As an accountant or bookkeeper, you’re one of the business advisors small businesses trust the most. Your clients look to you for advice on ways to reach their business and financial goals. One of growing areas you can offer your clients more value, whilst strengthening your proposition as a trusted advisor, is through app advisory.

When your clients use apps, you both reap the benefits. According to our research, practices who provide app advice grow revenue 60% faster and SMBs who use cloud apps grow revenue 30% faster.

Yet, whilst almost a third of our accounting and bookkeeping partners are actively advising clients on apps, another 52% are interested in doing so, but are unsure how to get started. That’s where Xero’s latest resources come in - to help you get started on your journey to success with app advisory.

The right tools to help you get started

This year, at Xerocon Brisbane, we’ll be introducing you to new resources and insights to empower you to become advisors of the future through app advisory, including a session I’ll be presenting on day one: Recommending the right apps for your clients. I’ll also be sharing some exciting new features and tools to make app advisory even easier, and how to use these alongside Xero’s App Playbook series.

Whether you’re coming to Xerocon or not, these resources will arm you with the knowledge to begin your app advisory journey and feel confident recommending Xero-integrated apps to your clients.  

Start with our App Advisory Playbook. It shows you how you can get started on the road to success with app advisory. Whether you’re brand new to app advisory, or have been doing it for some time, it’s where we recommend you start your journey. It takes you through the process step-by-step. There’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach and we detail three levels of app advisory, from providing app recommendations only, to full app advisory; including implementation, training and ongoing support for your clients. Plus we let you know what’s required by your practice at each level, so you can choose the one that’s right for you.‍

An industry focus

We’re also bringing you the tools to strengthen your value proposition as an industry specialist. After completing the app advisory playbook, you can move on to our three industry specific app playbooks, which cover trade and construction, professional services, and retail. They explain the most common needs and pain points for these specific industries, and match them against the features of Xero and the apps available in the Xero app marketplace, making choosing the right apps easy.

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