If it aint broke...

Does your bookkeeping business work with just one software, only?

When I had my bookkeeping business, we were software agnostic in that no matter what the client had, we would work with it.

What typically happened is that clients would fall into 1 of 3 different buckets, because there were 3 different products vying for market share.

Within my business and across my team, we needed to know those 3 well so that we could be efficient with our bookkeeping.

It takes a lot to keep across 3 different products with that level of knowlege.

Trust me, I know. I’ve kept up with my certifications for those 3 products over the years.

It's way different now than it used to be, because now there are updates all the time, and there are new features all the time. It takes quite a lot of effort to keep on top of just one software, let alone 3.

So, I can totally understand why someone would be just a Xero bookkeeper, or a QuickBooks or an MYOB bookkeeper.

But here's the thing.

We always need to come back to what is in the best interests of the client.

If you've got a new client, or a potential new client, whose business is working well on a software that you don’t love, it may be best to leave them on that software and to either pass them on to a bookkeeper who will be efficient with it, or to upskill yourself so that you can be.

I see sometimes that some bookkeepers are on the Xero bandwagon or the QuickBooks bandwagon, and they have an attitude that their software of choice is indisputably the best and that every single business should be using it.

Nothing is perfect.

None of the software products are perfect. They've all got their shortcomings.

There's always a cost for the client to change, so always come back to really, seriously, what is in the best interests of the client.

If you absolutely love Xero, for example, but the business is working really well on MYOB or QuickBooks or whatever, then why would you change them?

Just because you really like working with the software, doesn't necessarily mean that it is the best decision for the client.

In the first instance, figure out if you can make what they’ve got work better for them, instead of completely changing them onto something different.

This will also give you an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of their business so that if you and the client do decide that a change is necessary, it will be decision based upon the clients needs and not your own.

You'll also be in a better position to scope and implement an appropriate solution.

By the way, bookkeepers make great software consultants, and that is cream on the top income which is higher than your bookkeeping rates.

PS: Get in touch if you have any questions about building a profitable and sustainable bookkeeping business. Just reach out to see me. I'm happy to help you.