Seriously, how do you know? It seems everyone in the service industry screams at you that they are the “experts” or they have “excellent customer service!” Surely you have some preconceived notions of what characteristics or traits a great bookkeeper should have…
So, what are they?
From our perspective here at ShaBro Alternative Office Solutions there are 8 characteristics or traits to look for to help determine if you “got yourself a keeper” or if maybe you should start to consider a change. IF you don’t already have a bookkeeper to help you from the dollars down to the pennies then please consider the following:
8 Characteristics / Traits of an AMAZING Bookkeeper
An amazing bookkeeper must first have the knowledge, skills and abilities to “get the job done” and done efficiently. Sure, you can make their job a little easier or a lot harder depending on how good you are about getting them your materials BUT once your amazing bookkeeper has everything in front of them they should be able to do everything needed to help you prepare for the best scenarios possible regarding taxation AND help you see where every penny is going.
An amazing bookkeeper must be able to listen attentively. They should also be able to craft the follow-up questions for you to help them best understand your business and what makes your business perhaps a little unique from “similar” businesses. From our experience, no two businesses are alike or run the same even if they are in the same service arena.
An amazing bookkeeper must be very detail-oriented. Face it, you may be detail-oriented when it comes to handling your clients but maybe NOT so detail-oriented when it comes to handling your own stuff. But your bookkeeper must be because you are talking about where all of your P&L items are accounted for as well as helping to minimize your exposure to taxation. Yes, “the devil is in the details”. And what about that P&L? Your bookkeeper must have the ability to build a profit and loss statement from your top line sales down to your bottom line profit and everything in between.
An amazing bookkeeper must have communication skills. These skills include “listening” but also go further to include being responsive to your emails, calling you back, etc. They should also be able to give you a list of things as complete as possible up front. CAVEAT: Often, an amazing bookkeeper is made to look LESS amazing because they are amazing BUT cannot get the materials from you, their client, or get responses to their emails or return calls, SO be sure to help your bookkeeper BE amazing by helping in this critical area all you can.
An amazing bookkeeper will meet with you monthly to help keep you on track and review your numbers with you. You’ve heard the saying “death by a thousand cuts”, well, if you have a ton of loose change slipping through the cracks and your amazing bookkeeper FINDS these cracks then at least with your monthly meetings you can know about them and take corrective action accordingly. Conversely, you may find opportunities to fine tune certain things and help bring in more dollars while also keeping the loose change from slipping through the cracks.
An amazing bookkeeper will also be able to help you set goals. Yes, “S.M.A.R.T.” goals. These should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timed. These goals should ultimately align with your current financial position and facilitate growth. Again, there is some work incumbent upon you to be sure you have allowed your trusted partner to learn your business and identify what opportunities there are for improvements. With well-established benchmarks or industry norms combined with unique characteristics within your business; you and your amazing bookkeeper should be able to set goals.
An amazing bookkeeper should be able to set actionable steps to progress toward your goals as discussed above. During your monthly meetings you will review your numbers, progress toward goals and make any course adjustments needed. They should also be your “accountability partner” along the way.
An amazing bookkeeper will have the ability to tell you “No”. Finding a service professional who will look at a client and say “No” when they see something that may cause things to go off the cliff or cost their client expended time, emotions or money. Hearing “No” may just help save you some business “pain” and your amazing bookkeeper will know when to alert you to certain pitfalls along the way.
There are probably more things, but you get the point. Please understand these amazing bookkeepers are rare. Also, be aware you get what you pay for with service providers and amazing bookkeepers are worth every penny you pay them. As a matter of fact, an amazing bookkeeper could actually pay for themselves.
Call ShaBro today and learn what an amazing bookkeeper can do for you and your business.