Product Tips
How to Set Yourself Apart and Charge What You Are WorthBy: Judy Fudge, Certified Bookkeeper and Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor®
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Situation
You work hard to develop new business but often find yourself having to compete just for attention, and then having to price cheaply to get work. How can you set yourself apart? How can you charge what you are worth?
Response
Certifications make a difference in both cases. Certification sets you apart, and certification supports higher fees.
Setting Yourself Apart
For me, being a Certified Bookkeeper* is very important. This certification sets me apart, even on the QuickBooks Find-a-ProAdvisor Web site.
Initials after Your Name Make a Difference. Look at it this way. CPAs have their initials after their name, and some other accountants have nothing. Which name looks more impressive?
It's the same for bookkeepers. Setting yourself apart as a Certified Bookkeeper and Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor is becoming more and more important.
Charging What You Are Worth
Certification also helps you support your rates if a prospect or client challenges you. When someone says, "I can get a bookkeeper for $35 an hour," I simply say, "Yes, you can, but is he or she a Certified Bookkeeper? Is he or she a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor?"
I became a Certified Bookkeeper and a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor around the same time. I had been charging $65 an hour and immediately raised my rate to $100.
Judy Fudge has recently retired, and we much appreciate her willingness to share her ideas with other practitioners after a long and fruitful career. Based out of Pittsboro, North Carolina, she may be contacted at fudgbug@yahoo.com. She does not have, and has never had, a Web site.
An earlier version of this tip appeared in publications of the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers (AIPB), the national bookkeeper membership organization which offers the Certified Bookkeeper credential, training classes and materials, and other support for bookkeepers. We appreciate the kind permission of the AIPB to adapt their content here, and as approved by Judy.
Last Updated: 04/07/2008
