Finding clients is likely your business’s biggest time suck. It’s the most essential task, yet it’s one that makes you absolutely no cash. The faster you find clients, the more time you’ll have to actually earn money.
Finding and winning top-notch clients is a skill, and it’s more valuable than any freelancing or consulting talent you possess. Seriously. If you can learn how to get clients, you’ll be better off than the savviest experts in your field.
You don’t have to be the best in town. You don’t need the highest quality, fastest speed, or most prolific service—you just need to be the most findable and accessible.
Sure, you want to do good work, too. That’s always going to help. But your priority should be to get clients.
From the get-go, you’ll spend your time finding and winning clients. However, as time goes on, you’ll spend less time finding clients—your customers will eventually come to you. That might sound like a distant dream, but it’s a reality you’re bound for if you follow the tips and techniques in this guide.
Getting quality clients is hard work, whether you have a brand-new consulting startup or an established freelancing business. Yet, once you get into a rhythm and pick up momentum, you’ll start finding new clients with ease.
Below, we’ll show you our favorite tried-and-true ways to get more clients. But first, let’s look at how to get clients you actually want.
Growing an active client base is essential for any business. Without enough customers actively purchasing your products or services, it’s impossible to scale and build revenue. While referrals and word-of-mouth are great ways to organically win clients, you can’t rely on those channels alone. Savvy entrepreneurs use diverse strategies to get their name out there, demonstrate expertise, and ultimately convince prospects to buy.
Follow these 8 proven tactics to expand your clientele:
1. Ask for Referrals From Current Customers
Happy existing customers can become your best source of referrals. After a positive transaction or project, ask customers if they’d be willing to recommend you to others in their network. Provide them with any collateral (business cards, brochures) to pass along.
To incentivize referrals consider offering a discount on future orders for every new client they send your way. Make the process easy by putting a blurb on your invoices email signature, and website “Love our service? Refer a friend and get 10% off!”
Referral marketing works because people trust recommendations from those they know and respect Leverage your satisfied customers to organically broaden your reach
2. Network Consistently and Effectively
Networking allows you to connect with many prospects in a short time Attend industry events, conferences, trade shows, and business associations meetings Prepare an elevator pitch that quickly communicates what you do and why you’re the best.
Follow up promptly with each contact you make. Send a customized email referencing something you discussed. Include an offer like a free consultation or complimentary sample. Add them to your mailing list.
Avoid the hard sell. Focus on relationship building. With persistence and follow through, networking leads to long-term partnerships and repeat sales.
3. Offer Discounts for New Customers
People love a discount! Consider offering 10-15% off a new customer’s first purchase or service. This provides an immediate incentive to give your business a try. Promote the discount on your website, flyers, social media, and any advertising.
To secure the future revenue, get their contact info when redeeming the discount so you can reach back out with additional specials. After earning their business once, it’s easier to nurture an ongoing relationship.
Discounts work best for products or services with recurring purchase cycles and minimal overhead. Avoid devaluing your brand with discounts so deep they undermine profitability. Find the sweet spot that converts new buyers without sacrificing margins.
4. Re-engage Past Customers
Review your records for customers from 1-3 years back who haven’t purchased recently. Send an email letting them know you miss their business and would love to have them back. Include a coupon code or free sample to sweeten the deal.
Call dormant customers to check in and ask why they haven’t been back. See if there are any objections you can address or if a competitor won them over. Offer incentives to win back their business.
Re-engaging old clients is more time efficient than constantly pitching new ones. Rekindle the relationship by demonstrating you still value them.
5. Improve Your Website to Convert Visitors
Most prospects check out a business’s website before engaging. An effective website convinces visitors to contact you or make a purchase right away.
Ensure your site greets visitors with a clean, modern design. Load time should be lightning fast. Content focuses on serving customer needs vs. boasting about your company.
Include calls-to-action across all pages guiding visitors to contact you, sign up for a newsletter, or buy. Make it effortless to reach you.
User experience is everything. If your website confuses or frustrates visitors, they will leave and go to a competitor. Invest in a high-converting website.
6. Partner With Complementary Businesses
Partner with businesses that serve the same target customers, but offer a different product or service. Cross-promote each other’s offerings.
For example, a caterer could partner with an event venue. The caterer gets exposure to all couples booking the venue. In return, the caterer recommends the venue to their clients.
Joint offerings also work. A personal trainer and nutritionist could offer a packaged weight loss program. A preschool could team up with a kids’ gymnastics class.
Strategic partnerships tap into new customer bases efficiently. Choose brands you genuinely trust.
