The #1 challenge that the majority of business owners face, is simply not having enough clients. I faced the same obstacle when I first started my business and as a result, I created this guide. The problem is that most business owners are looking in the wrong channels or channels that are too crowded. You’ll be surprised to realize that there are 22 separate avenues to acquiring profitable clients.
Where To Find New Clients
1. Existing Network
The fastest and easiest way to get clients is through mining your existing network. Make a list of the businesses and people you already know.
Who have you interacted with in the past?
Who do you know of who could use your services?
Take the connection one step further. Who does your contact know, who you want to get to know?
2. Business Development
What events, conferences and workshops can you attend that your prospects will most likely attend as well?
If you know exactly who you are targeting (e.g. Fred Smith), you may be able to find out what events he will be attending and make a strategic decision to attend as well.
3. Referral Marketing
There is nothing better than getting referrals from existing clients or prospects. That’s because they already have built-in trust from the referrer. You can either compensate the referrer, referee or both for doing business with you.
Traditional – The best way to do this is to just ask your prospects or clients who they know who may benefit from your services.
Referral System – You can create an online or offline referral system. The online system is sometimes called viral marketing because it’s a lot easier to share and can become viral overnight.
What kind of a referral system can you create both online and offline?
Which of your existing clients can you ask for referrals?
4. Outbound Calling
Picking up the phone and dialing is still a viable way to get clients. In fact, so many businesses have shifted towards digital channels, that it’s created a massive gap.
It works if you truly apply yourself but it’s not for everyone.
Do a quick google search or you can purchase online software to search the prospects you’re targeting and just pick up the phone and dial.
You can also purchase prospect lists as well from certain sources; however, you should always stay within privacy regulations.
5. Networking Groups
There’s nothing like face-to-face networking. Most cities and towns have local networking groups you can join.
Do a local google search or ask around and find the ones near you.
There are also more structured groups that you could join like the Chamber of Commerce Or BNI.
What groups can you join?
Who can you ask about local groups near you?
Here are some links to LinkedIn groups.
6. Join Online Communities
The next best thing to local communities is online communities. Join the communities that your prospects are a part of. Engage and provide vale in those communities and your prospects will start to notice you and may even reach out.
What online communities are your prospects a part of?
Explore Facebook groups to see additional communities around you.
7. Host Events
Bring your prospects together in a workshop, seminar or conference and provide them value. They’ll see you as an industry Authority. You don’t even have to provide the value yourself. You can bring in other experts and have them present.
What event could you host that will provide value to your prospects?
8. Affiliate Partnerships
Create partnerships with others who may be doing business with your prospects. If there is no conflict, it’s a “win-win” situation. Come up with an affiliate agreement to share revenues that is fair for all parties. The more affiliates you have, the greater it solidifies the relationship with your clients.
Who can you partner with who can send you clients?
9. Trade Shows
It’s a traditional style of showcasing products and services but it’s a great way to get exposure. You can have a trade booth, sponsor the event or just be an attendee.
What trade shows can you attend that will connect you with key prospects?
10. Your Own Community
Why not build your own community? It’s a great way to showcase your talent and skills. You can do that through your own app, Facebook group, LinkedIn group, and other platforms that give you that capability.
What kind of community could you start and leverage to showcase your services?
11. Speaking Events
If you want exposure to a big audience, this is one of the best ways to do it. As a speaker, you have instant Authority. There are many events around the globe (big and small) that are constantly looking for speakers.
What events could you potentially be a speaker at?
12. Social Ads
Social ads have blown up over the past decade. The precision and tracking are phenomenal. You can do Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.
What platforms do your prospects hang out on where you can leverage social ads?
13. Search Engine Ads
People are using search engines all the time and it’s one of the best ways to get directly in front of your perfect prospects. You can place ads for key search words or terms that your prospects are searching for, so you show up right at the top or next to the list. These are great prospects as they are proactively looking for solutions.
What words and terms are your prospects searching for?
For more information on how to optimize your search engine ads, check out this blog.
14. Public Relations (PR)
One of the fastest ways to get known is through media. Stories travel fast through newspapers, magazines, blogs, radio, TV shows, etc.
