Price vs. Outcomes: Escaping the Bookkeeping Bargain Bin

All of a sudden, my Facebook feed is littered with “Books Done for You” ads only $197. The next one shouts $75 a month. I am expecting the “Books for a Buck” offer next. It is a race to the bottom. These ads shrink our craft to a price tag.

I watch people type “Info” in the comments. I yell at my phone, “Please don’t!” Then I pause and ask, why are business owners attracted to this?

Because we have failed in our message. Those robots are our competition unless we choose a different game.

How do we change this?

Picture your best client. The one who calls before a big decision. Why do they keep you? Hold that answer. We will use it in a minute.

What machines do. What we do.

A bot can pull bank feeds. An algorithm can sort rules. A robo‑bookkeeper can spit out a P&L. Useful. Fast. Cheap. But can a piece of software ask, “Why did revenue dip in week three?” Can an AI tool say, “Do not buy that truck yet. Let us check cash first.” No. Automation does tasks. We drive outcomes.

Price tells a story. Make it your story.

Do you list services by accounts and transactions? Do you charge by the hour? If yes, you invite buyers to compare you to a machine. That is their game. Try this. Price the result: sales tax filed on time with zero drama, a 13‑week cash view on one page, an owner report with plain words, not jargon. When you price the change - not the clicks - you change the story.

Quick question. If someone read your pricing page today, would they see tasks or outcomes? If it is tasks, write three new tiers. Name them by the result. Give each tier a promise and a deadline. Premium is a message. Cheap is a message. Which one do you want to send?

Unreasonable hospitality beats reasonable pricing.

Cheap bookkeeping sells “enough.” You sell care. Can you send a new client a Welcome Kit? A note in your handwriting? How about a QR code to a two‑minute video on how to use your portal. None of that is hard. But is anyone else doing it?

Every quarter, schedule an insight call. Make it 80 percent forward‑looking: three wins, three risks, three moves. End with, “What will we decide?” People stay where they feel seen. An autopilot app cannot do that.

Tie the numbers to a life win.

Owners do not wake up craving a perfect P&L, balance sheet and tax return. They want what the numbers make possible. Tell the story beyond the ledger. Here is an example to adapt to your own:

College on autopay. A contractor wanted to fund his grandchildren. We carved out 3 percent of every paid invoice into a 529 plan. When revenue increased, we nudged it to 5 percent. Now he forwards the monthly email to his kids: “Your children’s future is funded.” That is more than bookkeeping. That is a legacy.

Ask yourself, what specific wins have you helped for your clients? Tell the story. Talk about those wins in your proposal. How working with you made the difference. You will make a difference for them, too. Can a Bot do that?

Use AI to out‑serve, not under‑charge.

Yes, the low‑cost ads brag about automation. Good. Let them. You use AI to make your work better. Machine‑first. Human‑final. Let an AI assistant draft variance notes. Let a script suggest KPIs. You add the judgment. Here is the key. Do not cut your fee just because you saved time. Raise it! Use the time to think. Clients pay for thinking.

Disrupt the offer. Not your margins.

You don’t sell bookkeeping. You sell a system. Call it your Financial Insight System. Include the information the owner wants to know. Ask them what is important to them! Add service levels: same‑day replies for CFO tier, next business day for core tier. Get creative with your ideas. Make bold guarantees. Simple. Trackable. Brave.

Think back to that client you pictured at the start. Why do they keep you? Because you reconciled faster than last month? Not one bit. You make their world calmer and clearer. Put that front and center.

Five moves to do now

1. Rewrite your pricing page around outcomes and deadlines. Remove hours. Use three clear tiers with a strong anchor.

2. Create a two‑page Client Experience map for the first 90 days. Share it in every proposal. Confidence sells.

3. Launch a Quarterly Insight Review. One page. Three wins. Three risks. Three decisions. Add one personal goal to track.

4. Make an AI checklist: what is machine‑first, what is human‑final, and what new insight you will deliver because you gained time.

5. Add one hospitality touch per client per quarter. A short thank‑you video, a referral spotlight, or a tiny gift tied to a milestone.

What to say when someone asks about the $75 ad

Try this: “If the lowest price is your first goal, there are cheaper options. Our clients choose us because they want clean books, weekly cash visibility, and a forward‑looking discussion each quarter. That focus saves them far more than our fee. Would you like to see what that means for you?” Calm. Clear. Your agenda.

One last thing. The market will always find a lower price. You set a higher standard. You are not competing with bots, algorithms, or robo‑bookkeepers unless you act like one. Choose to be different and outstanding. Tell a better price story. Offer care people can feel. Use AI to amplify your wisdom. Specialize and create offers that are easy to buy and hard to compare. Tie it to a human win. Start today. When you see me at Scaling New Heights, we will celebrate your success success together!