Can an enrolled agent help with with IRS problems?

After the Civil War, citizens in the North were promised reimbursement for assets seized by the Union.  The Confederates were pretty much out of luck, unless they could prove neutrality or sympathy for the Union. 

The problem was that when most corn, wheat, cotton and horses were confiscated (stolen) by Union troops, a low-grade officer hand wrote a receipt that was to be used to petition for reimbursement.    By 1884 almost 20 years after the war, Americans’ who lost property were up in arms because the Treasury checks were ‘not-in-the-mail.’    

Tax Resolution Ghostwriter for Enrolled Agents, CPAs and Laywers.

So, in 1884 Congress created a new certification called the “Enrolled Agent.” Their sole task was to be the advocate for taxpayers when petitions to the treasury were ignored or turned down.   The service was so appreciated that the designation stayed in place and that leads us to the question of the day.   Who should you turn to for help?

When collection letters start showing up, our first inclination is to ask our tax preparer ‘What do I do?”.   If it’s a small matter, those letters can be handled quickly.  However, if the problem is over $10,000, you need an experienced IRS expert on your side. 

CPAs are very good at financial analysis and filing tax returns.  However, negotiating with the IRS is a unique skill set.  Most CPAs will refer you to an enrolled agent or tax attorney to help you overcome the upcoming battle, so you come out on the other side intact. 

Tax Attorneys:  If the lawyer you're working with has experience dealing with the IRS.  They are probably going to advise you correctly.  The downside of working with lawyers is that the going rate for tax collection problems is $400 to $500 an hour.  

Who is the best person to help me?

The better question is, what is an E.A. (enrolled agent)?

An enrolled agent is a tax professional the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows to represent taxpayers concerning tax issues.  Those might include audits, collections, and appeals. They are considered to have the highest level of expertise in taxation and are recognized by the IRS as tax specialists.  There are around 67,000 E.A. in the United States. 

Enrolled agents can help clients in various ways:

1. Tax preparation: Enrolled agents know the tax code and can assist individuals and businesses in preparing accurate and compliant tax returns.  They can help maximize deductions and credits, minimize tax liability, and ensure compliance with IRS regulations.

2. IRS representation: Enrolled agents can represent clients before the IRS in case of audits, collections, or appeals. They can communicate with the IRS on behalf of the client, handle correspondence, provide documentation, and negotiate settlements or payment plans to resolve tax issues.

3. Tax problem resolution: Enrolled agents are experienced in dealing with complex tax problems and can assist clients in resolving issues such as back taxes, tax liens, wage garnishments, or levies. They can analyze the situation, develop a strategy, and work with the IRS to find a favorable resolution.

4. Tax planning: Enrolled agents can provide strategic tax planning advice to help clients make informed decisions that minimize taxes in the long run. They can analyze financial situations, recommend tax-saving strategies, and help individuals and businesses plan for future tax obligations.

5. Tax compliance: Enrolled agents can help clients comply with tax laws and regulations. They can guide record keeping, reporting requirements, estimated tax payments, and other compliance-related matters. Proactively reviewing financial records and advising on compliance can help clients avoid penalties and reduce the risk of audits.

Overall, enrolled agents are highly trained tax professionals who can provide valuable tax advice, representation, and assistance to individuals and businesses, helping them navigate the complex world of taxation and achieve their financial goals.

With an enrolled agent at your side, you have a knowledgeable professional with a lot of experience in dealing with IRS problems.  Better yet, their fees are going to be half what a tax attorney might charge.

I wrote this book to give you some insight into real-life situations where we’ve been able to minimize the impact of dealing with the IRS and getting our clients back on track.  

 KC Truby Ghostwriter

Rule Five: Put 33% of your effort into the outline

Without a clear outline, your book can take 1,000+ hours to complete. An outline keeps you organized and moving forward. If you get writer's block on a certain topic, you can skip around your outline and write about something else,  then come back. 

The outline below is not your tax planning book. This is the standard process that they use at Books a Million.  They are actually competitors of mine,  but they focus on advising rather than writing.    They designed the outline to help DIY writers. I am sharing it here so you can get a big picture of organizing your book.

