As your business is growing, it can be feast or famine. You may have more business than you can handle at certain times, while your pipeline is nearly empty at other times. To bring in new business consistently, try our simple and effective tips to find new clients.
Get Referrals
For best results, practice asking for referrals directly, but without a hard sell. You’ll find that a well-presented, genuine offer of your services is typically appreciated, especially if you’ve built a reputation as an expert (see those tips in next section).
To find new clients, network with:
- Colleagues: Ask your industry contacts, vendors, suppliers, and business partners if they know anyone who may need your service. Return the favor to continue building relationships.
- Friends, neighbors, family: These can be excellent sources for new customer referrals.
- Happy customers: Existing customers who love your work will generally want to recommend or refer you to others. Also, ask for reviews on Yelp, Home Advisor or other appropriate websites for your industry, since these can have a similar effect to personal referrals.
- Contract work: Offer to work on contract for a larger business, serving their clients under their brand.
Become a Known Expert and Resource
Altruism pays off, especially if you widely and publicly share subject matter knowledge and expert, but generalized, advice. Teaching others showcases your expertise and establishes trust. Chances are, your “students” don’t have time for, or won’t feel up to, the learning curve. They’ll feel confident hiring you to do it for them.
Here are some options for establishing yourself as an expert to find new clients:
- Blog, post original articles or share industry content: On your website and social media, express your point of view on industry issues, share valuable links, ask and answer questions on Quora, LinkedIn–or other online forums that relate to your industry.
- In-person brand building: You could also consider speaking at a conference or doing an in-person seminar for an audience to raise your profile.
- Advertise and run online marketing campaigns: Social media and Google ads offer highly targetable ads for maximum effectiveness.
As you begin finding new clients, contact the experts at Integrity Financial Capital to learn about your options for business growth funding.
