How to Do a Bookkeeping Services Presentation | The Freelance ...

Posted on September 7th, 2012 by Gabrielle

In order to attract new clients and get word-of-mouth marketing buzzing, you need to promote your services in a way that will get the attention of prospective clients and referral partners.

But HOW?

One of the most effective ways is at in-person networking opportunities.

Keep your eyes open for local business events that would attract the type of business clients you want to work with. Then be prepared to share some information about what you do that will appeal to them specifically. That might mean just having a one-liner response to the question, ?What do you do?? or it could mean more.

And when you get the opportunity to speak to an audience at a small business event, even if you are an introvert (most of us are), be willing to stretch your comfort zone a bit and share your story and what you have to offer with your audience.

If you do, you will find that there are fewer ways to grow your business faster and attract new clients for both the short and long term than speaking in public ? even on a very small scale.

When you are willing to speak to an audience, you will immediately boost your own confidence and start to attract more clients even in one-on-one conversations.

Here?s a REAL example of what I mean?

?Hi Gabrielle,

I belong to a BNI group and have to give a 10 min. presentation on Thursday about my freelance bookkeeping business. If this were you, what would you talk about? I am really at a loss and would appreciate your input.?

?Shirley Shelton, Bookkeeping Solutions

What would you do in this situation?

Most of us clam up when we know we need to stand up and talk about ourselves and our business in front of other people. (Me too!) But we need to resist the urge to run and hide. Here?s why?

My Response:

?Hi Shirley,

You have a great opportunity! ?You can say a lot in 10 minutes. But before you start thinking about what you are going to say, you should consider the purpose of this presentation.

Presumably, since this is for your BNI group, the purpose is to help your fellow referral partners get to know about what you do in your business so they can provide you with quality referrals.

That being the case, then you don?t want to tell them WHAT you do for your clients (i.e., A/P, A/R, payroll ? a laundry list of the functions you handle), but WHY you perform the services you do. In other words, what are the PROBLEMS you solve for your clients? WHY would a client need your services (i.e., need to file tax returns, IRS audit, want to maximize cash flow, want to do planning to maximize profit and streamline what they do)?

Also, if you have a specialty or an Ideal Client that you want them to refer to you, you want to explain who your Ideal Client is and why YOU are the best choice for that type of client?s needs. What benefits do those clients get for working with you rather than with just any old bookkeeper?

If you can share this type of information in your talk, it will help your fellow BNI members know exactly the type of clients to send your way (and make them look like a hero to the person they refer).

In short:

* What problems do you solve?

* What specialties do you have?

* Who would be the perfect client for you (and why)?

* Can you share any stories about clients you have served and helped them solve a problem?

When sharing stories, just make sure you don?t give away identities, but you can use them as illustrations for what you have done for your clients in the past. Your listeners will understand why your clients were thrilled to work with you, and that you can do the same for other clients, too.

Hope that gives you some good ideas.

Knock ?em dead! You?ll do great!

So off Shirley went to her BNI meeting, likely with a bit of apprehension ? but a lot of courage. She took the advice and here?s what she wrote me a few days later?

Shirley?s Results:

?Thank you so much for responding to my e-mail so promptly. You gave me excellent advice and IT WORKED!!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you.?

The moral of the story?

You need to stretch your comfort zone, proactively promote the benefits of what you have to offer to the people who WANT to hear about it. If you?re serious about building a truly successful freelance bookkeeping business, you have to take action and be willing to try new approaches.

By the way, if you?re ready to implement an EFFECTIVE marketing plan that works, specifically designed for freelance bookkeepers, then check out my Freelance Bookkeeper Marketing training program. Getting new bookkeeping clients really is an easy process, when you know exactly how to do it and you?re willing to challenge yourself to grow your business.

What marketing methods have worked best for you?

.