•Introduction: why plan your taxes -

•Part 1

•Chapter 1:Paint a picture of life after the client has implemented your solution

•Chapter 2: Who the book is for and how it helps that person

•Chapter 3: Problems the reader is facing and the impact on their life

•Chapter 4: The one thing I can do that will change everything in your life

•Chapter 5: Common challenges and why this time will be different

•Part 2

•Chapter 6: The “core mechanism” that makes your solution work

•Chapter 7: An actionable, step-by-step breakdown of your solution

Copyright 2023 Lonesome Cowboy Publishing Inc Tucson AZ

•Chapter 8: The critical components of your solution

•Part 3

•Chapter 9: Instructions for taking the first step

•Chapter 10: Exactly what goes into creating the “secret key”

•Chapter 11: How readers can get the solution they need fast

•Conclusion

•Summary: A clear and simple breakdown of takeaways

•Next Steps: Share what the reader should do next

•Additional Resources: Anything that helps readers take the next step

•About The Author: Your bio

Ghostwriting for accountants is our specialty. 

Rule Four: Do not talk about yourself

Remember, people only listen to one radio station, and that’s WII FM (What’s In It For Me)

Everything you say in a book must center on the clients' fears, dangers, missed opportunities, and life dreams.  Focus on what the client is worried about, not how much you know.

 When I ghostwrite accounting books I want the stories of how others have found peace and prosperity to do the selling.

The place for your biography is on the back cover. That is where we establish your credentials and experience.  That is all it takes.  The very fact that you wrote a book says you are the authority.  You don’t have to beat it to death.

You are on the right path if you can write your entire book without using the words ‘when I did.’

Narcissus was so enamored with himself he forgot to eat. Talk about yourself too much and you will have skinny kids.

Rule Three for writing your own book, use stories.

To successfully communicate with clients, everything you talk about starts with a client experience you can share. What that means is telling stories, not facts. Your client will remember a story. They won’t remember a tax fact for over 3 minutes.

This is the number one reason I get hired to ghostwrite. Because I’m a skilled storyteller, your book should be a series of 100 stories broken up into 12 to 20 chapters.

Each story should follow the three proven steps of getting your client emotionally involved in your book.

A. I suffered from the problem for so long that I was about to give up.

B. Then I discovered what my accountant could do for me.

C. Now, I have peace of mind and prosperity.

The easiest way to figure out your 100 stories is to start with the three questions your clients ask most often,  followed by the three questions you wish they would ask.    Each of those questions has another three concepts behind it, so just keep branching off from one idea to the next.   You may remember the ‘mind map’ from high school.

I got this one from https://www.mindmapping.com/

It’s a great webpage to jog your memory on how it works.   When you do this exercise to come up with the 100 topics or concepts you want to cover in your book,  you’ll end up with many more ideas.  In the end just sort the list down.

In life, answers are easy to get.  It is figuring out what questions to ask that is hard.  But these questions are the same ones your clients are looking for – that is why your book will be interesting.   

Ask the question in your subtitle but try to ask it like you were writing for the Drudge Report and make it pithy.  Then tell a story (even if you make up the true story) about a client's struggle, discovery, and outcome.    

Facts tell stories sell.  

Rule Two: Do not discuss the law, forms, technicalities, or deadlines.

The greatest teacher of all time never handed down a checklist or a set of rules.  He told parables and stories to communicate with his disciples.  Two thousand years later, we quote him in thought, deed, or word every day.

The greatest teacher talked in stories not technical rules and equations.

Since we’re working with technical details all day, it’s what we understand, and we're sure the client wants to know it too. NOT TRUE. Clients want to see if you understand them. Their primary question is, “Have you solved my problem for others?”  If the answer is YES, they will call you, and the new client process can start.

You already know this from personal conversations with clients.  As soon as you talk about legal points or financial equations, you see a glassy look come over the client.  They tuned out, and you are no longer communicating.  Writing your book should be a conversation, not a lecture.

I never bring up the code or deadlines when I ghostwrite for tax services or other B2B professionals.  Another thing I try to keep away from is the word DEPENDS.  I tell my customers that depends is a diaper, and your answer is full of the same stuff. 

I understand you can’t make blanket statements because every question has many variables.  But I don’t want to be vague with the clients, or they will not trust you.  

