How do I get my first client?

As you can imagine, I get lots of questions from people about running a business. And certain questions come up more often than others. So I thought I’d share 3 of the most common questions I get asked, along with my answers.

Those 3 questions are:

1.       How do I get my first client?

2.       How much should I charge?

3.       How do I get a lead I’ve been nurturing for a while to actually buy from me?

I’ll tackle one question per week for the next 3 weeks. Today, we’ll start with #1.

How do I get my first client?

This is a question on the mind of just about every new entrepreneur. When I break this problem down with clients, it typically boils down to three main issues.

1)      They don’t have any leads yet, and aren’t sure where to find them.

2)      They don’t have any past clients/testimonials yet. So how do they convince leads they know what they are doing?

3)      They don’t have any practice/knowledge about how to make a sales pitch. This makes it harder for them to convince people to buy.

Let’s tackle issue 1 first: where to find leads.

The problem with finding leads is that you have to spend time, and often money, to advertise. And you have to advertise regularly in order to build brand awareness, and to convince people that you are knowledgeable and capable.  But there are a few “short-cut” methods to finding clients that can help you land your first one. 

1.       Approach Friends or Relatives

You may have a friend or family member who is interested in your services, and that can be a great way to get your first client. These people are more likely to hire you because they already know you and like you. In addition, they probably want to help you out, so may be willing to hire you instead of someone else, even if you’re just starting out. They may even hire you to do work that they don’t really need, or wouldn’t normally pay for, again because they already know and like you.

2.       Join Interest Groups

One way to meet potential clients is to join a group that is related to the products/services you offer. Since everyone in the group has the same interest, it can be a fruitful place to find your first client. And you probably have chances to network with the group on a regular basis. That means your fellow members gradually get to know you. That, in turn, gives you an advantage over others offering similar services, since you have, hopefully, already shown them that you are knowledgeable, likeable, and trustworthy.

3.       Volunteer

If you are having trouble finding your first paid client, then another option might be to work for free. For example, if you are a website designer, perhaps you could approach non-profit organizations (who are always strapped for cash, so may be open to having something done for free). You could offer to revamp their website, or to build a new one if they don’t have one yet. Even for-profit businesses might take you up on such an offer, since they are always thinking about their bottom line. (Approaching newer, smaller businesses or organizations can be a good tactic, since larger ones often already have a most of their services taken care of.)

Now that we’ve talked about where to find your first client, let’s discuss how you can get some of those leads to actually buy, even though you don’t have any past clients or testimonials yet.

I’m going to suggest two methods, both of which are based on the same approach: honesty.

Too many new entrepreneurs try to avoid admitting they don’t yet have any past clients. But letting your leads know you are just starting out can actually work to your benefit, if you use one of the following approaches.

1.       Charge a special “getting started” fee

If someone you know is thinking about your service, but is on the fence, try suggesting that you will do the work for a large discount. However, there are some “rules”.

a)       Explain that your service is developed but, since it is the first time you are offering it, there may be some fine-tuning that occurs along the way.

b)      Ask your client to agree to providing you with a testimonial at the end (if, of course, they are happy with your work).

c)       In exchange for their understanding and agreement on the two previous points, you would be willing to offer your services to them at a healthy discount.

I have used this technique myself when developing new services, and it has worked great. It’s a great incentive for a client to buy!

2.       Work for free

If you are having trouble finding your first paid client, then another option might be to work for free. But again, you want to go into this with a firm understanding that you are offering your services in exchange for a testimonial at the end, and that they understand that you will be fine-tuning the service as you work on their project.

With either of these two approaches, you get experience, a past client, and a testimonial, all of which can help you make your next sale.

Now let’s talk about the last issue: your sales pitch.

Most of my newly self-employed clients have trouble with this. They just don’t know what to say to convince people to buy. Too often, they keep talking and talking, trying to say anything that might show the client that they are capable.

But that’s not a good approach. Instead, try some of the following techniques.

1.       Listen

The first thing you need to do is give your client time to explain their problems/issues. And then LISTEN to what they are telling you. Give the lead a chance to tell you exactly what their problems are, and what they need. Then, you can use that information to tailor the rest of your conversation in a way that addresses what the client is actually concerned about.

2.       Solve a problem

Leads really aren’t interested in everything you do. What they are interested is in whether or not you can solve the particular problem(s) they are having. By talking about solutions relevant to their situation, you will connect with them on a much deeper level than if you were just randomly spouting about your services. You leads will also begin to get an idea of what it would be like to work with you. (This is also related to the idea of selling benefits not features. It is much better to talk about how your product/service can benefit your clients, rather than just rattle off all of its features.)

3.       Prove you can do the job

People don’t like to take risks, especially with their money. So, in order for a lead to feel comfortable hiring you, they typically want some proof you can deliver. That’s where testimonials come in. Always make sure you have some on hand, ready to show potential customers. You can have them on your phone, in writing, on your website—as long as it is easy for you to show them to a lead, should the need arise.

Pictures of past work is also key. If, for example, you are a website designer, you could take out your phone and show them some of the websites you have created. Or, if you are a landscape designer, show some photos of work you have done (before and after work great!)

4.       Show value

If you can, in any way, provide some numbers that show purchasing your product/service would be a financially smart decision, then do it. Numbers speak louder than words! Our website designer might have a price chart comparing his costs to his competitors, or a graph showing how his websites have much lower total “down time” per year. Or perhaps he could show how websites he has made have increased traffic for his past clients.

5.       Know your competition

I’ve talked about this in previous articles: you have to research your competition. Your leads are almost certainly shopping around, so you have to be ready for any questions they ask related to competitors. And that includes indirect questions such as those about your cost, quality of work, customer service etc. Even if they don’t mention competitors outright, in their mind they are always comparing you to others. So, a question such as, “How much does your service cost?” is really asking, “Are you more expensive than your competitors?”. And a great answer would include some comparison of why your prices are better (e.g., “Not only are my prices the best in the city, but on top of that I have a sale on right now”.)

If they do ask you a specific question about how you stack up to your competition, then you’d better have a specific answer (e.g. “The other company has a 3-year warranty. Do you?”. Answer: “Actually, their 3-year warranty only covers parts. I have a 5-year warranty, and it covers parts and labour.”)

Okay, so that’s it for question #1. Next week we’ll go into question #2: How do I set a price point?

See you then,

Tim

Helping you engineer the business of you

Information in this article is for general information and is not intended as professional advice.