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Is Money a Dirty Word?

By Danielle Keister |
1 Comment

Is Money a Dirty Word?

My sense is this might hit some nerves and be controversial to some, but it’s an interesting topic to me so I’m just going to throw this out there:

People have a lot of ambivalence, guilt and negative associations around money. There are so many hot buttons it touches on including issues of self-worth and confidence, conformity, peer pressure, social class, even religion and spirituality.

We need it, but feel somewhat shameful about that.

We need it, but feel guilty charging well (or even properly).

Some people are ashamed if they have too little.

Others feel guilty if they have too much.

Some think those who have a lot of it are inherently evil or came about it dishonestly.

Then there are those in the world who have so little personal self-esteem and wholeness that they gauge their worth (and the worth of others) based on how much of it they have.

I’m human. I’m not immune to some of these pitfalls. I sometimes feel guilty charging. I sometimes play down instead of helping people rise to the occasion and take responsibility for themselves and their circumstances. That doesn’t help, it only keeps people playing small.

What’s the alternative? We become monks or go live in a yurt and divest ourselves from needing or wanting money or enjoying any material pleasures so no one can say we are bad or evil or selfish?

We see how poverty affects people and communities in the world in all its manifestations:  violence, crime, disease, addiction, unwanted children, suffering, exploitation, limited life options and choices… any number of things.

In this world, we need money to live. We need money to thrive. To have choice. Heck, just to take good care of ourselves, our loved ones and give our kids options and opportunities in life.

With money, we can do more good in the world and help more people because we have more resources, opportunities and abundance available to us.

With more money, we can share more.

With more money, there is more ease and less struggle. This leaves you room for more high-minded thoughts and endeavors that can actually change the lives of others.

It’s difficult (if not impossible) to do those things when you are living a hard-scrabble life just trying to survive and scratch out an existence. There’s nothing left for anyone or anything else.

And you certainly are not helping clients if you are struggling financially because that struggle keeps you distracted, preoccupied, unfocused and (let’s be honest), unhappy in a lot of ways.

Back in the day, I used to be more involved with artistic types of people. You’ve heard the term starving artist, I’m sure. They always had grand ideas, but never the money to execute or sustain. The things they did start would inevitably fail and fizzle in short order because they wanted everything to be free and felt guilty charging. So many of them literally feel they are being sell-outs if they charge or earn a good living from their art, that it’s only art if they suffer and live an impoverished life.

And I’ll tell you what I always told them:

The BEST thing you can do for these people and ideas and the art you love so much is TO CHARGE PROPERLY and make money. You will not be around long enough to have any impact or do any good and keep something going if you don’t bring in the money.

If you want to create something that lasts, that’s going to stick around for a good long while for people to enjoy and benefit from, you’ve got to charge and make money and be profitable. With more money, you can live an even more interesting life, have even more valuable, interesting, mind-expanding experiences and personal growth that you can bring to your art and share with others.

Money is not a dirty word. Money is a tool.

I have so many questions on this topic:

What kind of feelings do you have around money and charging and earning well? Is guilt around money something that’s been a problem for you? What other kinds of feelings and emotions do you have around money?

If you are stuck in poverty-mindset, what kind of clients do you think you are attracting? What do you think holds you back from earning and/or charging better? Do you lack the conversation skills to command the kind of fees you’d like to charge?

What kinds of things do you need money for? How do you see having more money and earning better improving your life, your family’s life and the lives of your clients and others?

Dear Danielle: Is Telling Clients How They Can Save a Good Thing?

By Danielle Keister |
4 Comments

Dear DanielleHello Danielle!

