How to forge lasting relationships that pay & get clients
Greetings to my extended Subkit family. I hope you are enjoying this newfound freedom and revenue stream using this exciting new platform. For me, finding new ways to generate cash is essential. Investing your time has to have some form of return. Anyhow, I’m getting ahead of myself.
Before I get started on this excellent piece of collaboration between Subkit and me, I should really introduce myself.
I’m Martin Wroe, and I’m a business consultant who's spent a long time growing businesses and finding ways to increase their value. I’ve had great success with it and it’s something which I'm pretty good at. Before I get lost in a long ego trip, I’d much rather you check out my Subkit Page and you can form your own opinions about me.
This blog’s aim is to give you some hints and tips on two topics, which you will need to master to ensure you can move through the ranks and tighten your solopreneur journey.
The two topics which we’ll cover in this exciting blog are forging lasting relationships that pay & where to find clients.
Forging lasting relationships that pay
In a world where time is a precious resource and the sales technique of choice seems to spam your inbox and social media get clogged up with very obnoxious messages that are just buy this, I’m amazing, buy from me! The art of growing relationships seems to be dying out in favour of hard and fast selling.
It always amazes me when people take this approach. When I take some of these scamps to task often I ask them if this is how they date people. Think about it. How do you find people that you want to grow a romantic relationship with? Is it taking the time to get to know someone and what makes them tick or is it simply a quick one-night stand that fulfils a purpose but long term there is no value?
Get to know your prospect
I can say with 100% conviction that it’s easier to sell to a client who already knows and trusts you rather than constantly finding new clients to churn in and churn out. People aren’t disposable, put the time in.
Once you’ve established a rapport, keep resisting the urge to sell. Ask lots of questions about them, their interests, family, etc. DO NOT SEE THIS AS TRIVIAL INFORMATION. It’s essential!
It’s much easier to gain higher-paying clients if you form professional friendships. There will be some of you that think this isn’t news or new, but there are a lot of people that do not see the value in this.
Make them feel special
One of the most memorable things that someone did for me was to buy me a copy of a book that related to my favourite football team (soccer), Manchester United. What made this unique was that the person who sent me this item was a Liverpool fan. Historically these teams are one of the greatest rivalries in the game. The book wasn’t expensive, but it was effective. It came to me from Amazon with no notes or names. I found this really strange and for almost a week I racked my brains as to who it could be. I then received an email titled, “How did you like the book?”
The point of this is that for a week this was in my thoughts and when I got that closure, I felt very flattered that someone took the time to get to know me and sent something that I would value. This person then became a trusted supplier to my business and also a friend. If they didn’t take the time to get to know me, our relationship wouldn’t have blossomed.
Don't forget the follow up
So often we find ourselves neglecting one of the most essential things within the development of our relations and that’s following up. If we spend the time on phone calls or meetings, ensure you spend the time to follow up. Companies can spend thousands if not millions on marketing and sales campaigns, a lot of the time we choose to pick off the quick wins and neglect the ones that may feel like they need some more effort.
Give yourself at least 3 opportunities to follow up on your last interaction and do not let it slip through the net. Be respectful of people's time. If on the third try you do not get a response. Simply send a short email or message similar to the following :
Hi ( insert name ),
It’s been a while since our last conversation. I’ve tried to reach you on several occasions but sadly I can’t seem to catch up with you.
I really enjoyed our conversation and I think there are a number of ways we can work together for mutual benefit.
Time is something which I really value and I respect yours. This will be my last email / contact for a while as I don’t want to clog up your inbox.
Hope the family are doing well and ( insert personal note ) eg. your child enjoyed their birthday or looking forward to their holiday or special event
Catch up soon,
( insert your name )
We often forget that people are human and emotional. Sending a message like this says that you value them as a person and you’ve taken the time to get to know them as a person, not a prospect. Empathy can lead to many things.
More often than not you will get some form of reply that asks you to speak with them another day. Nobody likes to come across as an asshole or rude.
Try it.
If you don’t get a response. Schedule a final follow-up for 4-6 weeks time.
Where to find clients
So you’ve set up your new shiny profile on Subkit. Some of you may have a list from other platforms that you can upload. Others may start from scratch. Wherever you're starting from. Always remember without prospects you're not going to grow a business. I’m stating the obvious but at least we’re setting the stall properly.
Now the obvious is said. I’m going to tell you how to find new prospects. Subkit wrote a great article on how to get your first leads. My intention is to elaborate on that.
Some are more time involved than others, be prepared to put the effort in.
Adventure into the big wide world
I know it’s scary out there but there is a universe to explore. You won’t find new clients under the bed in the bedroom. Get out and see the world. Be visible!
At least once per week try to find somewhere in public where you can work. This could be a coffee house library or even a bar. You need to think like a hunter and hunt where your prospects are. I’ve found a number of clients whilst working in restaurants and bars. Here I get to talk to people in a social atmosphere. The ones I talk to, I know I can help as we’re having a conversation.
You need to be bold and brave for this approach and don't be afraid of rejection. You can’t help everyone. However, if you can talk to new people, you could find something and someone new. Get their business card and add them to your list. At the time of writing this, I am aware that Covid - 19 exists. Be sensible and above all safe.
Use Social Media
A lot can be said about social media, it’s not all bad. There are so many social networks now. It’s impossible to work them all. Choose the one that best represents you and your company. Grow and develop this platform. You can then move on to the next.
Do not make the mistake of having to be on them all. You will not get the desired outcome you want. For professionals LinkedIn is great. Working properly you can grow your business from your bedroom, but it’s certainly not as fun as meeting new people and takes much longer to have meaningful conversations.
Try to stay away from advertising until you have nailed your target market and avatars. For those unsure of what this means. Drop me an email through my Subkit, I’ll steer you in the right direction.
Set up referral marketing
Subkit enables you to create a referral programme, which is amazing and will enable you to get some great opportunities. In order to work these opportunities, work on the basis that every person you speak with will know 5 people at some point in time they can refer back to you. If we look at the math on this it could be huge.
The first question is do you know 1 person? If you do, great. You’ve just landed your first 5 prospects. Those 5 prospects will then know 5 others. Now we’re up to 25 prospects. Those 25 prospects will also know 5 people, that's 125 people. The 125 know 5 people, that’s 625 prospects
Pretty neat, hey? This is why it's important to leverage all your contacts. We’ve turned 1 prospect into 625, now imagine if you know 5 people, that become 3125 prospects.
The key to most success lies in communication. The better you are at communicating the more chances you have of reaching the heights you dream of. One final thought — think what that means in monetary terms. 3125 people on a £1 (or $) monthly subscription. That's £3125 per month or £37,500. I hope that motivates you to get out and find or talk to people.
I hope you found this useful. There are tonnes more in my brain. That can help you scale your business or your personal growth.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.