7. Promote Your Expertise Through Content
Blogging, social media, and speaking engagements allow you to display your expertise. As the audience gets to know you, they feel more compelled to hire you.
Write blog articles with tips and advice for your target customers. Post videos explaining your process. Offer free samples and demos. The more value you provide for free, the more you build authority.
Be helpful, not promotional. Overly salesy content turns prospects away. Focus on being informative and personable.
8. Respond Promptly to Online Reviews
Reviews on platforms like Yelp or Google My Business make a huge impression on new visitors. Solicit feedback from happy customers and prompt them to leave positive reviews.
If any negative reviews come in, publicly respond in a courteous manner. Thank the customer for the feedback and detail how you plan to improve. Handled well, reviews build trust and social proof.
Key Takeaways on Getting More Clients
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Make it easy for satisfied customers to refer you to their network. Incentivize recommendations.
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Attend networking events consistently. Follow up promptly with all contacts.
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Offer discounts and promotions just for new customers. Capture their contact info for future marketing.
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Reactivate past clients who haven’t purchased recently. Offer incentives to win them back.
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Improve website experience to seamlessly guide visitors to convert.
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Partner with complementary businesses to tap into new audiences.
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Establish expertise through blogging, social media, speaking gigs. Provide value.
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Monitor and promptly respond to online reviews. Turn negative feedback into positives.
Getting clients takes creativity, persistence, and great customer service. Try different strategies and track what works. With a multi-pronged approach, you’ll see your client base grow.
16 Ways to Get More Clients
Everyone wants passive income, right? Well, passively finding clients is the next best thing. You want to do everything you can to minimize the time and money you spend chasing clients. Build the right online presence and portfolio, and your clients will spend their time finding you instead.
Here are a few ways to help your clients find you first:
A website makes you and your business legit. Your site doesn’t need to be a masterpiece—it just needs to professionally communicate what you do.
Include your website in your bio, email signature, and social media profiles. Drive prospective leads to learn more about your business and to see your portfolio.
Remember looking for your first job? If you skipped that part of your career and jumped straight to a business owner, good for you—because it’s a painful start. Entry-level jobs and even internships demand experience, experience you were hoping to gain from said job.
It’s a sad, strange demand.
Like with your first job, it’s hard to grow your portfolio if clients want to see a polished portfolio before they hire you. You may need to get clever to pick up momentum.
Consider doing a project for a friend pro bono. Or think about completing a passion project. For example, if you’re a freelance writer, write a few blog posts about topics you care about or issues in industries you want to work in.
Leverage your education and career to build your portfolio. If you have projects from school or past jobs you can showcase, it’s better than nothing. Also, request recommendations from previous mentors or bosses—their endorsement can help gain a prospective client’s trust.
Once you win your first client, go above and beyond to deliver top-notch work. Feature that work on your portfolio, and let the snowball effect begin.
Post valuable content on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even Instagram. Be active on the platforms your clients use. Complete your profiles on each social network.
Google your name and see what comes up. It’s likely going to be your social profiles and then maybe your website. Keep in mind that this is probably what your client is going to do, too.
Do you like what you see? Does your client find a professional-looking LinkedIn, party-life Instagram, and a political-rage-head Twitter?
Think about the your profiles portray and make adjustments to appear the way you’d like. You have complete control over these accounts:
- Add professional profile pictures
- Complete your background and summary information
- Link back to your website and portfolio
- Post valuable, relevant content to your industry
- Be polite and professional, but also have fun and show your personality
LinkedIn is where career-making magic happens. This is where you’ll likely spend the bulk of your time developing your professional and finding clients. Take time to complete your profile, add your experiences, list your skills, and gather recommendations.
1 Offer Something for Free
Yes, for free. If you’re struggling to win clients and build a portfolio, you might have to give a little extra. Now, we’re not advocating for no-pay internships or any of that nonsense. No.
Instead, look for what you can offer clients that’ll make them willing to give you a shot:
- eBook: Write a short eBook and offer it for free on your website in exchange for an email address. Your eBook will demonstrate your knowledge and expertise while also scoring entrance into your prospective client’s inbox. That’s a win-win.
- Free Consultation: Think of a free consultation as teaser advice. Let your prospective clients bring their needs to the table, and then offer just enough of the solution that they’ll want to hire you to make it happen. Give away too much, and they might just go do it themselves. Give away too little, and you may not build the confidence you need to close the deal.
- Discounts: Offer a limited-time discount to clients to sign up with you now. Don’t come off as desperate—that’ll kill your client’s confidence in your abilities. Instead, provide a coupon as a seasonal gift or exclusive offer that’ll encourage clients to take action immediately to seize the deal.
