Part 1: Start Conversations
Considering the way things are going right now, with COVID, I felt like it was time for me to start another video series on how to get more business. I’m going to tell you how to find potential clients, how to convert them into actual clients, and how to get real value out of them over a long period of time.
Today, we’re going to talk about clients. If you’re struggling for business with the current lockdowns, it makes it really hard to meet face-to-face with people, but there are still strategies that you can use to get in front of people to make more offers.
That is the foundation of building a bigger business: it’s all about building relationships and making more offers. So, without further ado, let’s go ahead and roll into it!
1. Finding Good Clients
Today’s topic is exciting for me, because this is something that I’ve had to master over my 14 years in business as an entrepreneur: learning how to get myself in front of people and make more offers.
If you want to do that, you have to be able to find good clients. A lot of people miss that; they get themselves in front of just anybody because they are desperate for business in the beginning. And I don’t want you coming from that perspective. I want you to come from the perspective that you are the authority. You are the professional in your field, and you deserve clients that will treat you with respect.
So, where are these people? Well, whether you’re a web designer, a YouTuber, or any kind of creator, you need to put yourself in front of people who spend money on advertising.
The people spending money on advertising are hungry. Those are the people you want. They know that if you can deliver them results and give them an ROI, they will keep spending money with you.
Those hungry clients are on all different kinds of platforms: Thumbtack, Google, Facebook Ads, etc. They are spending money on advertising every single day — millions of dollars. And these are opportunities for you to get in front of.
2. Pay For Conversations
I could go in-depth about some of the deeper strategies you can use in terms of prospecting, but for the sake of time, I’m going to cover the basics here. There are only 3 ways to acquire a customer: hire a salesperson to go out and get them, use word-of-mouth, pay for customers (that’s advertising).
If you’re going after a high-ticket client, you should be prepared to spend some money. The clients that we have, for example, range between $5,000 and $20,000 a month. To acquire a client like that costs upwards of $1,000.
There are thousands of industries you can go after, whether it’s HVAC, pool cleaning, appliance repair, etc. Find someone you can put yourself in front of, and ask about their services. The key is to search for those industries on Google and find the companies that are spending money on advertising.
When you do a Google search, for example, “carpet cleaners near me,” you’ll see 3 top listings, you’ll see businesses posted on Maps, and you’ll see organic listings below. Those lower listings didn’t spend money on advertising to get there. But the businesses in the top results did — those are the people you want to go after, because they’re spending on advertising.
Now, when you hire someone like a carpet cleaner for their services, what you’re really doing is paying for a conversation. It’s an opportunity to have a face-to-face conversation. Develop a dialogue about what they do and what you do. That’s how relationships are built.
3. Build Relationships
This is my personal strategy: I pick a niche I want to go after, get quotes from different people, and have conversations with them. The chances of reaching a potential hungry client are pretty high. You don’t have to push a sales pitch; just ask them about what they do and if they love it.
Remember, it only costs around $80 to have that conversation. If they tell you “no,” no problem. You can learn a lot just by having conversations with people who deal in sales and other services. So, just think about it from that perspective.
Most businesses on Thumbtack and other lead generation sites are generating shared leads. 99% of the time, those leads are going to 2 or 3 other competitors. So, if they called you first, there’s a high chance that they are hungry and passionate. They value you as a customer more than other people. If you’re a lead generator or a marketer, you can actually help them a lot.
What you have to offer these businesses is a better option than Thumbtack or Home Advisor. You’re offering them a chance to build their brand and name, and to stop competing for the 7% of customers who are ready to buy right now. You can help them develop a system on the back-end to nurture more leads.
I always tell people that I can bring them more leads and offer better quality service, instead of a big-name lead generation site. That, in my opinion, is the best way to approach a relationship with a potential client.
Make More Offers!
The whole key is to have conversations and make more offers. So, that’s my encouragement for you today: get to know who a good client is. The people that are advertising and spending money are more likely to be good clients. They’re the ones that are going to be willing to spend $1,000, $2,000, $3,000 or more per month.
Don’t worry about going after the huge clients, especially if you’re new. Just focus on building a base of small clients, building up your foundation and reputation. It takes some time to do that. I’m just now treading into those waters, as far as making a big impact.
So that’s my encouragement for you today. If you’re a creator, definitely share this with your fellow creators. Hope you all have a great week, and as always, keep looking up.
Part 2: Upfront Value
Welcome to the second part of my series on how to get more clients! Today, I’m going to share some amazing value and strategies with you. So, without further ado, let’s just roll into it.
3 Ways To Provide Upfront Value
The reason I do these YouTube videos is to add value to my subscribers. That’s what I think about every single day. Each video I do is about solving other people’s problems.