A better use of the English language would be to say, “Based on what you have told me so far, the answer is ______________.  However, I may find other circumstances that make that answer irrelevant. I don’t know all the facts based on what you’ve told me so far.

Your most effective tool is to answer specific questions with a story about how another client had the same problem or question, and here is what they discovered.

The client will not remember the law, form numbers, technicalities or deadlines.  But they will remember how you helped another client with the same problem. That will give them faith that you can help me too.

KC Truby

The Ten Rules For Writing Your Own Book , rule one.

When ghostwriting for financial advisors, remember these ten rules when writing your book.

Rule One:  Know your objective.

If you are writing to make your clients DIY smart, do not start, your book will fail. If you want to write a book to impress the other professionals in town with how much you know — STOP.

The most successful book moves the reader t to believe you are the only firm that understands what the client is worried about. That you are the most skilled person in town, when they put down your book, we’re hoping they ask themselves, “I hope that _______ will take me on as a client. ______ offers exactly what I’ve been looking for.”

Bottom line, your aim is to start high-value conversations with needy clients that have the

gravitas to pay you $5,000 to $50,000 or more per year. Do not write to the low end of the market. This is your opportunity to upscale your practice.

The goal is to put an interesting book into the hands of needful clients who can buy your highest-priced offer. Your book makes the case for buying your best level of service, and that’s exactly what some clients want. The best. Until now, you had no way of getting enough time in front of a client to explain the real value you bring. A book solves that problem.

 If you would like to get our most recent outline for the book of your choice, go to www.kctruby.com

Thank You

KC Truby Ghostwriter

Cannabis Accounting

The fastest way to become the preeminent authority on Cannabis Accounting is to write a book.  I can only write this book for ONE firm in a state.  I already sold California and New Jersey.

The easy part is that people considering going into the business go to Amazon first.  Your book should have your state's name in the title.  You get hold on the client before anyone else.

The next step is getting the list of all the license applications and issued licenses from the state.  In all 39 states where Cannabis is legal, the list is public domain.   Gift them your book.

Cannabis Clients are paying their accounting firm $15,000 to $50,000 a year, according to the firms I’ve talked to across America.  This is a giant market.

Published authors get invited to speak at Cannabis events in the state.  I’ll show you how to make that happen.  I will also include 100 blog and web articles you can post, furthering your position as the expert.

When I work as a ghostwriter Cannabis industry the books cost you about $3.00 to print.  You have 100% editorial control of what goes in your book.  A book is a one-time investment that you will use for 100 years.

How to use your book

Jemel Smith offers his book on Facebook, targeted to contractors in the Atlanta area

When a targeted business owner wants to read the book, they click on the ad. And it takes them to the offer on his web page. He tracks web page visitors so that he might follow up with future FB post and emails etc.

FB ad responses start out at around $10 to $20 each, but after a few weeks the cost drops to the $3.00 and $4.00 range as FB learns who should see your ad. My experience has been that one of twenty book readers will become your client.

If I hate Facebook advertising so much, why do I still spend $5,000 a month.

Online marketing is all the rage. You get beat to death with offers to build your firm from LinkedIn gurus and website designers. But here are a few cold hard facts from my own life.

In 1995, I could buy add clicks for 25 cents and sell  $5,000 a day in book and tape orders out of 1,000 clicks ($250).   Today I pay $25 per click, and I need 100 clicks to get one new customer ($2,500).   That customer might spend $3,000. My cost has gone up 100 fold, and results are down by 90%. 

Between 2006 and 2017, I paid over $100,000 in consulting fees to big-name gurus, trying to go back in time to 1995. The leads I generated were plain awful. My phone rang, but I am too old to tolerate fools and bottom feeders.

My guess is the biggest money on Facebook is selling courses on how to make money on Facebook. Yet, I still use it every day.   My lead cost is lower, and I my closing rate is awful but I still end up with some good clients out of Facebook, so I push my books there.

 But when I need leads for ghostwriting mortgage brokers or ghostwriting for accountants, I still use Facebook.

My advertising starts with one of my books, and offers to sell it for $10,00 on Amazon, but if they click here I will send it out for postage only. I want the lower value sales because Amazon will not give me the name of buyers. If they buy the book from my web site they are a good lead and we move the name to MailChimp for follow up, until the prospect calls us.

