Grow your Xero bookkeeping business by offering training and consulting solutions.
As a Xero bookkeeping tutor, you will encounter many different scenarios that provide opportunities to increase your earnings potential. You can guide prospective clients to enrol in training courses that include a tutoring component, or you may decide to work as a virtual assistant, receiving training enquiries and recommending courses for a commission.
Additionally, you can propose solutions to your existing clients as you work together through their bookkeeping issues. There are more possibilities than you might realise.
Training and Consulting Options
By remaining flexible and open to the needs of your prospective clients, you can offer training and consulting services that leverage your tutoring skills and help them to solve their bookkeeping problems, thereby creating additional streams of income for your business.
These can be categorised into three main channels:
Tutoring
In addition to ad hoc tutoring, you can promote your Tutoring services based on a structured learning program. For example, the Bookkeeping Tutoring for Xero package includes 2 hours of One-to-One tutoring in addition to a Xero beginners training manual for a one-off low fixed price.
Premium short courses (Computer Training Online)
You can recommend training courses and earn a commission simply by using your skills and knowledge to chat with prospective students and guide them to enrol in the courses that best suit their needs.
Bookkeeping work
You can get regular ongoing work by converting existing tutoring customers into bookkeeping clients. You can charge an hourly rate or monthly retainer depending on the client’s requirements, and the frequency of work and amount of time that you will commit to their business.
Your Ideal Client
Before you launch a marketing campaign for your bookkeeping business and start placing ads, it’s important to identify your ideal client. This enables you to target your marketing messages to the prospects who will see the most value in your services.
Grab a coffee, a notepad and an a pen, and consider the following traits in relation to your bookkeeping and tutoring services:
- Who is your ideal client? Are they a job seeker or a business owner? (Hint: Think about the clients that you currently work with.)
- What is keeping them awake at night? Which of their bookkeeping issues urgently need addressing?
- What are their long term goals?
- Do they want to delegate the work to a bookkeeper? Or are they more interested in learning how to do some tasks themselves?
- What type of people do you like to work with?
Define Your Bookkeeping Package
Have a think about what your service package will include and how it will stand out from your competitors offerings:
- What are the key benefits that will attract your ideal client? Think in terms of solving problems and addressing their pain points.
- Will you be offering a fixed-price package that includes tutoring? If so, how many hours?
- Can clients engage you to consult on specific projects such as rescue bookkeeping?
If so, will you charge an hourly rate, a monthly retainer or a one-off fee? - How will your package differ from other similar products in the market?
For example, will you be offering any value-added services or bonus products? - How can you make your package more user-friendly? For example, are you willing to negotiate tutoring times that suit your client?
For inspiration and ideas, see Josika’s ad for Xero Bookkeeping Tutoring Services.
Lead Generation for Bookkeeping Work
Now that you know who your ideal client is and how you can help them, it’s time to take your offering to the market and attract some new clients. Get creative and consider strategies that produce both short term and long term results:
- Online Advertising. Place an ad on Gumtree that jumps off the page and captures the attention of your ideal customer. (For tips on how to create an ad, see the link at the bottom of this page.)
- Google My Business. It’s free to create a business listing on Google. Set up your profile, add some photos and encourage happy customers to leave you a review. The more fresh content you add, the higher you will rank in Google search results.
- Social Media. Showcase your expertise to prospective clients by sharing tips and advice, client testimonials and bonus offers. Make yourself easily accessible by inviting prospective clients and students to contact you via Messenger. Ensure that you respond promptly.
- Virtual Assistant. As a qualified bookkeeping tutor you can undertake a virtual assistant/sales role. Respond to webchat enquiries, recommend courses to job seekers and business owners, and earn a commission on enrolments.
- Recommend courses that include tutoring. When you recommend courses that include a tutoring component, you are generating more leads for your tutoring services.
- Referrals. When a client tells you that they are satisfied with your services, ask them if they’d be willing to refer you to their friends, family members and industry colleagues.
- Professional associations. Subscribe to industry newsletters, educational webinars and network with other industry professionals on LinkedIn.
Know when to refer your prospect to somebody else
There may be times when you receive an inquiry from someone who is outside the scope of your expertise or who does not meet your client criteria. In this instance, you should offer to find somebody who is able to assist them.
Referrals not only help to serve the needs of the customer, they also generate goodwill and cement your reputation as a preferred bookkeeper in the marketplace. You never know – perhaps one day the favour will be returned.
Remember—Every Client Is A Prospect
Placing ads can be an effective way to generate sales leads from businesses that are currently unaware of your services, however, the cost of finding new clients will be higher than exploring new revenue streams from existing clients.
By working closely with your clients as a tutor, you have the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of their business challenges and bookkeeping requirements. You also have a head start in terms of relationship building, identifying needs and demonstrating your skills and expertise.
Generating additional income through the provision of training and consulting solutions will simultaneously add value for your clients and increase your bookkeeping revenue. Don’t overlook the income potential sitting right in front of you.
Become a Xero Bookkeeping Tutor
Reach advanced level and confidence with your accounting skills using MYOB & Xero and use your training and support to run your own business working as a contractor either as side hustle or as your main focus. https://computertrainingonline.com.au/product/myob-xero-bookkeeping-pro/
How To Write A Compelling Ad For Your Xero Bookkeeping Training and Tutoring
Try these techniques to make your ad jump off the page and generate a list of prospects who will be lining up to talk with you.
https://workface.com.au/2022/01/how-to-write-a-compelling-ad-for-your-xero-bookkeeping-training-and-tutoring/