In these uncertain times, a lot of us are trying to figure out how to get clients. It can be hard, especially when we’re locked in our houses. It’s not like you can walk from business to business making sales pitches. So, today I’m sharing with you some strategies, some tools, and some tips that I use to get more business.
Upfront value is all about giving something away without expecting anything in return. I think that’s very important. If you don’t expect anything in return, you won’t be disappointed. And whatever the outcome is, whether it’s negative feedback or positive feedback, you can learn and grow from that.
By creating these YouTube videos, even though I’m not making money with them, I know that I’m gaining valuable information, knowledge, relationships, and skills. So, in offering upfront value to you with this video, I’m going to share three tips.
1. Make A Prospecting Video
If you want to provide upfront value to people and build relationships, you need to be able to introduce yourself. The best way to do that is with a prospecting video.
In these videos, you want to introduce yourself, build credibility, and talk about what you do. But remember — the video is not about you. It’s about them. So, keep that introduction short. Say your name, what you’re passionate about, and the reason you’re doing this video within the first 30 seconds.
Then you want to find some common ground. Tell them that you have been into their business and what you enjoy about it. Find something that the business owner is going to recognize and know that you aren’t just fooling around.
From there, you can tell them about the ways you can help them. Whether you’re a marketing expert or a content writer, offer your value to them as a professional. Be sure to stress that they are doing a great job so far, but there are some details you can help them out with.
Offering advice and tips is a great way to provide value. Give them advice to help their business grow, because that’s what every business owner wants to do. End your video with an offer — tell them what you do and how you can help them.
If you want to see a real-life example, watch this video! You’ll see a sample prospecting video that I sent out to a local business.
The worst thing you can do in a prospecting video is to put the business owner down. Don’t tell them their website is terrible. Congratulate them on the wins they’ve had so far before you hit them with advice.
This is called a “criticism sandwich.” Start with something positive, then give your criticisms, then end with another positive note. That way, it’s less of a blow for the person you’re criticizing. And at the end of the video, just make your offer with no obligation or push.
2. Give A Gift
Bigger businesses tend to have gatekeepers. One great way to provide value to gatekeepers is with a gift.
That gift might be a Starbucks or an Amazon gift card. It could be a gas card, if you’re working with a transportation company. Whatever your gift is, it’s an easy way to provide upfront value and break down barriers with gatekeepers and business owners.
The gatekeeper is going to stop you from being able to reach the decision-maker, so you have to make friends with them. Provide value to them, and help them. What can she take to her boss, that’s going to make her look good, make her feel good, and give her more job security?
If you can find things that provide those values, and you truly believe in what you’re offering, try this, you can reach a business owner through their gatekeeper. That will give you a much better chance of gaining clients.
3. Offer Free Access
The third way to attract clients is to offer a free trial, or free access to your services.
That’s how you can start the conversation, build a relationship, and offer value. It might cost you some money, but if this customer is going to bring you a lot of revenue, it’s worth it. If you can do it for free by offering them something you already have, like course content, that’s even better.
That’s why I’m offering free access to you today. I have an Instagraphics Academy course, with some tutorials and some trainings, that I’m going to give away. All I’m looking for is feedback.
So, those are the three ways that you can offer value upfront: first, do a prospecting video. Introduce yourself, offer some advice and a criticism sandwich, some positives, some negatives, and some positives.
Second: giving gift cards or any kind of gift. Send lumpy mail, like a big yellow envelope with something cool in it, that the business owner would like. I’m going to be sending out business cards to engineers, because I work with a lot of engineers. Then, when they need new business cards, I’ll be the first person they call.
Third is free access. If you can get that free access or free trial to somebody, and let them try out your services for no obligation, that makes it easy to build a relationship.
I hope this was helpful. I know there was a ton of information in here, and I’m hoping it brought you a ton of value. That’s always my goal. As always, keep looking up!
Part 3: Networking
Welcome back to my 3-part series on how to get more clients! Today, I’m going to talk about something very important, and that is: networking.
They say that your network is your net worth. I learned that at a very young age. The people in my life are the biggest reason why I am where I am today. I’m going to tell you all about it, so without further ado, let’s roll into it!
3 Steps To Better Networking
Today’s video is all about networking. I’ve been networking since a very young age. I know that not everybody watching this is an outgoing person, but that doesn’t change the fact that your networking abilities have to improve over the course of your entrepreneurial career.
If you want to build a business, you’re going to have to learn how to talk to people. And you don’t have to be the most outgoing guy (or gal) in the world to talk to people and share what you do, because networking is more about listening than talking.
They say that you have two ears and one mouth for a reason: you’re supposed to do twice as much listening as you do talking.