Why write your own business book?

Here is the easiest way to upgrade your clientele into good customers,  or to dominate a local niche like contractors.

Write a book about your best services and how they would impact your clients in the long term.   Here are the five reasons to write a book.

1. Expert positioning: By writing a book, accountants can establish themselves as experts in their field. It showcases their knowledge, experience, and expertise, which can build trust and credibility with potential clients. When people see that you've written a book on accounting, they are more likely to see you as a go-to resource for financial advice.

2. Increased visibility: Publishing a book can help accountants increase their visibility and reach a wider audience. It allows them to showcase their firm's unique approach, services, and values. By getting their ideas and insights out there, they can attract new clients who resonate with their message and who may not have otherwise discovered their firm.

3. Networking and partnerships: Writing a business book can open doors for accountants to network and collaborate with other professionals in their industry. It can lead to speaking engagements, media opportunities, and partnerships with other businesses. These connections can help expand their reach and bring in new clients.

4. Differentiation: In a crowded marketplace, writing a book can help accountants stand out from the competition. It demonstrates that they are committed to sharing their expertise and helping others. It gives them a unique selling point that can set them apart and make them more memorable to potential clients.

5. Long-term impact: A book has the potential to have a lasting impact on an accountant's reputation and business. Unlike other marketing efforts that may have a short shelf life, a book can continue to attract clients and generate leads for years to come. It can also serve as a valuable resource for existing clients, helping to deepen their relationship and trust with the accountant.

So, whether it's to establish yourself as an expert, increase visibility, build connections, differentiate from the competition, or leave a lasting impact, writing a business book can be a powerful tool for accountants to promote their firm.

I am a retired accountant.   I specialize in ghostwriting accounting books and ghostwriting financial services books for local professionals that want to upgrade their clientele.   Feel free to get one of our outlines and research reports on your industry or niche,  just click on my name in the banner,  and click what your most interested in.

How much does it cost to hire a ghostwriter?

Writing a good business book takes the average amateur writer between 1,000 and 2,000 hours.  Even worse, it takes three to forty years to get it done.  Using a financial ghostwriter means you’ll start touching those $ 50,000-a-year clients in a few months.

But what about the cost?

Asking a business ghostwriter that question is like a client asking how much you charge for a tax return.  It depends on how complicated the job is.  Since this is my ‘backyard.’ I will become your financial Ghostwriter at a fraction of what my competitors charge unless you buy the “Legacy Book” level of service.  That takes me around 600 hours to deliver. 

Here are the ranges for my work.

A.    The DYI model is to take a 40,000-word book I’ve already written and modify it to fit your needs.   The book is $3,500.  There are two add-ons. 1) Publishing, which means after you're done with your edits, we typeset,  cover art,  and get the ISBN done.  2) A professional editor will review your book line by line for errors in transitions, sentence structure and repetitive concepts at around $995 (if needed). 

B.     The Professional Book is our most popular service.  KC will interview you multiple times,  jointly work out an outline and then write your book over 30 to 90 days.  You will review and edit chapters as they are completed in collaboration with KC.  We will publish the book after an outside editor has examined the work.   We will get you 25 five-star reviews and get you on the Amazon best sellers list.   The investment is around $15,970.  $875 with the order,  $875 with the first four chapters, and 36 payments of $395.

This level of service includes 104 social media posts that link to an article on your website. At the end of one year,  start over and use the 104 posts again.  (Most writers charge $200 to $500 per article, but I include it.)   All posts lead back to your book, and request the client call you.

Then three years of support with monthly Zoom meetings with others in your industry (law, accounting, finance etc.) where we cover getting your book into the hands of grade “A” clients.  

The advertising you will post on social media to find leads with your book.

C.     The Legacy Book.  Our best work at $60,000, paid in 4 monthly installments of $15,000 each.   Six interviews with you and two with clients to ensure we get the book to match your needs.  I’ll write around  60,000 words.   Hard Cover with graphics.   This book is library quality, and we will get it distributed by all the major book wholesalers nationwide.   

The important point is that you should probably recover your investment in the first or second new client.  Then you’ll have your book for 30 – 100 years. Finance Ghostwriting is all I do,  so I have researched the most important topics already. 

