Last week I touched base with one of my clients to see how things are going. My client, Katie, just launched a new real estate firm.
Like most new companies, Katie needs a reliable way to get clients of her own.
The problem, Katie despises social media. We’re talking the kind of hate reserved for the IRS in April.
So how are we driving over 7-figures of new business that lead to this email from Katie last month…
How Katie Is Getting These Clients
She’s not using a hack or gimmick. Stick with me to the end of this post and you’ll be able to replicate her success.
Just about any business can use this system, but I’m specifically laying out steps for a client-based service business today.
I’ve run client-based businesses for the last 15 years, and I’ve worked with dozens of other client-based businesses to shape their brands and marketing. This method is the most predictable source for driving high quality leads I’ve found.
Enough buildup, let’s get to these 5 steps for getting clients already.
Step 1: Shrink The World
Everyone is not your client. Focusing on the right people is fundamental to success. You must become ‘the’ option for the right people instead of ‘an’ option for everyone. This is how Katie and I both add new clients without breaking the bank.
Katie is perfectly capable of working with all types of real estate clients (and she does indeed work with a range of clients on the buyer and seller side), but her agency is thriving because we’re focusing her marketing efforts on winning a specific client. Katie is ‘the’ option for new buyers moving to the Boulder area instead of ‘an’ option for everyone.
I share this same methodology for my business. I’m ‘the’ option for client-based businesses that need to connect their business, brand, and marketing strategy to land more clients. This is more focused than being ‘an’ option for all companies that need brand and marketing help. Yes, I work with companies outside of the client-based business niche, but I focus my new client acquisition around this area because I bring particular knowledge and expertise that adds value to the relationship and makes me ‘the’ option.
This step is fundamental to making the system work. You must define where you can become a Category Of One. Who are you uniquely qualified to help?
When you narrow the audience, you’re able to say the right thing, to the right people, in the right places.
I know it’s scary to commit. We all struggle with this step. I struggle with it myself. You naturally think, “Am I leaving business on the table and shooting myself in the foot by going too narrow?”
The answer is no.
The way to get big is to start small. Deliver results for your perfect clients, develop passionate fans, and your business will attract the broader market.
I’m not saying you have to stop working with your clients that don’t fit your ideal niche. I’m simply saying that you need to focus your marketing efforts in a specific area where you can become ‘the’ option for a specific group of people instead of ‘an’ option for everyone.
The more focused your niche, the more visible you can become. Your budget stretches further, the audience sees you more often, and awareness is easier to achieve.
Step 2: Define A Problem
Running a successful client-based business comes down to consistently solving a problem for an easily identified group of people.
If you want to grow your business, become better at identifying and solving problems.
For the purpose of this post, we’re only going to focus on one problem. What is the one issue that keeps your clients up at night?
Let’s go back to Katie for a moment. Remember that Katie is focusing on new buyers moving to Boulder. What’s their big problem?
They don’t have a clue which neighborhoods to consider.
How do we know this? We researched Google search volume for keyword phrases like “Best Neighborhoods In Boulder” and “Moving To Boulder Co” to gauge the market. Our research confirmed that people are looking for answers about neighborhoods in Boulder.
We aren’t guessing or making assumptions. There is hard evidence that people need information about neighborhoods in Boulder based on the search volume for these keyword phrases.
Katie has now identified her ideal client and the problem she’ll solve for them.
What’s the one problem you can solve for your ideal client?
I recommend starting with Google research. My platform of choice for Google research is SEMRush.com as it is simple to use and provides a wealth of information and resources. Use the link above to get a free trial (this is an affiliate link, but I am not recommending SEMrush.com because I’m an affiliate. I’m recommending it because it’s what I use).
Search phrases until you’ve found a problem you can solve with sufficient search volume to support your efforts. You’ll also want to reference the CPC (Cost Per Click) as that’s going to let you know how much you’ll have to pay for that traffic. More on this in step 5 below.
Step 3: Solve The Problem With A Detailed Plan
Once you’ve identified a problem, write a blog post that solves the problem. Your post must provide clear steps for people to follow. Deliver value and show your expertise. Don’t hold things back or worry about giving away your hard-earned knowledge that clients pay you to execute. You want people to read, execute, and get results from your blog post.
You’re reading an example of this execution right now.
I’m laying out a plan for how you can get more clients. As you’ve seen above form Katie’s email, I get hired by people to implement this system. I can share the full peek behind the curtain because I know that there are different types of people who will read this post.
