Like many entrepreneurs know, starting a business is just half the battle. Landing the first clients is the real test. Product, services, or solutions offered, a business regardless of industry and size has to successfully be able to acquire clients.
Too many entrepreneurs are overly optimistic in thinking that just because they offer a great product or service, clients will line up. Even though sometimes a business or brand can go viral, for most ventures this is not the case. It takes marketing and sales to acquire clients for a business.
As business consultant, we get the opportunity to work often with many different entrepreneurs and businesses. From this work, we have listed below 7 tips for landing the first clients to help companies with some strategies to acquire the first clients for any type of business.
1. Put your website to work.
Companies too often create a website for a business and that’s it. Yet, that’s just the start. Landing the first clients certainly has a lot to do these days with your website. Website design must be properly done to convert visitors into clients. A website is your sales agent 24/7, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and worldwide. When a website is marketed successfully and visible to the right online audience, it can feed a business a stream of clients.
2. Publish content to be seen.
In today’s big data culture, a business regardless of size must create, publish and distribute content to be seen. Most consumers expect companies these days to have an active social media presence, blog, and provide images as well as videos about products, services, and the company. A business should publish frequently unique, quality driven, and relevant content across all major channels.
3. Give yourself enough time.
A very important thing to remember is that every business needs enough time to ramp-up. It is very important for entrepreneurs and companies to have enough resources to do what is required and last long enough to create momentum, get the first clients and start generating profits. It can often be a year or even longer so a business should have enough resources to last that long. Depending on products, a sales cycle may be six months to a year.
4. Get involved in local communities.
Getting clients through referrals and a network is highly beneficial for a business. To get the first clients, get involved in local communities. Don’t exploit them but give back, contribute, become a good member of the community and local business will gladly become clients. Such community opportunities could involve volunteering, religious affiliations, business organizations, and other local events that can gain from your assistance.
5. Go out and speak to an audience.
Public speaking is not for everyone, but it can be very beneficial to landing clients. Many local organizations such as the Small Business Administration SBA, Chambers of Commerce, and other like to invite speakers who can share something new and valuable with their members. Contact local organizations for speaking opportunities on the topic you are an expert in such as accounting, retailing, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and so on.
6. Get on social media channels.
Social media is now a critical part of just about any industry. People spend so many hours per day on social media that businesses can’t afford not to be on social media. To get clients, a business should publish frequently on key social media channels for their demographic. Many social media platforms offer paid advertising opportunities and are great for publishing and sharing content to attract potential clients.
7. Reach out and make contact.
No momentum can be generated in a business without action. Reach out and make contact with anybody that could be a client or can refer a client. Reach out to friends, family, associates, and call key prospects. Introduce the business and service or products to key prospects and start the sales cycle. It may not happen overnight, but with enough contacts made the chances greatly increase.
