VIRTUAL BOOKKEEPERS

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Comment by Collette Schultz on December 17, 2008 at 2:01pm

In regards to Diane's question about IAC Professionals, here's her response:

1) I don't really 'find' new clients anymore, they find me - I have been in the industry for 12 years now and in business for myself for 7 years. I get 2-4 people inquiring about my services a week. All of my leads are viral - through word of mouth, through referrals and just networking.



When I first started - I had a few things going for me:



A) I was a lead accountant of one of the largest CPA firms in the United States - by leaving on excellent terms and leaving because I wanted to focus on 'small' businesses (the opposite target market from the accounting firm I worked for) I had a wonderful gateway and have preserved that over the past few years. Any 'small' businesses that come to them - they refer to me.



B) Picking and choosing my clients carefully. I have never taken every client that comes my way. I hear about them, about their business, their goals and how they want them to help me. By doing that I know if I am a good fit for them. For example, for people that want what most business owners refer to as 'daily full charge bookkeepers' what they really want is an Accounts Payable or Receivable clerk, someone to enter their data day by day every time they receive a payment or write a check. I typically do not accept those type of clients, or I work with them to hire a 'virtual administrative assistant' to do the daily tasks, leaving me to focus on the systems entries and maintenance on a weekly, semi-monthly or monthly basis. The reason is that those needs don't fit into my current business model (unless working with the admin virtual assistant). By only taking on clients that I know will 'fit well' with the way I do business, that assures mutual satisfaction and tons of referrals.



C) I am never late nor do I disappear. Working virtually, there is nothing more frustrating than 'oh I got sick', 'oh I had a personal emergency' or something similar. While I know things happen, I have procedures in place that will prevent that from ever affecting my clients. Which again contributes to the 'wow' factor and how people rave about my services.



D) I create, nurture and maintain strategic alliances. I make sure that I network with the right people and always remember to keep 'me' in the front of their heads, so that they talk about me or refer me. I sometimes even consult for free, send gift baskets on birthdays and an email weekly asking them 'Hey, how are you doing'? Key people that can help you and your business, not competitors, but people in your field. i.e. one of my strongest strategic alliances is with the owner of FreshBooks.com.



By doing great business with great clients, word of mouth has spread. I have had people drive from Daytona Beach to Miami just to meet me because a friend told them about our services.



2) Yes, I do have professional liability insurance. It is actually required by law for CMA's or CPA's. It is also required by law in order to be a member of the BBB under the Accountant category and sometimes required by state. For Bookkeepers it varies by state and by memberships and affiliations. I did not mention it, because it is 'typical' in our field. For example, all of my bookkeepers are insured under my policy. I have held liability insurance for 12 years. You don't want to be practicing any type of bookkeeping or accounting and not have it. Not even for the client, but for yourself. Paying a $5,000 a year fee (mine is $5,000 because I am insured for up to $10MM per year, there are much smaller policies such as a $500k policy for $700 - $800 - it all depends on your volume of clients how much insurance you need) is a bargain when it may cover a several hundred thousand dollar lawsuit or settlement. I personally have never even had to call my insurance company for anything, but I have had colleagues with one small error and it has cost them tens of thousands of dollars. The courts are not lenient on errors in our industry.



Let me know if you need anything else.



--

Heather Villa, CMA, MBA, MSM

CEO & Founder

Designated Fun Title: Prom Queen Geek

www.IACProfessionals.com

Tel.: 1.786.214.6046

Extension: Assistant, Antoinette Simoni, Extension 1019

Toll Free: 1.877.MY-IAC-VA (1-877-694-2282)

Fax: 1.786.214.6047

Follow Me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/IAC_Heather



What is IAC-EZ?

Find Out Here!

The only way that accounting is EZ.

http://www.IACEZ.com

Comment by Collette Schultz on December 14, 2008 at 11:45pm

Thank you for asking, I will forward your question to her and post her reply.

Comment by Diane M Hess on December 14, 2008 at 7:43pm

Hi Collette. The webinar was informative and it is nice to see a face behind IAC Professionals. I am wondering if she can share her expertise on how she finds new clients. And...does she have professional liability insurance? Only asking because someone else brought up the liability insurance issue.

Comment by Kim LePine on November 26, 2008 at 8:23pm

Hi Everyone. I am thrilled to be a part of this group. I have recently started my VA business and I am looking forward to getting alot of great ideas and hoping give some great ideas.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Comment by Diane M Hess on November 26, 2008 at 5:07pm

Hi All. I just want to say that I am excited about being a part of this group.

Comment by Collette Schultz on November 20, 2008 at 2:06pm

I was just curious if any of you members got a chance to watch and or listen to the IAC webinar. Please remember to post your comments and suggestions in the discussion forum so I can give IAC Professionals some feed back. I truely think you'll find it could be an opportunity for some of you.

Comment by Julia Wojdacz - The Transcription Lady on October 31, 2008 at 11:28am

Collette:
If you would need a transcript of any webinar I am available to do these. This is also part of the services that I offer.

Comment by Deb Lamb on October 28, 2008 at 10:03pm

Hi Gang! I have been exploring on FV and found a group that I would love to be a part of. I'm getting ready to check o the Etivity discussions and I'm sure I will be learning tons of stuff. I probably need to start an ebook to keep up with all that is going on with this site! Loving it!
Deb :)

Comment by Tom Buford on October 25, 2008 at 11:34am

Hello gang

Thanks for the invite, Collette. I didn't realize I hadn't accepted the invite until this morning ;-)

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Let me know if there is anything that I can do to help.
http://chargewhatyoudeserve.com/

Tom

Comment by Collette Schultz on October 22, 2008 at 8:18pm

I'm glad you asked that Christina. I did ask Swizznet to record the webicast so VB members can listen to it later. I willo try to do the same for all the others coming up too. I'll let you know when tonight's is available.

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