subject: 5 Ways Accountants Use Gotomeeting [print this page] Go To Meeting is a communications service provided by Citrix. It allows you to easily share your computer screen with someone remotely. The service cost $49 a month and allows up to 16 people on one shared conference call at a time. At our marketing and technology seminars we have shared the following 5 ways we use GoToMeeting in our firm.
1.Make a weekly or monthly appointment to meet "on line" with the clients you do full service bookkeeping for. Then log onto GoToMeeting and review their financial statements. Bring the statement up on your screen and explain to the owner what he is doing right and how it effected his business since last week. Focus on the positive and encourage the client to do more of the right things before your next meeting.
2.Train your staff. When you see an error in staff work or want to introduce new technology or marketing processes, set a GoToMeeting with your staff so they can access your screen from their office or from home or at a clients office. Then click the record button as you present your management information. Not only will everyone be able to make the meeting (even those home sick with children) but you will have a permanent recording of your training for future use.
3.Sales presentations "" we make one on one and group presentations every day to prospective clients. It is true that seeing someone face to face is more effective, but if I can present to 10 people a day from my office while the traveling accountant can only get to three appointments I will close a lot more business. You can also reach remote partners or investors, if your prospective client has partners or investors that are not going to be in the office when you present your services, invite those people to participate on line.
4.Vendors are easier to work with if they can see your screen as you explain what you are looking for. I bring up art work for flyers, web page designs and sales letters that my vendor can review while were talking about services we need. I can also look at proofs and samples in real time. Saving me time.
5.Teleconferences to train customers: The more your clients know about your services the more they will buy. One of the easiest ways to reach customers is to hold a short 20 minute informative training class on how your service can be used more effectively. Be sure to use real life examples in your presentation.
For example: In the middle of tax season I got a call from Sue Schnitz CPA from Ohio telling me she was in Las Vegas on vacation with her husband and out of the snow. It was t he first time she had a day off during tax season in her entire life. She went on to tell me she was following our advice at a recent seminar and using GoToMeeting to manage her staff and do tax return interviews from the pool outside her hotel room. WOW, you have got to love modern technology.