It is possible to get a book done for a few thousand dollars.  A great book will be closer to what you see when you Google “How much does it cost to ghostwrite a book?”  Here is what you're going to find for a good book that touches grade “A” clients.

The average hourly fee for good ghostwriters is around $100.  Since all I do is write the same book repeatedly, I’ll be a fraction of the normal cost. On average, I write a chapter weekly and then send it to you for edits, additions and changes.  I’ll do about 90% of the work, but we want the book to sound like you.     

If you have been thinking about writing a book,  I can get it done in your name,  with your picture, title and stories.  You can be on Amazon in 30 to 90 days.

To set up a time to chat, use this link.

https://calendly.com/kc--79/30min 

Thank You

KC Truby Ghostwriter   520-834-0011

PS  There are a lot of Accounting ghostwriters and Financial ghostwriters on Fiver and Upwork.  They will advertise books as cheap as $500.  You will hate the work.   First, they do not know what they are talking about, and second, the syntax will be foreign to the American reader. 

 Our skill set is writing a book that will get your new clients.  It's all we do.

The business model for accountants who write a book

Ghostwriter Accountant

If you are looking for $500 tax returns or $400 a month, write-up a book will NOT work financially.  The low end of the market is buying your standard services without the effort required by writing a book.

However, if you want to become a high-value (read that as high-priced) authority in a niche, nothing works better than a book to bring in the big dog clients.

Examples of a niche might be…

1.    Tax Resolution cases in the $5,000+ range that will turn into business clients.

2.    Tax Planning clients will pay you $5,000 to $10,000 per year.

3.    Business advisory clients (outsourced CFO) will pay up to $1,000 per week.

4.    CAS clients in the $1,000 to $10,000 per month range. 

Your book will do better if you can name a specific benefit to people in a niche and geographic market.  For example: “How a Houston contractor can grow revenue by over one million a year and not get eaten alive by taxes.”     Subtitle: Real-life stories of Houston contractors who built multi-million-dollar firms. 

Tax resolution clients are the exception to the niche industry rule, but the geographic rule is critical to your success.  For example, “How to stand up to the IRS if you live in Houston.”   As a ghostwriter for accountants, that is one of my favorite titles. It works.

The best clients are not looking for the cheapest; they are looking for the top firm in town that understands their needs.    A book explains your best offer and puts you ahead of your competition. 

Part Two: Will writing a book bring in new clients? 

If you follow the marketing steps outlined in the outline, we give away for free, you could generate $100,000 to $250,000 in new annualized billing in the first year. In the second year and beyond, you may see these results double. Of course, none of that is guaranteed because the results are up to you. 

In my business between 1985 and 2005, I brought in $1,000,000 and $4,000,000 per year, directly attributed to my book marketing campaigns.  It worked so well that I retired at age 52.   But, out of boredom, I made a mistake and went into the software business in 2014, so I’m back to work today as a ghostwriter.  LOL.  

To get the outline and instructions on writing your book,  click on the category and ask for the free writing kit.

Tax Resolution         Tax Planning            Tax Reduction for Real Estate Investors      Cannabis

Thanks for reading,  I hope the outline and instruction kit work for you.

KC Truby, retired accountant Ghostwriter Accounting, Ghostwriter Tax

How to interview a ghostwriter for a business book

The 14 questions I recommend my customers ask me about ghostwriting tax planning or ghostwriting tax resolution books.    

1. Here is my idea.  KC, do you think it will fly?

2. How do I develop the main points I should include in my book in under an hour?

3. Can I use AI to write the chapters?

4. What are the best niches to write my book about?

5. How many words should my book be?

6. Do I have 100% editorial control over the final product?

7. What is the writing and editing process?

8. What's involved in getting my book published on Amazon?

9. How can I generate 3 to 5 referrals from my current clients using my book?

10. How long will it take to get a book done?

11. How do I find prospects that want to read my book?

12. What should I charge for my book? 

13. Should I deliver it as an E-book?

14. What are the three levels of investment to get someone to help me write my book?

Your book will instantly establish you as the foremost authority in your market.  If three professionals bid on a job, the one who wrote the book gets the client every time.  If you have thought about a book, let's chat.

