Quick books?

[googus]

I am having trouble logging in expense in quick books like ink, marketing materials, etc. I went to general but when I place a dollar amount it auto put a credit in the line below. Can anyone give some light. Also I am getting a bit discourage it has been two week and 600 flyer and not one call. I also have magnets on truck. Greg

[jymie]

Lawn care business tips

Where are you located?

__________________


. http://www.lunchesruslawncare.com

[googus]

Charlotte,nc

[phouse65]

Don't get discouraged with flyer call backs. People are still calling me with my first flyers that I have put out three years ago. I would suggest putting more flyers out. It is a numbers game, put out 100 and get one call. Put out 20,000 and get 200 calls. Put more flyers out!!! Good luck and keep your head up.

[FaccLndscpng]

googus:
I'm not sure exactly what you're asking about QB. How do you input the expenses? My accountant set my company profile up and he has us going through the "Write Checks" section. From there choose the vendor then the categories should be there for you to just input the amount and date;
Example:

Staples
"Office supplies"
"Office Furniture"

I don't want to go to far without info on how your set up. So let me know and I will see if I can help. It may be tough in the beginning but once everything is set up in the system everything just flies expenses, invoices, proposals are done in just minutes.

[dpld]

Originally Posted by googus

Also I am getting a bit discourage it has been two week and 600 flyer and not one call. I also have magnets on truck.

Greg

what other forms of advertising are you using?
if you are relying on only flyers and magnets on your truck to bring you work in then you might find yourself having a real long year.

do you have a actual business line? if so are you in the phone book?
i know most people don't use the phone book anymore but it makes your business accessible through directory assistance as well as by being in the phone book it will also get you some secondary listings on the internet.

do you have a web site and if so are you listed in google, bing, yahoo and other search engines?
if not you are missing out big time because 90% of your exposure to prospective clients is through a strong internet presence.

i hate to be the debbie downer but flyers and post cards are a waste of time and 98% of what you send out ends up in the garbage before it is even read.
everyday people come home to a mailbox filled with junk mail and most people chuck it in the trash without reading it and yes, flyers and post cards are junk mail.
i am not saying you will not get any response from them but overall the end result will not equal the effort.

to give you one small example, i been using google adwords as one of the many methods i use to drum up business and the adwords i only started doing recently.
i started the adwords campaign on feb 23 and as of today sinnce then my web site has had over 400 views and i got 42 phone calls from it for a total cost to date of a whopping $32.00 and i never left my office and got a total of 15 minutes of my life invested into it.
i converted those 42 phone calls into 26 new customers.

i am not saying the adwords is gonna end all your troubles as well as it is not going to be as effective all year long but it has its place and works in conjunction as 1 part of a well rounded advertising campaign.

when promoting your business you need to take full advantage of every means available to you and not rely on any one thing to make your phone ring.

[googus]

I believe you might be correct with writing checks. I was just trying to use a general entry.


Ok as an example.

I went and got ink for flyers. It cost 30.00 at staples.
Then write a check to staples and category it?

I jus want to track expenses to write off.


As a note I got two calls today with two quotes set up. I also got a job interview set up. Boy all in one day. I Also might be pulling the trigger on the Exmark 30in.

[FaccLndscpng]

Yes we were taught to use the "Write Checks"

Set up all vendors (staples, sunoco, sprint...) you purchase anything from (gas, supplies, equipt...).

Under the "Additional Info" Tab choose "Supplier" or "Equipment" whatever you have you may need to tailor them to your business.

Under the "Account Prefill" Tab choose the expense(s) for this vendor. You will have to tailor these to your business as well but some examples are (Office supplies, Equipment rental, Auto Insurance...)

once your vendors are set up, go to "write checks" type the vendor, date, amount, and the expense accounts automatically drop down for you to choose from.

As time goes on you can create more or tailor them to your needs.

If that confused you let me know I will see if I can re word it.

[FaccLndscpng]

Also, "write checks" isn't just for checks, this is where I was always confused before we did the QB training, its for any transaction that "debits" your bank account.

for checks: when you write a check make sure you match that check number in your QB under "check number"

for Debit Cards: put a "DB" in under check number

for Automatic Withdraws: put a "AW" in under check number.

also it makes book keeping alot easier to write yourself checks as "owners draw" as opposed to tapping MAC.

[GreenBlue]

Absolutely awesome information, I found this to be very helpful. Wish you the best on finding new accounts soon and taking your business off the ground.