Source: http://thefreelancebookkeeper.com/blog/how-to-do-a-bookkeeping-services-presentation/

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Toothbrush used for vital space station repairs (+video)

With the help of a spare toothbrush, two spacewalking astronauts replaced a stuck bolt that had been preventing them from fixing a power unit. ?

By Denise Chow,?SPACE.com / September 5, 2012

Spacewalker Akihiko Hoshide rides the International Space Station's robotic arm to a work site on the space station's backbone-like truss during a spacewalk on Sept. 5, 2012.

NASA TV

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Two spacewalking astronauts successfully replaced a vital power unit on the International Space Station today (Sept. 5), defeating a stubborn bolt that originally delayed the fix with the help of some improvised tools made of spare parts and a toothbrush.

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Suni Williams broke the world record for most amount of time spent Spacewalking for a female astronaut today as she passed the record that was held by Peggy Whitson at 39 Hours and 46 minutes.

Suni is currently taking part in a planned 6 Hour, 30 Minute spacewalk to install a new Main Bus Switching Unit (MBSU) on the truss outside the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut?Sunita Williams?and Japanese spaceflyer Akihiko Hoshide performed today's spacewalk repair. The fix-it job in space was actually an extra spacewalk tacked on to their mission after the?stuck space station bolt?prevented the astronauts from properly installing the power unit on the outpost's backbone-like truss last week on Aug. 30.

This morning, Williams and Hoshide removed the power box, called a main bus switching unit (MBSU), from where it had been temporarily tied down with a tether last week. The duo then spent several hours troubleshooting the unit and the two bolts that are designed to secure it in place on the space station's truss.

After undoing the bolts, the spacewalkers examined them for possible damage, and inspected the corresponding receptacles on the MBSU for debris that was suspected to be inside.

"I see metal shavings," Williams said as she inspected the MBSU after it had been removed. "Small metal shavings ? smaller than last time we saw in the housing." [Photos: Spacewalkers Fix Space Station Power Unit]

The spacewalkers used improvised cleaning tools and a pressurized can of nitrogen gas to clean out the metal shavings from the bolt receptacles.

"I see a lot of metal shavings coming out," Hoshide said as he maneuvered a wire cleaner around one of the bolt holders.

Williams and Hoshide then lubricated a spare bolt and manually threaded it into the place where the real bolt was eventually driven, in an effort to ensure that the receptacle was clear of any debris.

Following last week's?failed attempt to install the replacement MBSU, mission managers, engineers and veteran spacewalkers worked around the clock at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to devise ways to fix the stuck bolt, NASA spokesman Josh Byerly said in his live spacewalk commentary.

Part of their brainstorming included fashioning tools from existing supplies on the orbiting complex for Williams and Hoshide to use to remove debris from inside the bolt housings. One of the cleaning tools used today was made from a spare toothbrush.

As the spacewalk approached the four-hour mark, the astronauts were given the option to proceed with installing the MBSU, or clean it off and bring the unit inside the station for more analysis. The two spacewalkers unanimously agreed to continue on with their work.

"I think we can press," Hoshide said. "Get 'er done."

"Copy get 'er done," astronaut Jack Fischer said from Mission Control.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/1qmumSG-Adg/Toothbrush-used-for-vital-space-station-repairs-video

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Report: At least 20 illegal immigrants drown when their boat sinks off Turkish coast

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Annapurna Pictures has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to Harmony Korine's "Spring Breakers," which follows the adventures of four young women who go wild during spring break, Annapurna announced Tuesday. Written and directed by Korine, the film stars James Franco, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, Heather Morris and Gucci Mane. The film tells the story of four college girls as they plan to fund their spring break getaway by robbing a fast food shack. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/report-least-20-illegal-immigrants-drown-boat-sinks-084308828.html

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Microsoft plans to hire 1,000 employees in China as it gears up for Windows 8 roll-out

A Microsoft executive has revealed that the company is seeking to expand its headcount in China by more than 20 percent over the next year by hiring 1,000 staff in the country, as noted by Reuters.