If you would like to chat about your book go to this web page to review how a short no cost consultation works…   https://www.kctruby.com/cb4

How many hours does it take to write a book?

I get this question a lot.  I Googled it yesterday, and here is what I found.

You won't be charged 2,000 hours if I help you write your book.   It is a lot quicker for me as I only write for CPA’s  EA’s  Financial Planners,  Lawyers, Business Advisors,  Mortgage Brokers,  Real Estate Agents, and Business Brokers.    Personal Financial Services of some type.

That’s because I already have the research done for these categories.   Once you tell me about yourself and what you are trying to accomplish,  I can pull a lot of my previous experience into the job.    I get most books written between 50 and 150 hours.  But I do charge $100 an hour.    I’ll give you a flat rate before I start on your project.

Writing a book is a one-time event that will give you an asset you’ll use for the rest of your life.

If you are thinking about a book, I will gift you a half-hour consultation to review your idea and my opinion of its feasibility.    Use my calendar link to set up a time   https://calendly.com/kc--79/30min

Should you do a podcast?

I’m a giant believer in niche marketing.  You’ll remember that my goal is to build a list of 10,000 financial services professionals interested in writing their own books.   If I get a call from an MD or a contractor, I politely refuse to engage in the project.  

But once I have a financial service person on my list, I have to keep giving them value until one day they decide to become part of the 2% that will help my son and me get that horse riding stable.    By the way, he is only 13 years old right now,  but he is sure it is his life’s dream.  

In my case,  good value means,  “Here is another example of how books work.”  I can not depend on my newsletter or random emails to get through the clutter.  If I want the best clients to call me, I must put on a full-court press using every venue I can find.   

I’ve had bad luck at just saying, “BUY FROM ME.”  

As you know, a podcast is a voice-recorded storytime.  However, to keep it more interesting many podcasters will get someone to sit in the room with them and ask questions or make comments. I’ll leave your format to you, but here is my choice.  If you have a friend that is good at banter and thinks quickly on his feet, invite him to record a podcast or two with you to see how it works out.

Give your friend some controversial questions to ask you and have them pick your answer apart so that you have to justify what you are saying on the recording.

As the weekly topic, I would use the ‘chunk’ you currently feature in your social media post.

You can find editing software for free online, and you might post your podcast to as many venues as possible.   Send an announcement of your latest show to your in-house email list each week.

It will take some time to build a list of subscribers.  That is OK; the few who listen now are your best possible new clients.  

If you want 20 high-end clients (paying you $50,000 a year), you should shoot for 1,000 people on your in-house list who interact with you in one of the many ways you connect.

If you would like to chat about a book,  which I believe is the easiest way to impress the high-end client, feel free to set up a time for a free 30-minute consultation on how to get it done. 

Thank You

KC Truby

My calendar  https://calendly.com/kc--79/30min

Is it dangerous to hire a FB consultant on Fiver?

None of us have the time to figure out how to make online advertising work.  It's like my car breaking down and trying to figure out how to fix it myself.  I can pay $500 or experiment with the car for a week and then pay the $500 because I still would not have it fixed.

Online ads are complicated.  If you make errors, you can pay $50 to $100 for a lead, whereas a pro can generate leads for $5 to $20.   Plus, they will have your ads working in a few weeks where it might take you months to figure out how to make it work.   So I hired an expert.

But I thought hiring one of those $250-a-month guys offshore from Fiver would be clever. 

Here is what happened to me.  

In January, I hired a FB ad guy in Spain. To do Facebook ad work, they must have total access to your FB account with all passwords.   Within a few weeks, I started getting random friend request from all over the middle east.  People who would never do business with me.   I did not accept them, but I could not figure out why it was happening.

Then after two months, my FB ad account was locked down and canceled.  I logged on one morning and saw ISIS flags all over my company page.  A few minutes later, everything was a black screen.

When I talked to my Spanish guy about it, he played dumb and asked me to send him another month's fee so that he could fix it.   I was a little wary, so I said no.  FB let me keep my page but restricted all adv.  associated with my name or business or credit cards.    It has been six months, and I’m still kicked off from running any ad anywhere.