I have a question for you. I am working on starting my own bookkeeping business, and while I know you are focused on Admin Consulting, I trust and value your opinion. On a business website and other marketing materials, you say to not compare yourself to replacing an employee or saving clients money because that will attract the cheapos, but would you say the some thing for an independent bookkeeper? I can see it working both ways, but I don’t want to attract the wrong type of client. Business owners are concerned about the cost of a bookkeeper and many can’t afford one in house, so telling them how they can save by using an independent bookkeeper would be a good thing, right? Anywho, I wanted to run this by you and get you thoughts if you have a moment! Appreciate all your posts (blog/Facebook/etc). —Candace Moore

Hi Candace :)

I don’t normally spend time answering questions that don’t have to do with Administrative Consulting. I can’t, you know? I have my own business to run and other priorities, etc., so I have to keep my time and energy focused. And my interest, obviously, is the Administrative Consultanting profession.

But what appealed to me about your question was that you recognized that, and weren’t taking me or my time for granted. And I really appreciate that about you. So thank you.

In answer to your first question, yes, it’s still definitely true for ANY business. You are not a staffing agency or a temp agency and all those comparisons do is set wrong expectations and understandings. It actually MAKES clients think you are some kind of substitute employee.

And that’s not how you need clients to think of you when you are in business to provide a service, not staff their business.

My answer to your second question is NO, that’s not a good thing. You’re focusing on the wrong clients with the wrong message. People who can’t afford in-house support is their problem. You can’t make their poverty issues yours or work with broke, cheap-minded clients or you’ll keep your business impoverished as well.

Plus, it’s just the wrong angle to take that keeps them thinking in terms of expenses and costs, instead of properly investing in their growth and success. Which is what you are: an investment, not an expense.

You never want to use money as the bribe. That’s not the value, and if you focus them on costs/savings/discounts/freebies, that’s what they will ALWAYS be focused on. You can’t afford to be in business to be their cheaper substitute.

Be thinking of these things instead:

WHY do clients need bookkeeping services? What are all the reasons/pains/challenges that cause them to seek a competent bookkeeping service? How will their life and business be improved by working with you, a competent bookkeeping service? How does having that service positively impact their life, their business, their financial circumstances? How do you imagine that might make them feel?

The answers to these questions are what your value is, not the money or the savings. Speak to those things.

Dear Danielle: How Do I Get More Qualified Referrals?

By Danielle Keister |
1 Comment

Ask DanielleDear Danielle:

How do you recommend I handle a situation where I have received a referral from a current client, but the referral is not the type of client that I want or feel that they would be a good fit for me? Saying no to them puts me at risk of no longer receiving referrals from my current client which I wouldn’t want to do. If I feel a referral is not a good match, do I turn them away, knowing it may affect getting future referrals from my current client, or do I take them on and just deal? —Kim Billet, Diverse Office Solutions LTD

Excellent question, Kim. And I totally feel ya!

The first thing I want to assure you of is NO! You never need to settle or take on any client who is not a fit. This is YOUR business and YOUR life. You are not obligated to take on any client just because someone, client or not, refers them to you.

And I’m positive your client would never assume or expect that. It’s just a friendly referral made out of what is obviously a great relationship and happiness with your service.

I’m going to go one step further and have you look at this from another angle as well. Consider the idea that it’s actually your moral and ethical duty to ONLY work with those people who are a fit in terms of both the work and the personal chemistry.

Why? Because you can’t truly help and give your 100% best to those you just don’t gibe with. And that’s not fair to them or you or even your other clients (because your unhappy/nonideal relationships with poor-fitting clients affects them in all kinds of ways as well, both directly and indirectly).

What’s needed moving forward is more clarity and education of your friends, associates and clients about the kind of potential clients you want them to refer to you. And how do you do that?