- People who will read, execute and see results from the post, but they won’t ever hire me. Maybe they’ll become a subscriber to my incredibly valuable (and free) weekly email but it’s highly unlikely they’ll ever become a client for various reasons. That’s ok, I want them to benefit from this post and share it with friends.
- People who will read, execute and see results, but they want to take things to the next level. This group reaches out to me to discuss how we can amp things up and improve their efforts. I’ve done my part in providing value and proving my expertise. We’ve started to build a relationship before we’ve even talked.
- People who will read, want to execute, but they’re stuck somewhere in the process and need help. I am able to help them clarify and execute. Who better to help them than the person who provided the strategy?
Know that you’ll have similar buckets of people. Some people will happily benefit from free information and do nothing in return. That’s ok…deliver value and you’ll be rewarded by the right people.
Jumping back to Katie’s example, she put together a great post outlining the “Best Neighborhoods In Boulder” for people to reference. She has hundreds of people visiting that blog post every month. The vast majority of these people don’t reach out to her, but the ones that do are hot leads.
Instead of sending people to a sales page, Katie opened the relationship by sharing information and value. Katie has built trust with the potential client before ever speaking with them.
Step 4: Provide A Call To Action
Focus on delivering information and value for 98% of your blog post. Don’t sell yourself throughout the piece. Contain that urge to, “Always be closing.”
Save your sales pitch for the very end of your article. Provide one clear call to action. Tell prospects who you are, what you do, how you can help them, and the precise action to take if they’d like to work with you.
Inject some brand personality. This is your shot at winning people over with your charming story. However, don’t make this longer than one paragraph, and only provide one link so that the action you want them to take is clear.
Katie’s CTA looks like this:
Good Good is a Boulder area real estate agency. We specialize in helping good people find the perfect Boulder home. We’re low pressure but high touch. If you’re looking for a real estate guide in the Boulder area, we may be a good fit. Give us a call if you’d like to chat. We’re always happy to answer any questions you have about the Boulder area or give you a tour.
If you need some help clarifying your message, take a minute to build your brand script and brand one-liner. Once you’ve got your script, come back to this step and write your CTA paragraph.
Step 5: Drive Targeted Traffic
The final step is driving the right traffic to your blog post. You can use Facebook ads, Instagram ads, LinkedIn ads, or Google ads to drive paid traffic. All of these platforms allow you to target very specific audiences.
Your business and niche will determine the best ad platform fit. It’s all a matter of being able to reach your ideal client in the most efficient and cost-effective fashion.
For high $$$ services, I recommend starting with Google ads. You’ve already researched Google and know there’s sufficient search volume. Now you just need to capture the attention of those people and channel them to your blog post. With a high $$$ service, you can afford to have a much higher cost per sale and still be highly profitable.
Google may cost a little more per click to get the traffic, but you know the traffic is from motivated people looking for answers.
You’re most likely on this post right now because of a Google ad.
I targeted you based on what you were searching for on Google. I know you will benefit from this post based on your search phrase. I’m able to hone in on helping people like you that fit my niche.
Katie uses Google ads to drive her efforts as well.
She’s closed well into 7 figures of business on $3,000 of ad spend. That’s what I call a return on your investment.
I don’t have the space to go into a full Google Ads tutorial here. The complexities require a dedicated post. In the meantime, here are two options to get you rolling.
- Go read this introduction to online marketing and Google ads (from Google).
- Reach out to me for some help. As you’ve seen from Katie’s note, this is part of what we do for companies.
Now Get Started
Here’s a quick reference list of the tasks you need to tackle.
- Shrink The World – Be ‘the’ option for the right group of people rather than ‘an’ option for everyone. The best way to grow a big business is by focusing on a small group of people who will become passionate fans.
- Define A Problem – What problem can you solve for your niche? Perform Google keyword research to help you hone in on a specific problem with significant search volume on Google.
- Solve The Problem – Create a step-by-step guide on how to solve the problem for your client (just like this one).
- Provide A Call To Action – Make the next step simple for your potential clients. Tell them exactly how they can work with you if they’d like, but deliver it with some brand personality. This CTA (call to action) should come at the end of your blog post and be no longer than one paragraph.
- Drive Targeted Traffic – Use Google ads, Facebook ads, Instagram ads, or LinkedIn ads to drive targeted traffic to your blog post. For high dollar services, I recommend starting with Google ads where you can target keywords and reach an audience actively looking for answers.
You’re ready to execute. Solve a problem and win some new clients!
If you’re launching a new company, or if you’re at a plateau with your existing one, let’s schedule a time to chat and see if we’re a good fit to help.