During this debacle, I also wanted to run more ads on LinkedIn, so once again I hired a Fiverr from Bangladesh.   I did not get weird friend requests this time, but after two weeks, LinkedIn canceled my account and deleted me from LinkedIn.   This was a disaster.   I had a 10-year history of contacts (over 5,000 followers) and one hundred endorsements from my work.  All gone.

I am a ghostwriter for accountants, tax preparers, financial planners and other personal financial service companies like mortgage brokers.   The most aggressive marketers in these categories are on social media.  Getting canceled has resulted in a 50% drop in new sales leads.   It has been a disaster.

My conclusion.

I will never provide my passwords or access to my accounts to anyone not working in my office.  I will never hire off the Internet again for anything sensitive.  I did not know the offshore people would get me into trouble.  I could not get FB or LinkedIn to reverse their decision.  

KC Truby

520-834-0011

How your book will make you a social media influencer – you are the star

If you have ever enjoyed a stand up comedian, you may have noticed that they get on a topic, tell a few stories and jokes about that topic and after one to five minutes move to the next topic.   They call that short skit a ‘chunk.’   You need 100 short stories to post to social media over the next year if you want to build yourself up as the local authority in your niche.  

So how do you get ‘chunks’

When you write your book, divide it into 12 to 20 chapters.   Then divide each chapter into 5 to 10 sub-points,   but explain the sub-point in a story.   That means you’ll have an easy 100 stand-alone article ‘chunks’ of between 200 and 500 words.  Those can be pushed to FB, LinkedIn, your Blog and other appropriate venues.

Don’t wait till your book is done to use your material.  Start posting your ‘chunks’ immediately.   I recommend two times a week.  My favorite place to post ‘chunks’ is on other people’s groups.  For example I post on Tax Resolution groups in Facebook.  I don’t advertise my services in those posts because I don’t want the moderator to cancel my access.  But I will tell you that I generate one-third of my leads from posting into groups.

Now when you post on your own FB or LinkedIn page, you can link to your book and ask for pre-orders.

Some accountants and other financial service professionals will put a web link at the bottom of the ‘chunk’ and take reservations on their website.  That way, you capture the names of people interested in your book.  You can email them later when the book is ready.

In our next blog, I’ll talk about podcasts and how you can use those ‘chunks’ again.

I wish we would have had social media back in 1985 when I first discovered how effective writing books was for a financial service provider. Today I run a ghostwriter service for accountants looking to build out a grade-A clientele made up of 20 high-end clients.

If you would like to chat about writing a book, I will gift you a 30-minute consultation.   My calendar link is https://calendly.com/kc--79/30min

Thanks

KC Truby

The top 50 SEO keywords for tax resolution

When you send emails, post to your blog, write web pages or push articles to social media, make sure to use at least 3 to 5 of these keywords somewhere in your text.

Good Luck

KC Truby retired accountant, ghostwriter

The formula for finding twenty $50,000 clients over the next 3 years.

This is my personal story.  But the formula works for any business financial service.

I ghostwrite books for b2b professionals looking to garner high-end clients.  I want to write 200 more books and then quit.  I’ll have enough money in the bank to never work again.  My goal is to open a horse riding school with my son.  I’ll need a few million more to get it done.

My two big questions are

How quickly can I get 200 new customers with a lifetime value of $12,000 each into my business?  In the ghostwriting business, my lifetime value is lower than financial services.

How much will I have to invest in advertising to find the 200?

 I already know from being in business for a few years that the cost to find and sell one financial advisor ANYTHING is around $1,000.   So I know up front it will cost me $200,000 over the next several years.   I want to spend that money as fast as my business can deliver. 

Now I don’t have $200,000 to spend on advertising today,  but I’ll be able to pay for it as I make sales.  The good news is that some clients are ready to buy before they ever hear from us.  Those are called low-hanging fruit.  We’re thankful because they keep us in business and feed our advertising kitty until the company takes off.

So here is my formula (by the way, it is the same formula for any financial service business)

I know from making sales calls that 20% of the financial advisors in America would like to write a book.  However,  I also know that only one out of ten are willing to pay someone like me to get it done.  So my market is 2% of the aggressive and successful firms in the USA.  My problem is I don’t know who the 2% are.   Hell, most of the buyers don’t know they are going to write a book until I talk to them.

