The 3 EXACT Strategies I used to book clients over the past 6 weeks.
This isn’t a pandemic post, or a bragging post. What I’m going to tell you today is the EXACT way I booked 3 clients over the past 6 weeks. No fluff, no b.s.
It’s not about the pandemic, because these strategies can work any time.
It’s not bragging, because that’s not my style. It’s plain truth, and hopefully some positive inspiration, ‘cause that’s how I roll.
Client 1: Facebook Groups
How often do you see someone post in an FB group that they’re looking for X service, and there are a bunch of comments that aren’t specific to the ask?
Client 1 posted in a huge group that she was looking for a marketing or branding coach. “Ideally, I am looking for a one-time 2-hour consultation that includes at least two follow-ups. Let me know in the comments if you are someone that can help me with this, or if you know someone. Extra points if you provide me a website and social media so I can do my research. Please no DMs, I will reach out to those I feel will be a great fit.”
Want to take a guess how people commented that they DM’d her? Or offered something that maybe, kind of fit, but she’d have to do a lot more digging? It was the majority.
Here was my answer: Hi, client! I offer a marketing workshop that is a 1:1 2 hour session + email and text support for two weeks. If you’d rather do another 1:1 follow up, we can customize this 🙂
IG: JenFieldman
https://www.jenfieldman.com/services
This was on a Saturday morning. I was laying in bed doing the morning ‘scroll. She messaged me almost immediately.
Strategy: be specific to what the CLIENT needs/asks. Put them first. Answer how they want. And don’t waste your energy on an ask that doesn’t fit what you do. I have a specific service that was what she needed. I’m not wasting time responding to every service-based female entrepreneur. It’s not worth the time or energy.
Client 2: The Long Lead / Friend turns Client
I ‘met’ Client 2 through a FB group almost a year ago. I was looking to broaden my network of women who offer services that complement what I do. In this case, it was graphic designers. She’s local so it was easy to strike up a new friendship. We’d meet for coffee, or cocktails, support each on social - what (I think) entrepreneur friends do. Fast forward to two weeks ago. We were starting to social distance, and she took a huge hit in ‘in-person’ part of her business. She had a new product she wanted to sell online, and reached out to me for a marketing launch plan. She “needed it to go well” and her message said she “would love to talk to me about marketing in this climate” - which I’d been posting about. Because I knew her, adore her, and empathized with the situation, I made her a custom package. Would I normally charge more? Yup. But I wanted to help her, so I was a-ok with what I offered.
Strategy: build relationships, make your content specific and relevant, and don’t be afraid to offer ‘free’ value. Yes, I consider her a friend, so I’d send her things I saw that I thought would help over the past months. If we weren’t friends, but I wanted to work with her (viewed her as a prospect), I would do the same thing. If there’s someone you know you want to work with, don’t be afraid to start a conversation, and nurture that relationship. You’ll be providing them value, and keeping yourself top of mind for when they need your service.
Client 3: The Referral
If you have a service-based business, one of the smartest things you can do is connect with other businesses that pair well with yours. Similar to the above, but in this case, it works exponentially.
I know three other women who have businesses that pair well with mine. In fact, we’ve actually had clients tell us that we provide end-to-end services: brand strategy and design, marketing + strategy, brand photography, SEO and website optimization.
Here’s why it’s exponential:
When someone works with at least two of us, it makes ALL of the work stronger.
When a client is working with someone they trust, and that person refers you, you get automatic credibility because of the trust the client has in the original person they’re working with.
Client 3 came as a referral from Kelly, the brand strategist. The client was talking about how she needed marketing help, specifically someone to “teach her how to fish.” Kelly knew I had a program that did that, and referred her. We started working together today.
Strategy: think about referrals as a strategy. You can do it like I did - pairing with similar services - or you can reach out to your network as a whole and ask people to refer you to anyone they know who might need your service. I use the former, because while the latter does work, it hasn’t been a strategy that feels aligned to me.
And that’s how I did it. While Client 2 was what I call a “long lead”, because that was a relationship I valued and nurtured for months, Clients 1 and 3 weren’t.
If you have questions about your own marketing strategy, and want to chat to see how we might work together, click here to schedule a FREE consult!
