How To Attract More Clients
More client anyone?
Nobody steps into business to fail right? The reality though, many of us do fail in some form throughout our entrepreneurial career and the experience can cultivate smarter ventures.
If you are familiar with the legendary Sir Richard Branson you may be aware he launched Virgin Cola back in the mid 90’s, and he did so in true virgin style. With his provocative flair for PR, he used army tanks, prime advertising real estate and celebrities for exposure.
Even though Branson is one of the most successful entrepreneurs to create disruption and lucrative ventures, he made two big mistakes when it came to Virgin Cola. He admittedly underestimate his competition and most importantly, lost sight of what he does best – enter a market that he can interrupt with innovation and transformation.
No matter how much clout Branson had, and publicity, the brand didn’t sustain growth and his competition who held majority market share took him on without any fear. Coca-Cola’s power monopolized manufacturing and distribution making Virgin Cola in years to come redundant.
Slow sales, limited manufacturing and no real differentiation causes a big problem for any business owner. Especially when there is massive competition you are going up against.
Today though let's focus on getting more clients – as sales and profit are key to business success.
To help here are 9 ways to more clients
Do people want what you have to offer?
To attract more clients, a great place to start is by conducting market research. Ask questions and gain feedback from your ‘ideal’ audience on whether they would use or pay for your service or product.
Understand your competition, what can you offer differently that will attract your ideal clients?
Who is your competition? This type of research can help you identify gaps and opportunities to more clients that may help you leverage your positioning.
Know your perfect client
Knowing what your audience is experiencing when it comes to their biggest challenges will give you the ability to create and deliver immense value. By understanding the problem/s they have more clients will feel connected and begin to listen more on what you share.
Talk their language
Imagine you knew exactly how your clients are feeling? Everything you mention they say ‘yes that is exactly what is happening to me’ or ‘that is what I want.’ When your message, words and experiences can describe a situation or feeling they are experiencing, boom! You become a trusted source and with time they may turn into paying clients.
Start Small
A great way to build your list of prospects and client base is offering something of value. It doesn’t need to be a massive online course or service that takes months to build. You can start with offering a free trial or sample, complimentary session, a checklist or online report related to your product or service. Then keep engaging.
Reach out to your network
While it may be daunting to ask the people closest to you or in your business network for help – there are some clever ways to share what you have to offer without coming across as marketing or being salesy. You don’t need to pitch and you probably want to steer clear of such exercises unless they are a trusted friend who can provide you valuable feedback.
Start by asking your network if they know anyone who has (talk about the problem you have a solution for) – and refer to your client avatar. You may be pleasantly surprised on peaked interest when positioned correctly.
Joint Ventures (JV’s)
A great way to kick off and market with confidence is using a trusted voice. If you know business owners that have a complimentary service or product, reach out to them. You can do this by adding value to them strategically and financially such as helping them with their clients. This may take some time to cultivate, subject to they type of business or person you are wanting to partner with.
Keep working it, as it can be the break you have been dreaming about.
Offer Something for Free to Your Ultimate Client or Influencer
By gifting your skills or talents to someone you look up to is a great way to get noticed and started.
Perhaps you could do some work for free, or connect them to someone such as a new client or another influencer that could help them.
Get Social
Yes there is Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Instagram to name a few place where your perfect audience is hanging out. Get their attention by joining key groups and helping those in need.
You can begin to stand out by adding insight and value. You may even consider inviting them to a private session to help them out personally, and you never know – they could become a client.
What is the one thing you can do today to get more clients? Leave your comments below.