Traditional PR – Reach out to media outlets to see if you can provide an interesting story or other value.
Stunt PR – Create a stunt that will get you instant attention. For example, A company dropped $5,000 in $1 bills off a crane as a free giveaway instead of spending $5,000 on newspapers ads. Turns out the newspaper covered the story for free anyways and hundreds of people showed up live.
What media outlets can you reach out and spread the word to?
Or who can you hire to do your PR for you?
15. Content Marketing
Simple organic content is a great way to provide value or entertainment that will get your prospect’s attention. This includes Facebook posts, Instagram posts, YouTube posts, blogs, downloadable PDF’s or books, etc.
Where are your prospects hanging out so you can provide organic content directly to them?
16. Content Contributor
Like content marketing but slightly different in that you’re providing content for a third party like magazines, blogs, newspapers, etc. You’re ultimately providing value to their clients who may be the prospects you’re looking for as well.
What outlets can you target that service your prospects?
17. Banner Ads
Although it’s not as effective as when it first started, banner ads can drive traffic to your offer. You can place ads on other websites, online communities, etc.
What websites or communities are your prospects visiting that you can target?
18. Search Engine Optimization
An organic way to utilize search engines, if you rank high enough. It’s a process and takes time but the payoff is substantial. In order to do so you’ll have to come up with key search words or terms that you want to rank high for.
What key words or terms are your prospects searching for?
How can you build these key words or terms into your website or other online channels?
19. Podcast
Podcast is an exploding channel. It’s also one of the very few that you have complete control over. There are two ways to leverage this channel: host your own podcast or become a guest on other podcasts. If you host your own, you can present your offer directly to your audience. If you’re a guest, you can direct the audience to your offer or website.
What kind of podcast could you create that would add value to your prospects?
What podcasts could you be a guest on to provide value to their listeners?
Where can you direct listeners?
20. Free Tool Marketing
People are always looking for ways to make their lives easier. That’s why free apps, online tools, calculators, quizzes, and checklists are so popular. Simply make them free but use it to get your prospect’s contact information so you can put them into your sales funnel.
What online tool can you create to make your prospect’s life easier?
21. Email Marketing
A great way to market once you have an email list. As you start building your list, you can make offers to your subscribers directly. The key is to grow the list and nurture it as you go.
What can you do to grow and nurture your email list?
What offers can you present via email?
22. Offline Advertising
Although it can be effective, it’s tough to measure traditional offline advertising unless you have a code or another way to track. Radio ads, billboards, sponsorships, newspaper ads, magazine ads, are great ways to expose your brand to your prospects.
What offline advertising channels would have the greatest exposure to your market?
Next Steps
1. Strategize
Explore the 22 options and determine how they align with your strategy.
Here are the five questions to ask yourself:
a) How many of my competitors are using this avenue?
b) How many of my prospects can I reach through this avenue?
c) How much will it cost me to acquire each client through this avenue?
d) How much effort, resources and time is required to market through this avenue?
e) How long will it take to start acquiring clients through this avenue?
In this stage, leave your bias aside. You’re being as creative as you can without judgement.
2. Score
This is the stage to be a little more objective. Create a ranking system that you can use to score each avenue based on the above criteria and any other criteria you may have.
3. Focus
Identify the top scoring avenue. This will be your first and main focus. Identify the following three avenues that score the highest. These will be your additional avenues to try out to as you’re focused on the top one.
4. Test, Measure & Evaluate
Your testing phase should have specific goal criteria such as how much you want to spend in money, time and effort as well as how many clients you want to acquire.
Your goal is to find the avenues that get you the most clients, the fastest, with the least amount of resources and the least competitive.
But There’s One More Thing…
Your marketing and sales efforts will be running on a flat tire until you do this first.
Your market needs to trust you and they need to trust you fast!
So how do you create almost instant trust?
It’s by using Authority Marketing…
A unique system of marketing that gets your prospects in a mental and emotional state to WANT to buy your products and services.
If you’re a consultant, coach or knowledge expert, here’s a FREE training video to show you exactly how you can use Authority Marketing to grow a wildly profitable business.
Click here for FREE video training on and discover a reliable method to get more clients fast.
By Purdeep Sangha – The Strategist For Men In Business
