCommerce can help your bookkeeping business Tips on solving issues with refunds and chargebacks The benefits of having multi-currency and multiple sales channels To find out more about Synder, visit https://synderapp.com/. To connect with Michael on LinkedIn, click here.

The art of influence and persuasion. It's amazing how if you use the right language (verbal or written), you can dramatically improve how many clients you can attract to your bookkeeping business. This week's guest, Dr. Robert Cialdini will give you a Masterclass in how to ethically use his 7 principles of persuasion that are mentioned in the updated version of his legendary best-selling book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. He's been teaching this topic for nearly four decades and his insights have been tested and proven. One of his principles that can help you immediately is Authority. People want to follow the lead of experts. So, make sure your credentials are on your website, LinkedIn and resume. Never brag about yourself in person with prospects. Let your credentials do the talking. If you're a busy bookkeeping business owner and you're talking to a prospect, never tell them that once they're onboard, "I'll pass you over to our Junior bookkeeper." By saying the word "Junior" destroys the authority of that person in your prospect's eyes instantly. Who would want to trust her finances to a "junior" bookkeeper? It sounds like she's inexperienced. Instead, if you tweak the sentence by saying, "You'll be working with Sally who is a fantastic bookkeeper with 5 years of experience working with clients such as yourself." That reframe immediately makes that person sound more credible and trustworthy. This is just ONE bit of gold you'll get from this episode. During this interview, you'll also discover... The power of having a simple welcome letter on your website to increase your sales leads Why providing value to prospects FIRST can lead to big wins for your bookkeeping business How to defend yourself from people who are unethically using persuasion techniques To learn more about Dr. Cialdini and Influence At Work, visit this website. To buy his updated edition of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, click here.

What accounting technology do you need? There are many options out there that bookkeepers can use to deliver advisory and solutions to their clients. This week's guest knows all about the latest and greatest tools that can help you run a more profitable and efficient bookkeeping business. Heather Smith is an Australian who hosts an Accounting Technology podcast called Cloud Stories, curates an Accounting Apps newsletter and is the author of Xero for Dummies. During this interview, you'll learn... Tips & different accounting apps you can use The importance of knowing where to best spend your time profitably The distinction between profit balance versus account balance To learn more about Heather, click here. To buy her book, Xero For Dummies, visit this link. To listen to her podcast, check this out.

CPAs are very busy people. They process an incredible amount of tax paperwork per year and provide data to their clients that may be hard to digest. Because of those reasons, according to this week's guest, most people are unhappy with their CPAs. Joe DiSanto is a former owner of a Los Angeles-based multimillion-dollar production company and is now the founder of finance, business, and real estate firm called Play Louder. He's basically an independent part-time Chief Financial Officer for small businesses. Where a CPA may fall short, DiSanto tries to fill the gap by making sure his clients know that he's regularly available to provide his services and he helps them understand their books according to their level, save them money and just give them more than what they asked for. During this interview, you'll learn... The importance of a business health check The value of uncovering your client's excessive expenses How to successfully sell yourself as a bookkeeper to your future clients To find out more about Joe, click here. To learn more about Play Louder, visit this link.

Stories are everywhere. They're in movies, television, books, podcasts and, yes, even in your clients' financial numbers. This week's guest knows a lot about storytelling. Joe DiSanto is a former owner of a Los Angeles-based multimillion-dollar production company and is now the founder of a finance, business and real estate firm called Play Louder. He's basically an independent part-time Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for small businesses. He feels by digging into your clients' numbers, you can unearth the story of how healthy or unhealthy their businesses are. Once you have that information, you become incredibly valuable because you can update them about their situation, so they can take action to avoid potential disaster. During this interview, you'll also learn... Why you should educate yourself in tax planning & tax efficiency Why telling your clients to do their personal finances just like their business finances is a good idea Why you need to encourage your customers to prepare & save for their future To find out more about Joe, click here. To learn more about Play Louder, visit this link.

Hard conversations. Nobody likes to start or be a part of them especially at work. But, if you're hoping to solve issues with staff, you need to have those tough discussions. There are ways to do that effectively without people throwing chairs at you. :) This is where this week's guest can help. Beth Wonson is the founder of Navigating Challenging Dialogue (a proven framework for transforming workplace culture) and the author of Mastering Feedback: Everything You've Never Been Told About How to Give Feedback. During this interview, you'll learn... Why you should use fact-based feedback that doesn't cause drama & chaos The importance of creating an environment where employees can speak their truth The meaning of "Grace Is In The Space" To learn more about Beth, check out this link. To buy her book, Mastering Feedback: Everything You've Never Been Told About How To Give Feedback, visit here. To find her on LinkedIn, check this out.

"Prioritize your well-being and take care of yourself, so you can optimize, be productive and efficient." That's the advice of this week's guest who learned that from her former boss, Steve Jobs when she was his executive assistant at Apple. Naz Beheshti is now a CEO, executive wellness coach and author of the book, Pause. Breath. Choose: Become the CEO of Your Well-Being. During this interview, you'll learn... Why you need to know & experience the value of taking care of yourself Productivity traps & business hacks The difference between an inner coach versus an inner critic To learn more about Naz, visit her website. To buy her book Pause. Breath. Choose: Become the CEO of Your Well-Being, go here.