Ralph Haupter, CEO of Greater China for Microsoft, said the new hires will join research and development, sales, marketing and services teams. Haupter came on as head of the region in April during a management shuffle.

Microsoft already employs 4,500 workers in China, but an influx of 1,000 new faces would represent a big push for the software giant. Much of the growth could come from an under-construction cloud computing center in Shanghai that could house as many as 600 employees when it is finished.

R&D spending in China, which currently amounts to $500 million per year, will also go up 15 percent during the same period, Reuters reported Microsoft?s chairman of Asia Pacific R&D as saying.

The company has for years struggled against rampant software piracy in the country, but it still views the market as an opportunity. Global CEO Steve Ballmer said in May that he is ?super excited? about China?s growth, while noting that weak intellectual property protection has made it hard for software companies to make money. One estimate from the Business Software Alliance claimed China had a legal software market of $3 billion last year and an illegal one nearly three times the size.

Microsoft isn?t just sitting idle, though, as it has taken steps to fight piracy. At the start of this year, Microsoft sued Gome, one of China?s biggest electronics distributors, for selling illegal copies of its software.

The upcoming launch of Windows 8, Windows 8 Phone and the Surface tablet should give Microsoft some momentum, and China is undoubtedly part of the equation. The company has already begun promoting Windows 8 to China with a localized Xbox Live website.

Image: TNW

Source: http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2012/09/06/microsoft-hoping-hire-1000-employees-china-next-year/

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Obama and Romney Tackle Science's Toughest Questions [Science]

It's well-known that Obama and Romney don't see eye-to-eye on science and engineering, or the policy surrounding it. But now Scientific American has joined forces with ScienceDebate.org to quiz the pair on their views over some of the most important scientific issues of our time. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/DrQguxTJE9o/obama-and-romney-tackle-sciences-toughest-questions

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Obama Being Pressed to Respond on Climate

A large group of Democratic donors is threatening to withhold money from President Obama?s reelection campaign unless he breaks his silence on climate change and responds directly to GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney?s denigration of the issue at the Republican National Convention last week.

The donors want Obama to reject the advice of his campaign operatives and affirm his support for addressing climate change in his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night, said Betsy Taylor, a Democratic strategist and president of Breakthrough Strategies & Solutions.

?We?ve been working on behalf of a network of about 100 political donors who maxed out to the Obama campaign in 2008, and only about 25 percent have maxed out this election cycle,? Taylor said. ?The whole focus has been on elevating the climate issue. We do feel that it?s imperative that the president respond to Mitt Romney?s mocking and that he do so forcefully with a clear statement.?

In his acceptance speech at the Republican convention last week, Romney drew cheers from the delegates when he ridiculed Obama?s stance on climate change. ?President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and to heal the planet,? Romney said. ?My promise is to help you and your family.?

Obama has been largely mum on the issue of climate change in 2012 after promising to aggressively tackle the problem in his 2008 campaign. This year, in an election focused on the economy, Republicans have attacked any efforts to address climate change as ?job-killing regulations? and the White House has been reluctant to respond, despite recent polls showing most voters support action on climate change.

Taylor criticized the Obama campaign?s strategy on the issue. ?I think the president is getting very bad counsel,? she said. ?The people surrounding the president are giving him old advice. It?s not taking into account the new polling that shows people are considering a drought worse than anything we?ve seen in 50 years, wildfires raging through the Midwest?this isn?t speculative, this is science.

?His failure to talk about climate change?the silence is staggering in the wake of this summer?s extreme weather,? Taylor said. ?If he fails to stand up in the face of the mocking of the Republican convention, he will not get the kind of support he needs from independents, young people, and his donors.?

A poll conducted in 10 swing states last month by Yale University found that 55 percent of voters will consider candidates? views on global warming when deciding how to vote, and that 88 percent support U.S. action on climate change even if it has economic costs.

