I love the enthusiasm and energy of brand-new business owners with the talent and smarts to provide excellent service to clients. You may hear that “business will come to you through word of mouth”. This is not the whole picture and sitting back and waiting for it to happen is a mistake.
What Are the Tactics That Work to Get My First Clients?
From almost 20 years in business and working with a wide variety of entrepreneurs, here are my top 5 strategies:
Find strategic partners. Who else would your ideal client be likely to use? Create relationships with those folks to foster referrals. If you’re a home organizer, get to know the architects, contractors, and interior decorators your clients might use.
Consider sub-contracting. If you’re a home stager, sub-contract under a move manager. If you’re an email marketer, speak with marketing agencies who can use your services as a sub-contractor on their team.
Interview competitors. Do you know a pro who does what you do but is over-loaded with projects? It may seem odd to network with someone who traditionally was considered a competitor, but if they are not taking in new clients, they would love to refer extra business out to someone else.
Go networking at high value groups and organizations. This could be a time waster if you’re not careful so do your research and visit a couple of times before committing to any membership. If your ideal prospects or strategic partners are members of this organization, then it’s a great place to get to know them.
Use social media. Choose 1 or 2 of the best channels where your audience is likely to be and then take the time to engage, not just post. Use the groups, DMs, and comment on others’ posts. Because this takes time, it’s best to limit yourself to the one best social channel where you can meet the most appropriate people.
What Should I Say When Networking with Prospects?
What you’re not going to say is, “Hi, I’m Mary. I’m a web designer. Do you need a new web site?” While you do want to approach clients, the best method is to get to know them as people first. Sure, this person may be a prospect but are they a good prospect? Not everyone’s personality meshes with yours; so even though you want new clients, be choosy and only go into a transaction with someone you will get along with. It’s horribly unpleasant to work on a project for a client who is crazy, nasty, rude, or all of the above! I should know, I’ve been there. Lesson learned!
Instead, when you’re meeting new networking people, ask them to tell you about them first.
- How did they get into their business?
- What do they love about it?
- What do they hate about it?
- Is there a challenge they’re having that you can help with at all?
- Are you able to introduce them to a certain type of professional in your network?
Show genuine interest, ask questions, and take notes.
How Do I Follow Up?
After establishing the initial relationship, ask them to follow you on social media or say yes to your newsletter or point them to your blog. That keeps them in touch with information and tips you share.
Follow up with a personal email quarterly, asking to schedule a personal networking call (or meet for coffee) to catch up and see what’s new. If you ask for the sale upon meeting someone, you will likely get a “no” and that’s it. But if you create a relationship, you’re opening the door to their referral network.
How Can I Help You?
If you need help and are reaching decision exhaustion and entrepreneurial loneliness, it may be time for you to enter a supportive group environment. Grow Your Business Step by Step is a biz dev club that provides you with proprietary business development materials, the guidance of an experienced business strategist, and a crew of fellow entrepreneurs who experience what you do and are ready to help each other on a steady path of growth. Running all aspects of a business alone is madness. Even when you have a team working with your clients, the buck stops with you and it’s lonely at the top. A peer advisory board has helped millions of business owners. Here’s how you can benefit as well.