Thanks, G, for your post, and for correcting my workings! The investment company aspect had escaped me (not difficult), so it looks like option 1 is the way forward.
Guesswork I would hazard a guess that the clients that came to you from the posh car-owning accountant did so for other reasons - like quality of service and value for money.
Red hot cold calling Well, Dave, it looks like "cold calling" is permitted, but even if it were not it wouldn't stop me, as I am one of those dreadful "unqualifieds" always being slated on these forums. Fortunately you can still speak to me, as the service I offer isn't in direct competition with professional accountancy firms who are going about the business for which they are qualified.
In return I still deign to speak to Chartered Accountants who are generally speaking completely unqualified in recommending accounting systems, as is constantly proved by their foisting poor quality and expensive systems named after herbs on their clients just because 85% of businesses use them, and they themselves have been too lazy or busy to hunt out anything better, like something named after a flower, and was previously named after Gordon Brown's last job.
Anyway, back to the point. It's a shame to call it "cold calling", because that gives a very negative impression of what's involved. When you unwrap your shiny new mail list you have in front of you 1,000 or 10,000 opportunities to make new relationships with people who, if you do your job properly, are going to pay you lots of lolly for the rest of your life. Nothing cold about that, eh! And in the process you will have hundreds of opportunities to find out in what way you could improve or extend your services to reach a wider customer base. Brilliant all round!
By the way I've just had a second reply to the latest mail list, some weeks after the event. A very nice man I wrote to didn't need my services, but happened to know that the very nice people where his very nice wife works need the service I offer. I'm seeing them next week. Good, innit?
Mail it Buy a mailing list, which you can get filtered by location, size of business, type of business, etc. Make sure you get MDs' or principals' names. Phone numbers are good too, but they're not onerous to find for follow up. Send a personalised letter (a doddle with Excel and Word using mail merge).
Your letter should concentrate on BENEFITS to the potential client. People are selfish and really don't want to hear much about you.
For every thousand you send you will ALWAYS get at least one client if you do it professionally. For best results, follow up your letters with phone calls, within a day or two of sending the letters. Don't pay for the phone calls. Use Skype!!
There's also a case made to me by a former client, who could sell anything to anyone, for missing out the letter stage, and going straight to the phone call: "Did you get my letter about my wonderful service? You didn't? Oh well, I'll tell you about it anyway..."
My last mailshot of 1,000 letters only yielded one new client - fortunately the fee is over ten grand a year!!
If you're too shy, busy or useless to do a mailshot yourself, get in touch and I'll do it for you! For a fee!!! With a bonus based on SUCCESS!!!!
Clean up Sheila, you can't get a cleaning lady dahn sahf for a tenner an hour! Having said that £25 sounds a bit steep; you could get a qualified accountant via an agency (hawk, spit) for about that.
And before you get too far advanced with your moving plans, don't forget that small cottages cost about £10 million round here. That's why accountants generally live in cardboard boxes.
My answers
Thanks!
It never fails to amaze me how prompt and helpful the replies on this forum can be!
Thank you, Steve!
Bob
Last one to leave turn the lights out .....
Your accountant told you to emigrate? What he does know that we don't?
Correct(ions)
Thanks, G, for your post, and for correcting my workings! The investment company aspect had escaped me (not difficult), so it looks like option 1 is the way forward.
Guesswork
I would hazard a guess that the clients that came to you from the posh car-owning accountant did so for other reasons - like quality of service and value for money.
It's my birthday!
... so feel free to send good wishes and gifts.
Red hot cold calling
Well, Dave, it looks like "cold calling" is permitted, but even if it were not it wouldn't stop me, as I am one of those dreadful "unqualifieds" always being slated on these forums. Fortunately you can still speak to me, as the service I offer isn't in direct competition with professional accountancy firms who are going about the business for which they are qualified.
In return I still deign to speak to Chartered Accountants who are generally speaking completely unqualified in recommending accounting systems, as is constantly proved by their foisting poor quality and expensive systems named after herbs on their clients just because 85% of businesses use them, and they themselves have been too lazy or busy to hunt out anything better, like something named after a flower, and was previously named after Gordon Brown's last job.
Anyway, back to the point. It's a shame to call it "cold calling", because that gives a very negative impression of what's involved. When you unwrap your shiny new mail list you have in front of you 1,000 or 10,000 opportunities to make new relationships with people who, if you do your job properly, are going to pay you lots of lolly for the rest of your life. Nothing cold about that, eh! And in the process you will have hundreds of opportunities to find out in what way you could improve or extend your services to reach a wider customer base. Brilliant all round!
By the way I've just had a second reply to the latest mail list, some weeks after the event. A very nice man I wrote to didn't need my services, but happened to know that the very nice people where his very nice wife works need the service I offer. I'm seeing them next week. Good, innit?
Mail it
Buy a mailing list, which you can get filtered by location, size of business, type of business, etc. Make sure you get MDs' or principals' names. Phone numbers are good too, but they're not onerous to find for follow up. Send a personalised letter (a doddle with Excel and Word using mail merge).
Your letter should concentrate on BENEFITS to the potential client. People are selfish and really don't want to hear much about you.
For every thousand you send you will ALWAYS get at least one client if you do it professionally. For best results, follow up your letters with phone calls, within a day or two of sending the letters. Don't pay for the phone calls. Use Skype!!
There's also a case made to me by a former client, who could sell anything to anyone, for missing out the letter stage, and going straight to the phone call: "Did you get my letter about my wonderful service? You didn't? Oh well, I'll tell you about it anyway..."
My last mailshot of 1,000 letters only yielded one new client - fortunately the fee is over ten grand a year!!
If you're too shy, busy or useless to do a mailshot yourself, get in touch and I'll do it for you! For a fee!!! With a bonus based on SUCCESS!!!!
Coming!
Sheila!
Clear out the spare room now - I'm on my way!
Clean up
Sheila, you can't get a cleaning lady dahn sahf for a tenner an hour! Having said that £25 sounds a bit steep; you could get a qualified accountant via an agency (hawk, spit) for about that.
And before you get too far advanced with your moving plans, don't forget that small cottages cost about £10 million round here. That's why accountants generally live in cardboard boxes.
May I presume?
Hi, Tim!
I'm not sure why you would expect such a valuable commodity to be cheap or even free!!
The labourer is worthy of his hire. I'm yours for 100k per year, and I do a lean and mean integrated financial forecast.
Yours expectantly
Bob