10 Effective Ways to Get New Clients For Your Service Business

Every small business owner desires to get new clients. Here are ten tried-and-true methods to get new clients.

You’re probably looking for clients if you’re a freelance writer, graphic designer, realtor, consultant, or agency. Whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned pro, knowing how to find new clients is an essential skill for increasing your monthly income.

But here’s the question: how do you attract clients who are truly valuable to your company? How to find new customers and increase sales? How can I get more clients for my business?

Think long-term relationships when learning how to get clients who will add true value to your business. These are the clients who regard you as a partner, have faith in you, and refer new business to you. And, when it comes to attracting new clients, the more ideas you have, the better. Let’s take a look at 10 ways to get new clients who will stick around:

1. Request Referrals. Referrals are one of the most effective ways to get new clients, but if you sit back and wait for your current customers to refer their friends and family members to you, you may be waiting a long time. Take charge by putting in place a system for actively soliciting referrals from your happy customers. Incorporate referral-generating activities into the sales process. Send a follow-up email asking for a referral after a customer has received their order from your e-commerce site, for example. When your B2B or B2C salespeople follow up with customers to answer questions after the sale, have them ask for referrals.

For example, at Marvelous Entrepreneurs Community, we have an online referral meeting every second and fourth tuesdays. You may join this community and take advantage of this facility to give and request business. Marvelous Entrepreneurs group is a Telegram group where referrals are given and requested on a daily basis.

2. Network. Participate in networking organizations and events relevant to your industry and customers to generate good old-fashioned word-of-mouth. Make a point of approaching networking with the mindset of “How can I help others?” rather than “What’s in it for me?” By considering how you can be of service, you will be able to build relationships that will lead to new customers. There are women’s business groups like WICCI, SHEROES, Marvelous Entrepreneurs and more. This method to get new clients still works 100%.

You may join Business Bustle Community – a group of entrepreneurs, mainly from India, and network with them.

Related Post: Understand Business Networking Before You Regret

3. Offer Discounts and Incentives to New Customers. Introductory offers, such as a two-week course at your yoga studio for $100, or a one-week free trial offer on your membership site, can entice potential customers by providing a low-risk way to try your products or services. Track which customers take advantage of the special offer, then send them marketing messages encouraging and enticing them to continue purchasing from you. Discounts and incentives have always worked well to get new clients.

4. Re-contact Previous Customers. Everything old can be new again, even old customers who haven’t done business with you in a long time. Go through your customer contacts on a regular basis and, after six months or a year without interaction or purchase, reach out to dormant customers via email, direct mail, or phone with a special offer. They’ll appreciate the fact that you remembered them and want to win them back.

5. Offer Special Incentives or Bonuses to Loyal Customers to get new clients. Refer a friend and win 40% off on your next purchase, or provide 10 friends’ contact details and win a chance to get an iPod, may get you new clients by word-of-mouth and giveaways. “Bring a friend and try out our new happy hour specials!” to inform customers that you are looking to expand your business’s customer base Your existing customers might be more than happy to refer a friend when they are lured by an exciting offer.

6. Collaborate with complementary businesses. Collaborate with businesses that have a similar customer base but aren’t directly competitive, and plan how you can target each other’s customers to drive new business. For instance, if you’re a web designer, why not collaborate with a copywriter? These two services frequently go hand in hand, and by collaborating, you can help each other get new clients. This type of symbiotic relationship benefits both parties: for example, when new clients come to you looking for web design, you can recommend a new copy from your copywriting partner to go with it. A ladies’ clothing designer and a spa owner, for example, could collaborate to offer discounts and deals to each other’s customers.

7. Market your expertise. By publicizing your expertise in your industry, you can generate new customers. Participating in industry panel discussions or online webinars, speaking at industry events or to groups that your target customers belong to, or holding educational sessions or workshops will demonstrate your subject expertise to potential new customers. Similarly, make use of PR opportunities in media. Participate in local community events and social causes. Sponsor an event in your locality. Voice against a social peril.

You might enjoy reading this: 5 Great Ways To Promote Your Coaching Business

8. Take advantage of online reviews. Is it possible for customers to leave online reviews for your business? Make the most of your reviews by cultivating them. Link to customer reviews on your website and display signage in your establishment encouraging customers to check you out on Yelp (or wherever the reviews are). You can ask your clients to leave reviews on Google if you have a Google My Business page.

Also, use the “Ask for a recommendation” feature on LinkedIn to get testimonials from satisfied customers. These testimonials increase the value of your services and help you attract higher-quality clients. Social proof is extremely powerful, and new customers are more likely to try your business if they see others praising it.

Related Post: 8 Types of Customer Testimonials and How to Use Them to Boost Your Sales

9. Get a GMB. Having a Google My Business page establishes you as a professional, whether you’re an agency or a solopreneur. This free tool ensures that people find your company when they search for it online. It can also assist those looking for your services on a local level in finding you through Google Maps. You will be able to enter important information such as your company name, category, website, phone number, address, events, offers, product details, videos, and images.

Add some images to your business listing to make it stand out. In fact, business listings with photos receive 35% more clicks to their website. So, include your logo and other images to help people understand your company. If you have a physical office, for example, include some professional-looking images of that office. If not, you could use images from your website, such as screenshots of your work portfolio or even a couple of your own headshots. So, if you’re thinking How do I get clients in my new area, you’ll make it even easier for people to find your business if you create this listing, especially if they do a “near me” search. If you want to get new clients locally, get a GMB today!

Related Post: How to Verify Google My Business?

10. Maintain an active presence on social media. Social media is a goldmine for acquiring valuable new clients who will stick around. But you must play the game correctly. So, don’t waste your time advertising your services or discussing how you’re looking for clients. Instead, go where your ideal clients are and interact with them to gain their trust. Facebook groups, for example, are a great place to look for clients. I have generated so many clients via my social media communications.

Related Post: How To Grow Your Business Through Video Marketing?

How do beginners get clients?

11. BONUS TIP #1. Create Sales Funnels for your Services. Tap the strength of sales funnels to market your services. Sales funnels are marketing tools that enable you to track the customer journey and improve the customer experience in order to increase sales. A sales funnel can help you understand what potential customers are thinking and doing at each stage of the buying process.

These insights enable you to invest in the most appropriate marketing activities and channels, develop the most relevant messaging at each stage and convert more prospects into paying customers. Websites cannot beat sales funnels when in comes to getting new clients for your service business.

Sales and marketing automation software can fill those gaps in the sales funnel and convert near-misses into sales. You can try using a sales funnel for 30 days for FREE here.

Using the 11 expert methods we’ve discussed above will allow you to focus on the clients who can truly make a difference for your company.

If you’re stuck with clients who don’t fit your business model or who are causing you more headaches than they’re worth, continue to experiment with new methods of attracting clients, and you’ll end up with a clientele that adores the services you provide and stays with you in the long run.

If you feel the need to get more handholding and an in-depth approach to getting clients for your service-based business, then apply for our GET MORE CLIENTS ACCELERATOR 2.0 that starts a cohort every January, April, July, and October. You may also check out the details of our VIP Coaching for getting customized handholding, coaching, and mentoring for your business if you do not have time to attend our group coaching and apply to work 1-1 with Kavitha.