  1. Have a target market. This is yet another instance where having a very specific target market helps you in business. People need a mental coathook to remember things with. The more specific you are about who you want referred to you (e.g., “I work with solo attorneys who work in intellectual property and entertainment law who need administrative support.”), the easier you make it for people to send you referrals and the more referrals you’ll get.
  2. Be clear about what you are and what you do. Same idea here. If it isn’t clear to those making referrals what you are (“I’m an Administrative Consultant”) and what you do (“I provide administrative support to solo/boutique attorneys who work in intellectual property and entertainment law”), they a) won’t make any referrals at all, or b) they’ll refer any ol’ body for any ol’ thing because they only have the vaguest understanding. You want to avoid generality.
  3. Funnel EVERYTHING through your website. All your marketing and networking, all your signature lines, all your print collateral… direct everything to your website.
  4. Clarify your message and educational content on your site to make #1 and #2 absolutely, positively clear. Your website can then do the front-end/initial work of screening and prequalifying prospects for you.
  5. Incorporate a consultation call to action step on your site that asks some screening/prequalifying questions such as in an online form they have to submit in order to schedule a consultation. For example, you could have a box for them to enter in the profession/industry/field they are in. Or you could ask them a question that reiterates what you do and asks them to confirm that this is what they are seeking. For example, “I provide ongoing administrative support to solo attorneys on a monthly retained basis. Is this what you are seeking?” Those kind of clarifying questions help them get clear about what you do, who you do it for and whether that’s what they are interested in learning more about before you ever waste time in a consultation.
  6. Add a referral page on your website that explains and reiterates/summarizes what you do, who you do it for, who you are looking to be referred and who is your ideal client as well as who benefits most from working with you. This page is then available to your site visitors, and you can direct clients and others to this page as well when they ask about sending you referrals.
  7. Educate your clients, associates and others how to refer people to you. Let them know you welcome and appreciate referrals and here’s the best way they can help you with that… You then inform them that you (obviously) need to make sure there is a fit before any referral becomes a client and so the best thing they can do when making referrals is simply give folks (who fit your referral criteria) your website address. (And then make your website work as that intial screening/educating/prequalifying “receptionist” for you.)
  8. You could also create an online (PDF) and/or print referral kit. This doesn’t need to be anything super fancy. The last thing anyone else wants is more paper and “stuff” to manage and keep track of in their life. So keep it simple. Your referral “kit” could consist of a single one-sheet that summaries what you do, who you do it for, the kind of clients you’d like referred to you, who your ideal client is and the kind of client who benefits most from working with you. Add a link to your PDF referral kit to the Referral page on your site. And make your PDF print-ready for those occasions when you do need something to hand out to folks in person.
  9. Have a clear call to action. In your introduction letters, on your website Referral page, in your PDF referral kit one-sheet, in your conversations with folks who ask about referring others to you, tell them EXACTLY what to do:  “If you know someone in the X field who might benefit from my administrative support service, please give them my website address so they can learn more.” (And then your website should take over the next step in the education process and include that next call-to-action: “Go here to schedule a consultation.”

These steps will help ensure that future referrals are more of a qualified fit for you and your business (and you’ll get more of them because you’ve made it easier and more understandable for people who and how to refer to you).

The other recommendation I have is for you to get my client consultations-that-convert guide, Breaking the Ice (GDE-03). I’ve included an entire section in this guide dedicated to foll0w-up and tells you, step-by-step, exactly how to handle and what to do with prospects who are not a fit in a very gracious, friendly and helpful way. They won’t feel insulted at all. In fact, they will most likely go on to refer others to you!

Hope this helps!

What Is an EIN?

By Danielle Keister |
1 Comment

What is an EIN? How do I get an EIN?

For those in the United States or U.S. territories, an EIN (Employer Identification Number) is an identification number you get from the IRS used to identify a business entity.

This number used to be primarily for those businesses that had or intended to hire employees (which is why it was called the Employer Identification Number).

The IRS relaxed that standard in recent years, and it’s used these days as an all-purpose Federal Tax Identification Number.

This is particularly helpful for sole proprietors because they can obtain and use an EIN now instead of their Social Security number on forms they give to clients and others.

You need an EIN if you:

  • Started a new business or purchased a going one;
  • Hired or will hire employees, including household employees;
  • Opened a bank account that requires an EIN for banking purposes;
  • Are a foreign person and need an EIN to comply with IRS withholding regulations;
  • Formed a partnership or corporation; or
  • Had a change in ownership or structure/formation of a business (such as changing a sole proprietorship to a corporation or partnership).

