Selling your bookkeeping services shouldn’t be a difficult task.
As the owner of a bookkeeping firm, what’s the one task you wish you didn’t have to do?
Chances are that sales came to your mind. After all, you were trained in all things bookkeeping, not sales. You’re not the only one who feels that way.
I recently had Sharon Francisco, who specializes in business development, as a guest on my podcast. And she said that most people absolutely hate the idea of doing sales - bookkeepers included.
Sharon further adds that based on her experience, bookkeepers don’t want to get themselves out there or appear too salesy. And it’s mainly because sales requires a different skillset - one that they’re not trained for. As a result, they’re not comfortable doing it.
The reality is that sales is something you have to do if you want to scale your bookkeeping firm. For many bookkeeping business owners, they feel like doing sales is being pushy towards their prospects. But it doesn’t have to be that way. According to Sharon, it’s possible to sell your bookkeeping services without being salesy. In this article, we will share the three tips Sharon shared to make selling feel more natural.
The 3 Tips
Tip #1. Make It All About Them
Sharon shared that one of the best ways to start a sales conversation is to focus the attention on your prospect. Make them the focus of the icebreaker, instead of you and your bookkeeping services.
How?
For example, you can think of two to three questions you can ask your prospect. Use it to open the conversation and get more information about them, which can help you later. Doing this not only helps you build rapport with your prospect but it also relieves the anxiety in the room. Yes, it’s not only you who feels anxious; even your prospect is just as anxious. But what should you ask your prospects to start the conversation?
You can ask about the challenges that they might be facing. For example, you can ask them to talk about their frustrations with their current bookkeeper. This can create a connection between you two. Additionally, if you already have some information on the prospect, you can use it to find something you can talk about. It doesn’t even have to be only about bookkeeping; you can even talk about shared interests.
That said, Sharon mentioned that she thinks that people just struggle with connecting. But if you open the sales conversation so that it’s about the prospect, it’s easier to connect with them at a deeper level.
Tip #2. Remove the Pressure from Yourself
Let’s do a reality check:
Not every prospect will say yes to your offer. It doesn’t matter how good your offer is or how excellent your bookkeeping firm’s services are - there will always be prospects who will say no to it. And that’s a fact that you have to accept.
Why? Because it will remove the pressure from selling. Take Sharon as an example here.
She shared that her mindset is that even if she’s got a plan to get a sale and knows how to execute it, it’s not going to work 80% of the time. That’s why every time a prospect says no, it’s okay with her because it’s just part of the 80%. She’ll just have to keep looking for the prospect who’s going to sign or give her referrals.
It’s a simple numbers game, but Sharon says it massively takes the pressure off her shoulders. Think about it this way. If you make it your goal to get 20% of your prospects to say yes instead of 100%, it doesn’t sound as intimidating now, does it?
Tip #3. Always Be Prepared
Feeling confident when going into a sales meeting could be a game-changer. It puts you at ease and makes the whole sales process much easier and enjoyable.
It’s why Sharon makes sure that before she walks into a meeting, she feels prepared to deal with anything that can happen. To start with, Sharon makes it a point to arrive at least 10 minutes early to avoid feeling rattled heading into the meeting.
Being the best-dressed person in the room is also important for her, and it’s not just because it makes her feel fantastic. You see, Sharon also uses it to make a statement. She wants to leave a meeting being remembered not just by her skills but also by how she presents herself to the world. After all, people may see it as a reflection of her business.
Sharon also ensures that she has all the documents they may need inside her briefcase. It’s so that whenever they need it, she just has to reach in and grab them. She also makes it a point to have the information filled out so that the forms are ready to be signed at any time.
These are just some of the things that Sharon does to ensure she’s well-prepared to go into a sales meeting. Now, you may or may not decide to do the same. But the fact remains that being prepared is key to ensuring that you feel confident when selling your bookkeeping services.
Make The Sales Process Feel Natural
It’s true that selling your bookkeeping firm’s services can feel intimidating. But it doesn’t have to remain that way.
You can make sales feel as natural as bookkeeping.
And the three tips we’ve shared in this article will help you do just that. If you keep practicing them until it becomes a habit, you’ll see that sales really isn’t as hard as you imagined it to be.
If you'd like to learn more about mastering your sales process, go ahead and:
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