When I ask people who say they don't have enough clients what they do to market themselves, I'm often (really often) surprised to hear that they only 1) put up flyers in the neighborhood, 2) talk to people at parties about what they do (whenever they do go to a party) or 3) go to a networking group once in a while ("but the reason I don't really go that often is because it doesn't work to get me clients.") What do you think I'm thinking? Exactly. They're keeping themselves a secret.
When I ask people who say they don’t have enough clients what they do to market themselves,
I’m often (really often) surprised to hear that they only 1) put up flyers in the neighborhood, 2) talk to people at parties about what they do (whenever they do go to a party) or 3) go to a networking group once in a while (“but the reason I don’t really go that often is because it doesn’t work to get me clients.”) What do you think I’m thinking? Exactly. They’re keeping themselves a secret. No wonder they don’t have a full practice.
Don’t keep yourself a secret! Get the word out there that you exist.
You can get new clients and referrals from writing and sending an introduction letter. Send it to five or ten people per week, and to actually call these people, and connect with them. Say something like “Did you get my letter, let’s talk on the telephone, let’s have a cup of coffee, tell me about what you’re doing, and I’ll tell you what I’m doing, etc.
The idea with this letter is to keep it consistently going out to people in your network. The first time around, in my nutrition business, I made the mistake of sending 250 introduction letters out at the same time, and I had no time to follow up with all 250. However, I’m certain I would have signed on many more new clients if I’d actually had the time to follow up one by one with each person I’d sent it to.
Send your letter to everyone you know, about 10 to 20 a week. I hand-wrote a couple of words at the top to make it more personal (“Hi Mary! It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. Would love to catch up over a cup of tea. I’ll call you this week. Best, Fabienne.”)
That following week, call the person, set up a meeting for breakfast, lunch or tea, get caught up on their life and talk to them about my new business, asking them if anyone they knew fits your ideal client profile.
The result? Word spread and I received a number of my first round of clients and referrals this way. And when you do that, you actually set yourself up for getting that first client, that new client or that referral you didn’t know was waiting for you.
Your Client Attraction Assignment:
- Create and send a “warm” letter of introduction as an announcement/update of your practice to contacts that you alreadyknow.- This includes everyone (your family, friends and colleagues, past clients and acquaintances).- Keep it friendly, as well as educational, but definitely NOT sales-y.- You may write a handwritten hello at the top of the page to make it more personal.- Follow up one week later with a phone call and invite people to join you for a conversation, either in person for a casual meeting or over the phone.- Describe your Ideal Client and ask them if they know someone who might fit that profile.- If you have been in practice several months or years, write an “update letter” of how your practice has grown or new services that you provide.