So here is the simple formula to get off my computer and on horseback.

If I divide the target number of clients (200) by the number of people willing to pay for a ghostwriter so they can get their book done, I have 200/ 2% = 10,000.   That means I must become a known expert among 10,000 potential customers – to sell 200 books.

I must get 10,000 people into my database who read my emails or view my social media post.  Over the next two or three years of constantly reminding them that I am the authority on books for business building,  I will get 2% to call and buy.  The number is the same for all financial services.

I expect to spend an average of $20 to get each person in the hopper, and it takes 50 people to get one customer.   That is how I came up with my cost per sale of $1,000. 

So here is what I focus on – targeting my advertising to people capable of paying for a book and getting them into my database.   Then I send them copies of my own book,  post to social media and try to get in front of those people when they attend conventions or conferences.

On average, I add 15 people a day to my list, and we remove five because they go six months without reading an email or clicking on some offer we make.  That means it will take me under three years to get 10,000 real prospects.  That’s longer than I want, but once I reach 200 more customers,  I’ve done enough for this lifetime.  I’m out.   (I’m a big believer in establishing your OUT number as soon as possible.)

Surprisingly,  these are the exact ratios for accountants,  tax pros and most other financial services. 

If you would like to chat about writing your own book, my calendar is https://calendly.com/kc--79/30min

Thank You

KC Truby retired accountant and ghostwriter

Work a niche to build a boutique clientele paying you $50,000+ a year.

The smaller your niche, the easier it is to make an impact.  Shooting for every prospective client is like shooting a Buffalo with a BB gun.  They won’t even know you're there.   You need a bigger gun or a smaller target market if you want to stop wasting your marketing efforts.

You have limited resources and can not ‘get 'em all.’  Pick a targeted market that needs your services and focus on making yourself the local authority.   Over the next year, you’ll see a dramatic increase in the number of grade-A clients on the books.  Over the next few years, you’ll have 20 of the best clients imaginable.  That means fewer employees,  less chaos and higher profits.

Let's take a sample city like Tucson, AZ; there are 3,030 licensed contractors in the general area.  You can go to a mailing list service like Data Axel or any other online and buy all 3k for 15 cents each.   

 But don’t buy them all. My guess is the guy who is billing $400,000 a year cannot pay you $50,000, so why bother?  The only way you’ll ever build a high-end practice is to stop taking low-end clients TODAY. The big guys are out there. They are better clients than small builders, and they will pay more.    

Ask the list broker to sort the list down to those doing between one and ten million in revenue.  When I did the sort on Data Axel today, it came back with 1,089.   THOSE are my target clients.  

So how do you sell those big boys?

Do something no one else in town has done to position yourself as the local authority.

1.       Write a book like ‘How contractors can slash their tax bills.

2.       Printing and mailing will cost under $5.00 each – send out 100 a month for free.

3.       Hire a Fiverr to look up all 1,089 names on Facebook and LinkedIn and connect with them.

4.       Capture emails when possible, and send updates about your work once a month.

5.       Post 200-word chunks from your book on all the social media sites.  The connections will see it.

6.       Buy advertising about your book that targets contractors only and in your county only. 

7.       Use the book to get invited to speak at local trade groups.  They love authors.

8.       Find out who else your best contractors do business with.  What bankers, insurance agencies, and other financial-related professionals?  Gift your book to those people.  You will get referrals to their other clients.    Put these people on your social media as well.

9.       Have a special page on your website that addresses high-net-worth contractors, and put that URL into your book and your ads and emails.   Put your mobile phone on that one page.  Only the 1,089  will see your number, and you want them to call without leaving messages and such.    

In under a year, you will be the most famous advisor in town in that niche of 1,089.  Every year 20% of the people in business want to change their advisor.  You only need 2% of the niche to build your dream firm. Your book proves you understand the problems of the multi-million dollar contractor.  It says you are the authority.  They will call you and already know what you want to do for them.  Easy sales.

Let's chat if you want to discuss what's involved in writing a book.  I’ll gift you a 30-minute consultation on how to get your book done fast and cheap.    Click below to access my calendar. 

https://calendly.com/kc--79/30min