When you go to meet new people, whether it’s online or offline, you need to approach the relationship as a servant. Lead with a napkin, not a bib.
You’re not there to get something out of the relationship right away. You’re just there to add value, to validate that person, and to listen to what they care about. Once you understand what makes them tick, then you can start to provide solutions to help them out.
1. The Platforms: Offline vs. Online
Offline Networking
We’ll start with offline, because it’s simpler and less pushy. When you go to a networking event, a restaurant, a bar, or a club, you have an opportunity. You’re surrounded by people. It’s your chance to step outside of your comfort zone, shake hands, and introduce yourself.
After you introduce yourself, you should be asking questions. “What do you do? What are your hobbies? What brought you here tonight?” Get to know them and build an authentic friendship with them. Because if you’re just building relationships for your own gain, to get something in the short term, those are not going to last.
Here’s a perfect example: small networking groups like BNI and LeTip, where everybody in the group is trying to fight for what little business they already have, are probably not the greatest area for you if you’re an established business owner. Those groups are best for people who are just getting their start.
If you want to be in an arena with the 7-figure players, the big people who are making things happen, you need to be going to the same events as them. If you hang out with 5 millionaires, you’ll become the 6th, right?
So, if you want to be part of that group and you want to attract those types of people in your life, you need to put yourself in those situations. Tony Robbins’ events, big conferences where people are doing motivational talks, inspirational talks, trainings, and teachings — things like that. Those people are hungry for growth.
Online Networking
We live in a world right now where everybody is hidden in their houses. They’re not even going into the office. Everything has changed in a major way.
So, when it comes to online events, there are thousands and thousands of outlets that you can pick from. I’ll break them down very simply for you.
The first one is social media. Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and other social platforms. Sites like YouTube and Reddit are great places to get a competitive edge, because that’s where a lot of entrepreneurs get their starts.
Then there are forums. Whatever your passion is — if it’s digital marketing, or if it’s graphic design, or photography — there are forums for you. For digital marketers, Warrior Forum is a really great resource. You can go to those forums and start building relationships online with likeminded people.
The same principles that apply offline also apply online. You need to deliver value. Focus on educating the market. My brother is a very good example of this. When he is online, whether it’s in a Facebook group, which is a great opportunity, or a LinkedIn group — every single time, he will chime in to give advice.
Giving a quick, brief answer is nice, but it doesn’t show that you’re truly invested. You’re not just trying to get your name on there and share your 2 cents, but actually trying to solve that person’s problem.
If you provide helpful advice, that person will then inbox you. Next thing you know, you’re going to be able to start a dialogue with that person and eventually build a relationship. Just the other day, I did this to help a programmer working in the gaming industry. I offered him advice, and we built a connection.
There are plenty of websites and forums where you can do this. Just get focused on building those relationships, online and offline, and the rest will follow.
2. The Elevator Pitch
The second key to this is actually understanding what that conversation is going to look like. How do you pitch your business idea or marketing service to those people?
The first thing you’re going to do, like I said, is introduce yourself. Then you’re going to ask them questions. Don’t pitch your service, or tell them about what you do, until that person asks you.
When they do ask you, be sure to keep your pitch limited. Don’t go on a 30-minute rant. You need to have what they call an “elevator pitch”.
For example, when describing my business, I like to say, “I help hungry, coachable, and passionate entrepreneurs reach new levels of their business.” It’s as simple as that. Then, just shut up!
At the end of that conversation, briefly tell them how you can help them. Make a quick offer. It can be as simple as: “Hey, we should grab some coffee sometime!” Offer them a few tools that will help solve their problems, and open the door to that relationship.
You can also help people outside of your own sphere of experience. Maybe you have a friend that’s really good at windshield repair, or something that doesn’t have anything to do with your business, but you have a connection for it. If you are a resource for them, your network will continue to grow.
3. The Follow-up
Now, this is where 90-95% of salespeople and business owners fail: the follow-up. There’s a quote that says: “The fortune is in the follow-up.” This is where 90% of sales happen.
You have to follow up with them and show that you are genuinely interested in building a relationship. Reiterate some of the highlights of your conversation, and let them know that you aren’t just looking out for yourself.
A good followup game is incredibly important. Most sales do not happen until the 8th or even the 12th contact. You’re going to have to follow up multiple times with that person, and you need to make offers each time.
To sum it up: (1) Make sure you’re networking online and offline. (2) Have a great elevator pitch and focus on delivering value. (3) Follow up with those people and show them you actually care.
I hope you enjoyed this series. This is valuable information that is going to help you break through, get more business, and build better relationships. That’s my goal for all of you!
Thank you for sticking with me, and as always, keep looking up.