There is no fee required, you do not need to have employees, and you can obtain an EIN instantly right online.

In navigating these matters, always talk with your accountant and visit the IRS website for the most accurate, up-to-date information and advice.

This Isn’t the Sims

By Danielle Keister |
0 Comments

|

This isn’t the Sims.

You are real.

Your business is real.

The work you do, which is also real, creates real benefits and results for clients in their businesses and their lives.

There’s nothing virtual about any of that, and those are the only things that matter.

A business is a business.

So stop using such a ridiculous, superfluous, attenuating word as “virtual” in your biz name and marketing.

Are You Being Treated Like a Dog?

By Danielle Keister |
5 Comments

Are You Being Treated Like a Dog?

I was reading a blog post from a fellow talking about how he communicates with his assistant. It amounted to what I call being grunted at. One or two word commands and directives.

I would never allow a client to talk to me like that. And you couldn’t pay me to work with anyone like that. Not for any amount of money. Because it’s demeaning and dehumanizing.

Countless people in our industry have written to me over the years about feeling demoralized working with clients who treat them like nameless, faceless robots.

Here’s how this happens:

They come into this industry and start their businesses with this crazy idea that they’re supposed to be good little assistants, seen but not heard, doing everything they are told, practically the family dog who’s supposed to fetch and shake and rollover on command.

They work with clients like they’re on an assembly-line, like they’re still that employee waiting to be told what to do, letting clients tell them how their business is going to be run and how things are going to be.

But you are NOT an assistant.

You’re running a business to deliver a specific professional expertise, no different than a doctor, lawyer, accountant, etc.

You are someone with special skills, talents and experience in the art and craft of administrative support. An expert. A specialist.

If you want a happy business and life, put your name and face on your business. Be the expert.

YOU tell clients how you operate and how you will work together. YOU tell them what the policies, procedures and protocols for working with you are. YOU tell them what your standards and values are, where the boundaries are and what the rules and guidelines are.

And in having standards, that includes expecting and informing clients that you expect to be treated with the dignity of a human being and spoken to in complete sentences.

You’re not a robot or a vending machine they are barking orders at or punching orders into.

Don’t allow them to view you as their personal assistant/servant/gopher or substitute employee.

I always use the example of attorney and accountant because that’s exactly how I want clients to equate the nature of our relationship, that it will be like the one they have with their attorney or accountant. How they work together and speak with them is the same way they will be working with and speaking to me.

Dump any client who can’t get with the program. If they want an employee, that’s who they need to hire.

And then, when you are left with the ideal clients who treat you with the proper manner and respect accorded to professionals who are helping them, treat each and every one of them like the VIPs they are.

That doesn’t mean being obsequious and subservient. It means making each one feel special, important and valued. And you’ll be able to do that at a high level for those clients because you aren’t allowing yourself to be demeaned and having your morale and energy zapped by crappy ones.

Oh, and stop calling yourself a virtual assistant. You call yourself an assistant and then are shocked/irritated/perplexed when they treat you like one.

Assistant is a term of employment. Stop using that word. It’s ridiculous in this day and age of business to be using that word.

This is why we are the ADMINISTRATIVE CONSULTANTS Association.

What Makes You Awesome?

By Danielle Keister |
5 Comments

What Makes You Awesome?

I was catching up on some of my ACA emails from last week while I was out on the road and some of the questions I received had me reflecting about self-esteem and confidence.

So much of our business success depends not only on professional self-esteem, but also our personal self-esteem, from which a lot of our confidence arises as a byproduct.

If someone suffers from poor personal self-esteem, this can hold her back greatly in her business pursuits. She can be more risk-averse and talk herself out of trying things and stepping out of her comfort zones because negative self-talk has already told her she’ll fail.

Which got me to thinking how can this be combatted? How can a low self-esteem be uplifted so a person can focus on her strengths and increase her confidence and feel inspired that shey CAN do it in her business?