The Yale survey also found that 84 percent of Democrats, 77 percent of independent voters, and 67 percent of Republicans support regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant. The poll concluded that being ?pro-climate? wins votes among Democrats and independents, and has little negative impact with Republican voters.

Other polls this year also have found that most Americans believe global temperatures are rising and weather patterns have become more unstable in recent years. An April Gallup poll found majority support for stricter pollution standards, government clean-energy efforts, and controls on greenhouse-gas emissions.

?Based on what I?ve seen of the polls, and of the campaigns, I?m perplexed,? said Edward Maibach, a co-author of the Yale study. ?Climate change does not appear to be the radioactive issue that politicians often believe it is. It?s very much in the president?s interest to take a pro-climate stance, because it will win him votes.... For Republicans, that stance will alienate some in their own party, but they?ll win as many independent voters, so it?s a wash.?

Maibach said that Romney?s remarks on climate change may come back to haunt him. ?Mocking climate change or taking an anti-climate stance plays to the extreme conservative base,? he said. ?If the point is to rally the base, then belittling the notion that the climate is changing is effective. But it has a cost. It will likely lose you votes that you need to get elected from independents in the middle.?

Both campaigns and their surrogates declined to answer questions about the polls on climate change. But Obama?s campaign advisers said the script of his Thursday speech remains a work in progress, and it?s an open question as to whether climate change will be mentioned.

Strategists from both parties say that the reason the GOP has veered so hard to the right on energy and climate issues is the influx of new spending by outside groups and super PACs, many of which have ties to fossil-fuel companies that oppose climate regulations. One of the most influential groups is Americans for Prosperity, backed by energy conglomerate Koch Industries.

The president of Americans for Prosperity, Tim Phillips, spoke with National Journal by phone from a bus in North Carolina, where the group is on a tour highlighting ?Obama?s Failing Agenda.?

?There?s no question? that Romney?s remarks will resonate positively with voters, Phillips said. ?It?s no wonder the president is silent on this. They know what we know. It?s not something the American public supports.?

It?s expected that both candidates will have to answer questions on climate change during the presidential debates, the first of which is scheduled for Oct. 3 in Denver. Some scientists say that Colorado, which has been hit by swarms of pine beetles and devastating wildfires this summer, has seen?one of the earliest and most visible impacts of climate change in the U.S.

?The issue could be extra-salient in Colorado and at the Denver debate, where related issues have been hot (pun intended),? wrote Colorado-based Republican strategist Mark McKinnon in an e-mail to National Journal.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-being-pressed-respond-climate-193544755--politics.html

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Overwhelmed By The Idea Of Hosting A Baby Shower

