How I Accidentally Discovered The £10,000+ Client Secret (And Why Most Accountants Are Missing Out)

Look, I'll be brutally honest with you.

Ten years ago, I was just like most accountants.

Doing year-end accounts, some bookkeeping, filing tax returns, and hoping clients would come back next year.

Average client fees? About £1,500.

Working long hours for not much reward.

Sound familiar?

Then in 2014, everything changed with one conversation.

I was having a year-end meeting with a client when he dropped this bombshell:

"Reza, our finance manager Sue has just left. Do you know anyone who could replace her?"

I didn't know anyone.

But because we'd just adopted Xero, I had a thought...

"We could do it for you."

He looked puzzled. "Really? How?"

I explained that with cloud software, we could handle everything Sue was doing - bookkeeping, management accounts, cash flow, payroll - the lot.

"How much would it cost?"

"Well, how much were you paying Sue?"

"£35,000 plus holidays, sick pay, pension, all the usual costs."

I quoted £25,000.

"Deal."

Honestly? I didn't know how we'd do it at the time.

But I figured for that fee, we'd work it out as we went.

And we did.

That one client is still with us today, and it's become one of our most profitable relationships.

But here's what I really discovered...

This wasn't just about one client.

This was about a completely different business model.

Instead of doing year-end work that clients see as an obligation, we were becoming essential to running their business.

They couldn't do without us.

We moved from low reliance to high reliance.

From obligation to necessity.

The results?

By 2017, I was so convinced this was the future that we resigned as auditors - giving up £60,000 worth of fees.

I hired someone from industry to head up our VFO department.

We replaced those fees within 6 months.

In 2021, I launched Capture Accounting using the same model.

Our average client fees are now over £10,000.

We work with fewer clients but earn more money.

Here's what I learned:

Clients don't want to deal with multiple people. They don't want things falling through the cracks between in-house staff and external accountants.

They want one contact.

They want someone to take care of their finances so they can focus on running their business.

They want access to what feels like their own in-house finance team - but without the cost, risk, and hassle of employment.

That's the Virtual Finance Office.

And it's not just me getting these results.

My members are using the exact same system and brochures to win clients paying £15,000, £26,000, £51,500, and even £180,000.

Most of them are sole practitioners or small firms.

They're not doing anything revolutionary - they're just positioning what they already do differently.

The problem is this: Most accountants are still stuck thinking like accountants.

They talk about "bookkeeping services" instead of "finance function management."

They compete on price instead of value.

They position themselves as a cost instead of an investment.

And that's exactly why I created this system.

What You'll Be Able To Do With The VFO System

Win High-Value Clients:

• Get paid MORE for what you do by positioning yourself as a Virtual Finance Office - not just another bookkeeper or accountant
  
  
• Win bigger clients who need full finance function support by having a system that shows them the true value of what you offer
  
  
• Get paid MORE from clients by anchoring them to in-house costs - when they see hiring costs £100,000+ your £15,000 fee looks like a bargain
  
  
• Wow your prospects by being able to present professional brochures IN the meeting - no more explaining why bookkeeping is valuable
  
  
• Get positioning out of your HEAD and into a proven system that anyone in your team can follow and remove YOU as the sales bottleneck
  
  
• Stop competing on price by repositioning bookkeeping as finance function management - much higher perceived value

Convert More Prospects:

• Show prospects the exact cost of hiring a Finance Director (£120k), Finance Manager (£80k), and Bookkeeper (£30k) in-house vs working with you
  
  
• Use proven anchoring techniques that make your fees seem reasonable compared to employment costs, risks, and hassle
  
  
• Take prospects through a structured presentation that builds value before you reveal your price
  
  
• Quote confidently using a tested pricing framework instead of plucking numbers from thin air

Here’s what you’ll get when you join the PAC