Effective Ways to Find Clients

You had an amazing idea, have done the work, and are now ready to take the plunge into your new business venture.  You know that your product, service, or skill will help people and will be successful.  There is just one problem; you do not have any clients. Having a lack of clients is one of the most common issues I see when my clients come to me for advice.  No matter how solid your business plan is or how ingenious your idea is, it will not succeed if no one knows about it.

No one knowing about your business is only one problem when searching for clients.  You can find people to share your product with, but you could be targeting the wrong types of people.  For example, you would not try selling premium steaks to vegans or dog food to cat owners.  In order to have your business excel, you need to find clients that are interested in what you are selling.

Finding clients can be hard.  But do not worry.  There are tried and true tips used to find clients.  Here are my strategies for finding your dream clients:

1. Be clear. When you ask someone what they do for a living, you do not want to hear, “Well…um…I guess I help people with tech.” How are you helping people in tech? Why are you doing it? What is it that you exactly do? Figure out what you are, who you are, what you’re really good at, what YOU’RE superpower is and then do that. Have a message about yourself that tells your client exactly what you are doing and be able to clearly and concisely answer any follow-up questions that they may have.
2. Be where your ideal clients are. You have a product that fixes a problem. Therefore, you have to go to where the people who have this problem are. For example, if you are selling makeup, you would go to a cosmetic store not to a hunting and fishing shop. Pre-COVID, we would meet potential clients at networking events. Now, that landscape has changed. We have to find our target audience online. I cannot stress this enough, it is vital for business owners to have an online presence. We can use platforms like LinkedIn, Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc. You can even hire a social media manager or website designer to help with digital marketing.
3. Create a Lead Magnet. What do magnets do? They attract and repel. Your goal is to attract clients to an amazing product, not repel. Once you funnel people into your business idea, you can gain clients. Then, these people can reach out to their friends, family, and colleagues and attract more people to your lead magnet.
4. You need to advertise your product or service. One great way to do this is to just talk to people. When you engage in conversation, you warm up your audience to your idea. They learn your story, learn to trust you, and are excited about what you have to offer. It is difficult to publicly speak to people now, but there are other platforms, like podcasts or YouTube that can help you advertise. When these podcasts or channels grow, you will also grow. More people will hear you speak and then more clients will seek you out.

These are my four ways to find great prospective clients.  It may sound like a lot of work to put in to find new clients, but trust me, it’s worth it.  Remember these four tips and I am confident that you will increase your client base!

Beate Chelette is The Growth Architect & Founder of The Women’s Code, a training company specialized in providing companies an ROI on Balanced Leadership. She has been named one of 50 must-follow women entrepreneurs by the Huffington Post. A first-generation immigrant who found herself $135,000 in debt as a single parent, she bootstrapped her passion for photography into a highly successful global business and eventually sold it to Bill Gates in a multimillion-dollar deal.

Beate works with business leaders and supports organizations by developing and providing training the training, tools, and expertise to create and maintain a balanced, equal, and inclusive work environment that fosters creativity, employee engagement, and corporate growth.

Recent clients include Merck, Women’s Legislative Caucus of California, Cal State University Dominguez Hills, Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), NFTE, CreativeLive, the Association of Corporate Growth, and TracyLocke.

Beate is the author of the #1 International Amazon Bestseller “Happy Woman Happy World – How to Go From Overwhelmed to Awesome” a book that corporate trainer and best-selling author Brian Tracy calls “a handbook for every woman who wants health, success and a fulfilling career.

To book Beate to speak or train please connect here. Your Time Is Valuable!