Overwhelmed By The Idea Of Hosting A Baby Shower?
Overwhelmed By The Idea Of Hosting A Baby Shower?
Theresa Moore
If you are overwhelmed by the idea of hosting a baby shower, you can take comfort in the fact that very few people ever really do it alone. Most baby showers are thrown by a few of the mother-to-be?s closest friends or family members. There are many advantages to co-hosting a baby shower over doing it alone. You can share in the responsibilities, costs and also the fun. However, as with any group working together to plan or do anything, there are opportunities for miscommunication and conflict based on a differing of opinions. This chapter will help you head off any problems of co-hosting a baby shower before they begin. In addition, you will find a list of tips to help everyone get along and make the day a memorable and enjoyable one for everyone attending the party, especially the expectant parents. Usually the person who hosts a baby shower is someone very close to the new parents. This may be a mother, mother-in-law, sister, best friend or close co-worker. The best way to decide who should host the shower is for it to be the person closest to the new mother. If you are the best friend of the new mom,Tod?s cuir Homme, and want to throw her a shower, the most considerate approach is to talk to her mother. If she is planning a shower for family, she may ask that you help her with the details surrounding inviting other friends she may not know. If she wants a family-only party, then let her know you?ll be having a shower that includes friends and co-workers. That way each group close to the expectant mom can get in on the gift-giving and fun of a baby shower. If you are hosting a baby shower alone the whole burden of planning, setting up and paying for everything, doesn?t necessarily have to fall on you alone. It is perfectly appropriate to ask close friends and family members of the new parents to share in bringing food, buying prizes for games, and in setting up and cleaning up. When co-hosting a baby shower, these responsibilities will naturally be divided among the hostesses. So just how do you diplomatically ask others to donate time, food, and even money to help offset the cost and responsibilities surrounding a baby shower? There are polite ways even Emily Post would approve of. In fact, being asked to take part in some aspect of baby shower can be flattering, showing the person you recognize how close she is the expectant parents. Here are some areas where you may ask for financial help in a subtle way or donations: Make food assignments: Let the person know your menu and then ask her to bring something that fits in, i.e. one dozen finger sandwiches or a veggie platter. Ask them what are their favorite recipes and what the think would be a good fit for the overall theme of the party. Ask someone who is creative with floral arrangements to make centerpieces for tables or arrange flowers for around the room. Once they know the theme or atmosphere you have decided on, let them make their own creative decisions. They will then be sharing in the cost of providing flowers, or you can let them know your budget for flowers, if you plan on paying for that yourself. If you want a home-based shower, but your house is too small, consider asking someone with a large great room or nicely landscaped back yard to provide the venue for the shower. Let them know you will be providing the food and other decorations, so they are clear that you are asking only for the space and that is all they ar responsible for Assign out paper products to someone who may not have the time to make or do anything else, but you know would like to be involved. They will have time to make it to the party store and deliver the items to you. Make sure you let them know your color scheme and what types of food you will be serving so they know what kinds of paper products will be needed. If your budget includes a fully catered luncheon, dishes and utensils will be provided by the caterer or restaurant where you are having it. In this case you can ask other co-hosts to contribute to the cost, and could ask a creative friend to hand make the invitations using embossing, stamping and die cuts from the scrapbook supply store. It is important when requesting help from others in planning or hosting the baby shower that no one?s feelings are hurt and that no one is slighted. Some ways of ensuring harmony and including all of those close to the new parents are: Hold a planning meeting with everyone involved and ask for suggestions. You are likely to get donations and offers for help you may not have thought of before. Don?t shoot down anyone?s suggestion. Consider all ideas and thank the group for their input. After the meeting you can implement a different version of the idea or find some usable aspect of the plan to avoid hurting feelings. For example, if someone suggests a Mexican themed fiesta, and you were thinking of a more traditional shower, suggest they bring their favorite Mexican dip and tortilla chips as part of the menu. Delegate, Trust and Relax! Remember this is to be a fun time for the expectant parents to celebrate a joyous occasion. Don?t get bogged down as if this were a Royal wedding. Delegate aspects of the shower to people you can trust to get the job done, and let them use their own ideas and creativity. When the celebration is over, one key way to ensure everyone is feeling good about their role in the baby shower is to acknowledge them with a thank you note and small gift. It may be as simple as letting them each take home a centerpiece, or you could mail to their home along with a thank you note a small token gift such as a picture of them with the expecting mother or new baby if the shower is held after the birth. Also it is very important to point out and acknowledge their contribution in front of the mother-to-be so they can feel their individual honor and the mother-to-be can thank them herself in person right at the party! Everyone likes to know they are appreciated and that the work they did contributed to the success of the shower. A verbal ?thank you? given several times along the way goes a long way in keeping harmony when you are in the throws of planning too. Be sincere, and your friends and co-hosts will be motivated and excited to help. Remember to that it can be lot of fun working with your friends and even working with people you?ve never gotten to know before. All of you are really focused on the same goal of giving a great baby shower for the mom-to-be and working together for this will not only be fun but can produce some very touching moments and sharing of experiences. Have Fun! Tod?s cuir Homme

Source: http://www.medicaltravelclub.com/qa/2012/09/overwhelmed-by-the-idea-of-hosting-a-baby-shower/

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