Where the Clients Are
Where the Clients Are
I was puzzled by this answer. After more than 20 years in the business, you would think he knew who his clients were. But then I listened more closely. He wasn't telling me he didn't know WHO they were; he was saying he didn't know WHERE they were.
Since then, I've noticed this query come up over and over. Whenever an independent professional meets a successful person in his or her field, the professional inevitably asks, "Where do you find your clients?" It seems that where the clients are is a bit of a mystery.
But in fact, clients are just people like you and me. They do all the things that people normally do and can be found wherever people are. Let's suppose for a moment that your clients are professionals or managers who work for a corporation. Where are they at any given moment?
1. Working alone at their desk
2. Attending a meeting
3. Talking to someone in the office
4. Talking to someone on the phone
5. Corresponding with someone by email (or postal mail)
6. On the commuter bus or train
7. At the gym
8. Eating a restaurant meal or getting coffee
9. Attending a business function
10. Taking a class
11. Participating in a sports or leisure activity
12. Going to church
13. Attending an entertainment or cultural event
14. At home with their family
15. At the home of a friend or relative
16. Driving somewhere
Look at how many possibilities this gives you to find them! Your prospective clients spend a significant percentage of their time either talking to other people or gathering in public places. When they are not doing one of those things, they are usually at their home or office -- also places they can be "found" with a little detective work.
When you look at it this way, finding clients really boils down to three possible activities:
1. Talking to people who can put you in touch with clients.
2. Going to places where clients gather so you can meet them in person.
3. Getting names, phone numbers, and email addresses of clients you can call or write.
Start the process with a simple description of who your ideal clients are. The more specific you can get, the better. For example:
- HR Managers in growing midsize companies
- Marketing Directors for health care providers
- Small business owners in the Boston metro area
- Midlife professionals in career transition
Then use your description to ask everyone you know these three questions:
- Do you know any _____ you can introduce me to?
- Do you know someone who knows lots of _____?
- Do you know any places where many _____ go?
For many independent professionals, just that one step will provide you with enough names and places to keep you busy for quite some time. Just keep talking to people and going to places where clients gather. As long as you keep asking the same three questions of every person you meet, your prospect list will continue to grow.
To expand your list even further and faster, you can look your clients up. Business clients are listed in hundreds of directories, in print and on the web. Consult the Yellow Pages, association membership lists, sites like http://www.business.com, or your favorite search engine.
Individuals can be found in alumni directories, club rosters, and online communities. Start with the groups you already belong to. Although direct solicitation from these sources is not advisable, they are excellent for finding people to ask your three network-expanding questions.
You don't even have to do the list-building work yourself. If you want to reach your clients by mail and phone, you can purchase names of businesses or consumers from list brokers like http://www.dunandbradstreet.com or http://www.namefinders.com.
Finding clients is really a bit of a paradox. They are everywhere, but you have to look in order to see them. Don't be so overwhelmed by the forest that you forget to notice the trees.
C.J. Hayden is the author of Get Clients Now! Thousands of business owners and salespeople have used her simple sales and marketing system to double or triple their income. Get a free copy of "Five Secrets to Finding All the Clients You'll Ever Need" at http://www.getclientsnow.com
Where the Clients Are - To learn more about this author, visit C.J. Hayden's Website.
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A friend of mine is an IT consultant. He's been an independent contractor for the 20-plus years I have known him, and gets all his consulting contracts through agencies. Even when he works a year or two for the same client, the agency takes 15-20% of what the client is paying for his services. I once asked him why he didn't find his own clients, and he said he didn't know where to look.
I was puzzled by this answer. After more than 20 years in the business, you would think he knew who his clients were. But then I listened more closely. He wasn't telling me he didn't know WHO they were; he was saying he didn't know WHERE they were.
Since then, I've noticed this query come up over and over. Whenever an independent professional meets a successful person in his or her field, the professional inevitably asks, "Where do you find your clients?" It seems that where the clients are is a bit of a mystery.
But in fact, clients are just people like you and me. They do all the things that people normally do and can be found wherever people are. Let's suppose for a moment that your clients are professionals or managers who work for a corporation. Where are they at any given moment?
1. Working alone at their desk
2. Attending a meeting
3. Talking to someone in the office
4. Talking to someone on the phone
5. Corresponding with someone by email (or postal mail)
6. On the commuter bus or train
7. At the gym
8. Eating a restaurant meal or getting coffee
9. Attending a business function
10. Taking a class
11. Participating in a sports or leisure activity
12. Going to church
13. Attending an entertainment or cultural event
14. At home with their family
15. At the home of a friend or relative
16. Driving somewhere
Look at how many possibilities this gives you to find them! Your prospective clients spend a significant percentage of their time either talking to other people or gathering in public places. When they are not doing one of those things, they are usually at their home or office -- also places they can be "found" with a little detective work.
When you look at it this way, finding clients really boils down to three possible activities:
1. Talking to people who can put you in touch with clients.
2. Going to places where clients gather so you can meet them in person.
3. Getting names, phone numbers, and email addresses of clients you can call or write.
Start the process with a simple description of who your ideal clients are. The more specific you can get, the better. For example:
- HR Managers in growing midsize companies
- Marketing Directors for health care providers
- Small business owners in the Boston metro area
- Midlife professionals in career transition
Then use your description to ask everyone you know these three questions:
- Do you know any _____ you can introduce me to?
- Do you know someone who knows lots of _____?
- Do you know any places where many _____ go?
For many independent professionals, just that one step will provide you with enough names and places to keep you busy for quite some time. Just keep talking to people and going to places where clients gather. As long as you keep asking the same three questions of every person you meet, your prospect list will continue to grow.
To expand your list even further and faster, you can look your clients up. Business clients are listed in hundreds of directories, in print and on the web. Consult the Yellow Pages, association membership lists, sites like http://www.business.com, or your favorite search engine.
Individuals can be found in alumni directories, club rosters, and online communities. Start with the groups you already belong to. Although direct solicitation from these sources is not advisable, they are excellent for finding people to ask your three network-expanding questions.
You don't even have to do the list-building work yourself. If you want to reach your clients by mail and phone, you can purchase names of businesses or consumers from list brokers like http://www.dunandbradstreet.com or http://www.namefinders.com.
Finding clients is really a bit of a paradox. They are everywhere, but you have to look in order to see them. Don't be so overwhelmed by the forest that you forget to notice the trees.
C.J. Hayden is the author of Get Clients Now! Thousands of business owners and salespeople have used her simple sales and marketing system to double or triple their income. Get a free copy of "Five Secrets to Finding All the Clients You'll Ever Need" at http://www.getclientsnow.com
Where the Clients Are - To learn more about this author, visit C.J. Hayden's Website.
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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