It seems like one great exercise would be to begin a list of all the things you think are great about you:

  • What are you proud about in yourself?
  • What are your personal and professional strengths?
  • What personal traits and qualities about yourself do you love and embrace?
  • What kind of professional skill do you excel at?
  • What scary steps did you take outside your comfort zones (these are successes you should be proud of and celebrate)?
  • What small victories and successes have you had?

Think of every positive thing you can and keep adding it to this list any time you think of something.

And then when you are feeling down about yourself, either in your business or your personal life, read that list. It will remind you of all that is awesome and great about YOU, that you CAN do this, and that you DO help and give to others every day with your unique skills, talents, qualities, expertise and YOU-ness.

How to Fix It: Outlook Email Signature Image Won’t Display

By Danielle Keister |
1 Comment

Has this ever happened to you?

You set up an email signature in Outlook that includes an image.

Everything is working fine. Then one day you notice your image is no longer appearing. Instead, all you see is that familiar red “x” where the image is supposed to be.

You have images enabled so that’s not the problem. And you checked with your email recipients and they all see your signature image at their end just fine. What gives?!

This used to drive me nuts and I finally found the culprit!

It has to do with the Outlook Temporary folder and and here’s how to fix it if you’re on Outlook 2003/Microsoft XP (that’s the only place I’ve ever had this problem):

  1. Close Outlook
  2. On your computer, click on START — RUN|
  3. Type REGEDIT in the Run box that appears.|
  4. The Registry Editor will appear with a list of files. Double-click on the OutlookSecureTempFolder.|
  5. An Edit String box will appear. Select and copy the link that appears in the Value Data field.|
  6. Open Windows Explore and paste in the link. This will take you to your Outlook Temporary folder. Select all the files in this folder and delete.|
  7. Now, open Outlook and your signature image will “magically” be displayed again!

PS: My famous consultation guide (Breaking the Ice, GDE-03) is on sale now through Friday for only $47. This latest version is my best work yet! Just heard from a colleague who purchased it this week who says:  “I just had a consultation this a.m. that resulted in a retainer client signing on. I reviewed most of the video last night as well as the Guide, so I’m giving some credit there!” Check it out here >>

Why Conduct Consultations?

By Danielle Keister |
1 Comment

Why Conduct Consultations?

I am so absolutely stoked and enthused about the new and improved version of my famous client consultation guide!

I added a ton more educational content while streamlining and simplifying the information into more easily digested chunks. Getting the knowledge and skills to confidently conduct consultations (and get those prized retainer clients nearly every single time) has never been easier.

I’m the type who doesn’t rest and will continue to hone and improve things until I am satisfied. And I am so totally pleased as punch with this latest incarnation!

(If you don’t have it yet, you can get it now for only $47, but it goes back up to it’s regular full price of $67 on Friday.)

So what is this guide all about? Why do we conduct consultations in the first place?

Because we’re not selling hotdogs, right? ;)

Providing ongoing support is a bigger relationship that requires more of a commitment from clients. Therefore, it requires a bigger conversation.

The consultation process plays a vital role in creating your ideal business for a number of reasons:

  • To prequalify prospects;
  • To break the ice, establish rapport and get to know each other;
  • To better understand the client’s business and his or her unique needs, goals and challenges;
  • To see how you might help and where your support can be best leveraged in their business;
  • To determine chemistry and fit;
  • To provide context for your fees so clients more clearly see and understand the value of working together;
  • To educate clients and set proper expectations and understandings;
  • To set the tone of the professional relationship; and
  • To demonstrate professionalism and instill trust and credibility.

The other reason to conduct consultations is to get the kind of clients you want—like those all-important retainer clients.

