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Amelia and her husband run a landscape construction business in Melbournes Eastern suburbs called Whitaker Landscape Constructions. She enrolled into a Xero Training Course with EzyLearn while doing a Cert IV in Bookkeeping and Accounting at Chisholm because she wanted more practical skills using accounting software.

What she discovered was how detailed and in-depth EzyLearn training courses and workbooks really are. OK, that’s enough of the boasting – here are some things Amelia said she likes about using Xero in her husband’s business.

Steve can see what is owing & what’s overdue on the go without having to call Amelia

The thing that Amelia liked the most is that she can show her husband how to do some simple things on his phone or tablet while he is out working on site. He uses Xero to do quotes and invoices and capture receipts using Hubdoc while she does the bookkeeping work back at their home office.

These tasks are all covered in the Certificate in Xero Beginners Course 512.

Xero allows him access wherever he is. He can also see what is owing & what’s overdue on the go without having to call me.

Amelia Whitaker

When it comes time for invoicing and following up on payments (We have a detailed credit management course if you need one), Amelia likes the little touches such as seeing if a customer has “viewed” their invoice. It means that she might need to jog their memory with a call or text message to make sure they have received it and acknowledge that the money is owed.

The fact that both of them have access and visibility to the accounts means that there is no “lag” in communications if someone has to wait for information from the other person.

Benefits of using Whitaker Landscape Constructions

During my conversation with Amelia I learnt a few features and benefits that their business offers their clients. Our conversation turned to marketing and which digital marketing methods they use to find clients – she mentioned that she keeps herself busy with the marketing and promotion of the business.

She reminded me of Christina from Glenmore Park in Sydney who is very busy earning money for her family!

Amelia then mentioned that her husband will only take on one project at a time I didn’t think too much about it until I related that “feature” to the benefits. It seems like a great “feature” but then I realised just how many benefits come from it, including:

1. The job will get done quicker
2. Less waiting while no one is on the job
3. Less communication issues because any issues can be addressed with Steve when he is on site every day
4. No issues trying to keep track of expenses for each project
5. Design questions can be discussed and implemented as they occur

If you can think of any other benefits, please list them down here!

1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

Now, I’m going to push the boundary a bit because that’s what marketing people do. These are also some benefits:

1. The client will sleep better at night knowing the job will be completed faster
2. There will be less safety risk with dirt, fittings, tools etc
3. The clients wife (or husband) will be able to boast about how quickly the build is coming along
4. The client can start planning an event in their newly upgrade backyard
5. The client can take advantage of current sales to buy furniture for their new deck

The benefits also relate to reason the client wanted the work done in the first place!

Amelia always like to send their customers a statement at the end of each project to show them exactly what work was done and when they made their progress payments. I think that is a nice way showing all the work that has been done and it matches the quote for work they originally set out to do.

Xero is so user friendly that Steve even accesses Xero whilst away on holidays.

Amelia Whitaker

Go and check out their website and make sure you contact them if you need landscaping construction work done.

How Features and Benefits Relate to Marketing

In an attempt to better explain how detailed our training materials are and how thorough the practical tasks are I have taken a closer look at the relationship between features and benefits and when to use them in your marketing.

This is the list of benefits that I came up with. Let me know what you think?

1. You have a learning reference for life
2. Step-by-step break down of every business transactions
3. Free refreshers whenever you need within 12 months
4. Learn at your own pace
5. Reach out when you get stuck
6. Watch how to perform tasks from an experienced instructor
7. Repeat the Instructor videos as often as you want
8. Learn in your own time
9. It’s like working for a hairdresser, electrical business and cafe because of our case studies
10. Understand tricky transactions
11. Get a higher paying job
12. Be able to work from home
13. Save money on petrol
14. work more flexible hours
15. Choose your own clients (employer)
16. Save on car wear and tear
17. Reduce your parking costs
18. Save money buying lunch out
19. Get a wider range of accounting skills
20. Increased confidence talking about bookkeeping with employers
21. Increase confidence applying for jobs
22. Better understanding of the differences between MYOB, Xero and QuickBooks
23. Get Certified
24. Get discovered online by employers

We design our courses to take students on a learning journey where they use practical tasks to learn about bookkeeping as well as how to use MYOB & Xero to perform bookkeeping tasks.

• See some of our Case Studies, and
• How we deliver training and support students

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