“Phew!” you say, “no more Substack.”
Yes, my friend… at least not for today. 😁
I’m all Substacked-out anyway!
But one thing I don’t get tired of is hearing your questions.
Feel free to send those in any time. And there’s a good chance I can answer them here on the list.
One question that comes up time and time again is… how do I get clients?
Oh how I was wracked with angst over that when I was starting out.
And I flip-flopped from “I’m going to cold email” to “I’m going to set up my LinkedIn profile and wait for them to flock to me”.
I don’t think there’s one way that’s the best. Because it depends on you. Your needs. Your prospects. Their needs. All sorts of things.
But if you want to start getting experience. And actually bringing in some $$ then my answer for when you’re starting out is…
Just go get them!
I had to do that.
I started on Upwork. And I became a proposal-writing machine.
Admittedly, those clients were there because they had some work they needed doing.
So I also had to “just go get them.”
It really is as simple as doing that.
But, of course, being “simple” doesn’t mean there’s not steps involved.
You can go for cold connections if you want. And people do get work like that.
I don’t like doing that because of the effort involved in approaching people that are highly likely to NOT need your services. And I don’t like annoying people along the way.
(I think about my experience with the constant flow of cold emails into my inbox, about creating a better website etc. Can’t say it fills my day with joy.)
I prefer a less frosty approach. 🥶
Which is simply hanging out together in groups. Showing up and contributing. And being helpful and likeable.
For example, on LinkedIn…
- Have a profile that clearly shows who your serve and how
- Join groups for the industry you’re interested in serving
- Join in discussion through comments. Share helpful info.
- If someone has a specific problem that you can help with… say so. Offer to talk with them. (Don’t be pushy, though)
- (Optional) Make helpful posts. But avoid overwhelming people with “value.”
Key things: show up, be helpful, appropriately share how you can help, and reach out when someone needs a hand.
This is not the “overnight way to riches” or getting a first client.
It IS the “decent human being”-way. And has longer-term payoffs.
After a while of building a reputation, clients might start coming to you through things like referrals from your previous clients. (But you still have to remind people that they can refer you. It might not happen otherwise!)
There you go. A simple client-getting strategy.
Anything stopping you from doing it?
Keep the questions. And the feedback coming.
I mean… was this email helpful? Do you have other related (or non-related) questions?
I’m here to help! 😄
Ready to build your email list? Go here…
EmailForTheWin.com
Chris Milham