Getting Clients with Budgets

[Jim Kittridge]

Hey guys and girls,

I'm new to the forum but not new to the business. I've been doing local search and reputation management for going on 4 years now.

I'm always looking for new ways to get more clients. Specifically ones with adequate budgets. I've considered directly contacting business owners who could use my services but feel somewhat awkward about doing so.

Currently, I'm getting the majority of my clients from word of mouth. To get that started, I initially offered my services free of charge and just absorbed the cost and time. I looked at it as an investment and it has paid off.


What ways do you find most successful in getting clients?


Jim

 

[Jamie Steigerwald]

Hi Jim,

You are are not comfortable contacting business owners directly hire someone who will. Post an ad on craigslist for a business development or sales person and offer them a commission for each sale they bring you.

Your other good option is to talk to companies that have complementary services to yours like like web development, marketing, or online video. But if you feel even awkward talking to those companies you may want to consider working for someone else who can bring in the business.

The first sales manager I ever hired had a hokey saying, "You have to circulate to peculate". If your not going to bring in the business hire someone that will.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Jim,

Welcome and thanks for posting a great question.

I worked for free my 1st couple listings to build up confidence and some success stories too. Then I went right into positioning myself as expert in a niche (even though I was still learning.)

Then clients starting just contacting me, asking for my help. When you are perceived as an expert, price becomes less of an issue, you command a higher price and referrals come in. I never made a single cold call or closed a single sale. Here's a long post about how I started in part.

Jumpstart Your Local Search Consulting Business

I like Jamie's suggestion about talking to companies that have complementary services. That was my tipping point. The top SEO in Dentistry who hated dealing with Google Places and didn't understand it, starting referring all his clients to me and soon I had more business than I could handle.

 

[Laustin1878]

Late to the party, sorry. Have you thought about joining your local chamber of commerce? Not sure that you will see tremendous budgets but the potential is there.

How active are you in forums, "sandboxes" where your target clients hangout? Providing advice and building trust among peers can pay in large dividends.

 

[Linda Buquet]

An idea I think I posted in another thread is watch certain industries you want to target in a specific city. Find ones that are doing Adwords that are NOT on page one. Then you know they have budget and are into getting more customers through the Internet, but they need help getting high in organic and the pack.

They may have resorted to Adwords because they could not figure out how to get on page one any other way. Then you can talk about lowering their spend by getting more natural traffic (and spend that money with you instead.)

I've never tried, it. Just a thought.

But still I prefer the method Luke and I mentioned above. Don't prospect, try to get past the gate keeper and get hung up on. Build your rep in a market and get folks coming to you.

Due to the past rep I built up with Dentists, I just had a Dental PPC company come to me that wants to outsource local to me for all their clients. 300 Dentists. We just signed a contract and got started with the 1st batch of new clients. They all come to us, money in hand. No prospecting! That's the way to do it. Attraction marketing and word of mouth, instead of chasing down leads.

 

[Laustin1878]

I haven't come across a person in business who has not loathed over word of mouth referrals. Not saying you aren't appreciative of it. You provide a quality product and a price affordable for the businesses you are targeting and you now arm your current clients to be your ambassadors and advocates. All while you are still getting paid!

I know several people in business who do ZERO advertising and make a very good living. They achieve this by making their current clients happy and talking about their work. I know people who used to give referral bonuses but had to stop b/c there were simply too many. Quite a good problem to have I think.

Building trust goes a long way IMO. If people trust you, they will let you reach into their pockets and take their money. If you get cozy with people in forums, local business seminars and such, you might be surprised at how easy it comes.