looking for clients need help

Kelly,

Sounds like you are doing a lot of the right things. Unfortunately it takes time in this business to gain traction. Why not figure out some key referral partners and ask them to meet for coffee. Help them understand what you are trying to do and get them to partner with you. One or two will “kick the tires” and then you should start chugging. But remember, you do not want a lot of new clients at once…each will need your attention more in the beginning and you will be learning and developing processes. Growing too fast is sometimes worse than not growing!

Hi Kelly,

Congratulations on getting your business started! I do know it can be very frustrating to not be seeing clients when you’re doing everything to grow your business. I agree with Amy, sometimes it takes a very long time to get the first client. For me it was 1 1/2 years which included a LOT of networking and building relationships in the senior community. I needed to educate people about DMM work and did a number of workshops and seminars on topics relevant to seniors and veterans, which helped me to become a “known entity” in the senior services community. Eventually, someone remembered meeting me and called me to refer my first client. That was a great day 🙂 and it helped keep me motivated to keep up with the networking and relationship building. It also helped to be on the AADMM virtual calls and hear that other people had the same problem, so I didn’t feel it was just me. Keep at it, and maintain your enthusiasm and motivation so that people think of you when they do want to make a referral. I’m happy to share other ideas with you as well. Barbara Boustead 608-515-4083 or barbara@marysdaughterllc.com

A few additional thoughts. While it is totally understandable not feeling very confident at this time – going ahead and giving a presentation even if it’s just a 20 minutes Q&A to church members will give you lot’s of confidence moving forward. Confidence comes from Doing and Practice, Practice and Doing will give you confidence.

If it helps, keep in mind that none of us started out feeling totally confident – we all felt a bit nervous starting up. There are a few ways to get confident – you can join toastmasters or some similar group if it’s public speaking that gives you pause. I remember hearing about how Anthony Robbins wanted to get better at speaking so he sought out speaking engagements not just once a month or so, but more like 4+ times a week!! He figured by the end of one year he wanted more then 200 speeches that he had given to gain confidence and practice rather than 12 if he just did one a month.

If it’s not knowing all the answers when people are asking you question – there is a technique for that too. Simply have a response – something like “Great question – There are a lot of different options out there I’ll get back to you about that” and make sure to get their contact details. You can ask follow up questions to get clarity of what they are asking and then follow up after the session after doing a bit of research.

Remember none of us have all of the answers. I do a lot of technology assistance – people ask me questions all the time about programs that are out there. There are hundreds of programs perhaps thousands depending on the program they are inquiring about. I can’t possibly know the specific one they are asking about. So I say, let me get back to you on that. Then I do research (if it’s in my wheelhouse) and then follow up.

I would imagine that giving a presentation to people you know might make your more nervous, but perhaps reframe that. One possible approach – You could also simply be transparent as you give your presentation and say “ hi everyone!! Well, this is my inaugural presentation of this topic – so please be gentle (along with a big smile or conveying some positive attitude towards the audience) or something like that. You’ll probably discover they will encourage you and be routing for you. You can even have evaluation cards along with space for people to put what they want to learn about. It could all be in the context of “hey this is a new presentation, you all are my first test group, so I’m looking for feedback to help me refine it. Basically – set the stage ‘in your favor’. Whatever your concerns might be, address it in a positive way.

and finally, the reason I think this could be good (aside from the obvious ones mentioned), I think this could really expedite things for you. It sounded like you’ve been working for a while to get a new client and I would think “jumping into the deep end of the pool” might just be the jump start you need and it will be nerve wracking i’m sure, but if you think of the after affect – even if it’s just the confidence of saying you did it I think it will inspire even more opportunity.

I had mentioned in my previous thread a leave behind. I have a “one sheet” that I created so often give that along with some kind of tip or resource. If it helps you can see a sample of that Lionheart Information Sheet here. It can be a lot simpler then mine but it’ll give you some ideas for what to put on it (your contact details, clients you work with, types of services if you like or whatever you feel you want to convey). And gear it to your audience you are talking to. My one sheet was created for a very specific audience – I’ve since re-purposed it a bit for broader use.

Take care and good luck.

All the best,

Alix

Hi Kelly,

I heard you on the call earlier tonight. I’m in business now about 5 months and I also am not finding clients so quickly. Many people I’ve spoken to have said it took 5-6 months until they got their first client; others said even longer. I go to a lot of networking meetings from various towns in my area – I’m fortunate to be in Northern NJ where there are a lot of different groups and opportunities. I created a presentation and went around to Senior Centers where they were very receptive to giving me a space on their calendar. I can’t say I’ve gotten any business yet from that, but it puts me out there and allows me to meet the folks I would like to serve. If you would like to see my presentation, please email me. It’s about on-line banking.

Sincerely,
Victoria