Traditionally, the process of getting clients is completely inefficient. It involves networking with lots of people in the hopes that they remember you in the unlikely event that they come across someone who potentially needs your services so you can convince them to hire you. Ever tried scratch lottery? You should—the odds are better.
But since we service professionals see few alternatives, we follow Keith Ferrazzi's advice and "never eat alone," filling our calendar with as many potential referral opportunities as we can. The result is a crowded schedule, a steep "meals and entertainment" budget, and a lot of meetings that don't lead to much of anything.
Unless, of course, you have a more efficient system for client acquisition.
Simply put, a client acquisition system boils down to these three steps:
If you network without a system, you're wasting a lot of energy on step 1. Use LinkedIn to identify your next prospect more effectively. Click here to watch a short video that shows you how. And if you're struggling with steps 2 and 3, I invite you to stream a free webinar called New Business Strategies: How to Identify, Meet, and Close Your Next Client.
The webinar was hosted by Anna Yoffe at Expert Presence, who asked me to talk about a client acquisition system that will streamline your business development. Click here to watch the recorded webinar.
By David Ackert