Retainers are the holy grail of most service-based businesses because it’s where the bigger, easier money is:

  • Retainers provide you with more consistent, dependable cashflow every month;
  • In a retainer-based practice, it only takes a handful of clients to earn well;
  • A retainer-based practice is simpler, easier and less hectic to run because you’re working with fewer clients, there’s less administration, and you aren’t having to constantly chase down your next meal like you do in a project-based business;
  • You always want to maintain a marketing presence even when your client roster is full, but marketing a retainer-based practice is far less frantic because you only need a handful of client to earn really well;
  • Because it’s an easier, less frantic business that requires fewer clients to earn well, you have more room to grow and be more at choice in taking on side projects and developing other income streams; and
  • With a retainer-based practice, you will have more time for life beyond your business. That’s one of the biggest reasons most of us went into business for ourselves, right?

There is no reason for you to continue struggling with getting clients or conducting consultations. My guide takes all the guesswork out and tells you exactly what to do and how to do it, including those two biggees:  how to talk about fees and how to deal with the most common client objections. And just having a step-by-by process to follow (complete with diagrams and checklists) will infuse you with greater confidence. You be gung-ho to conduct your next consult!

Check it out here >>

How to Create a Payment Page on Your Website

By Danielle Keister |
3 Comments

A colleague asked me how to procePayPal Pay Now Buttonss a client’s payment herself with PayPal. She had heard about my Credit Card Authorization Form, but wasn’t sure about the actual mechanics of processing credit card payments herself on behalf of her clients and whether she needed to be able to log into their PayPal accounts.

So, here’s what I explained:

Okay, so the credit card authorization form is an agreement between you and the client whereby the client provides you with their credit card details and allows you to keep them on file. This is so that when their fee to you is due, you can simply run the credit card yourself instead of waiting for them to do it.

It’s best for clients who pay you a monthly retainer or any other usual or set amount on a regular basis. This is an excellent way to take another detail off of your client’s plate while ensuring you are paid on time every month. And it really doesn’t matter what credit card processing service you use. My client’s love it and I never pay myself late, lol. ;)

With regard to PayPal specifically, there are a couple ways you can process the payment. The first is that, yes, you can log into the client’s PayPal account if they wish to provide you with that information. However, it’s not necessary and for many reasons I really don’t recommend this.

There needs to be a great deal of trust there already for a client to provide you with their PayPal account info. That level is usually only established with clients who have been with you for several years, and you don’t want to get blamed for any problems with their account just because you are the only other person who happens to have access to it. Know what I mean?

I recommend the second option, which is that you simply process the payment as a guest. As a guest, you don’t need to log into a client’s PayPal account to process their payment. As long as you have their credit card details and the proper legal authorization form on file, you can process any payment without the client even needing an account.

Here’s how to set up a payment page on your website. Here’s an example of my payment page from my old website:

paymentpage

  1. Create a dedicated web page on your site. You can simply call it “payment” or “submitpayment.” Include the link in your navigation, site map or otherwise make it clearly visible and easily found on your site (perhaps as an image graphic in a sidebar on all pages).
  2. Get the HTML code to place a PayPal “Pay Now” button on the page.a) Log into your own PayPal account and go to the “Merchant Services” tab.

    b) Click on the “Create Payment Buttons for Your Website” option, then click on “Create a Button.”

    c) Select the “Buy Now” button type.

    d) Since this is going to be a generic button, leave the “Item ID,” “Price” fields blank. If you want to give a name, call it something like “Submit Payment” or “Pay Now.”

    d) Under the “Customize Button” section, click on “Customize text or appearance.”

    e) Under “Select button text,” select “Pay Now.”

    f) Read through the other options so you know and understand what’s there and change anything you need to accordingly. You also have the option to use your own button graphic if you choose.

    g) Once all that is done, click on “Create Button” and the HTML code will appear. Select that code and place it in the HTML section on your Payment page where you’d like the button to appear.

  3. Publish your new Payment page.

So now, whenever you need to process a payment on behalf of a client, you just go to your Payment page and click on the “Pay Now” button. When the PayPal page appears, click on the option where it says “Pay with your debit or credit card as a PayPal guest” and then enter the amount due and the client’s credit card information.

Simple as that!

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