How To Double Your Client Base Quickly: My 5-Step Fool-Proof System

Several times in the past few months, private clients, associates and friends asked me "How the heck did you grow your business SO quickly?"

"Rachel, how did you do it? You have all the clients you need, a great income, three energetic children. In addition you write a weekly newsletter, articles, conduct tele-seminars several times per month and find time to get out there and network with people at all kinds of events around the country. What gives?"

No wonder they're curious. When I see it down on paper, it does seem a little unreal. But before you think I've got it all figured out, let me be truthful with you. It wasn't always this way. I was at a place about a year ago where my business had reached a stale point. After having ups and downs for almost a year before that, it seemed my business had hit rock bottom.

The "client well" had run dry. Night after night for weeks, I would wake up at 3 or 4am stressed and worried about how we were going to pay the bills and put food on the table. All I kept saying to myself is, “Did I make the right decision to become self-employed?! Why is it such a struggle to get clients? How will I pay my mortgage if I don’t get any more clients FAST!?” I tossed and turned, and couldn’t come up with any good answers.

One day, I had just driven 40 miles to meet with a prospective client (yes, I was desperate). On my way back home, I stopped at a local grocery store to buy some food and panicked when I realized that the $6 in my pocket was the last of our money.

At that very moment, I made a commitment to immerse myself in absolutely everything that had to do with getting clients. I read every book on marketing and networking I could get my hands on. As more clients came in, I took every course and teleclass that was available. I essentially decided to become a mini-expert on how to get clients. I also worked with an amazing coach who helped me take a good, hard look at all the self-sabotaging thoughts I was having 24/7 and helped me to clear them all out of my path.

Almost like magic, within less than 8 months, I had filled my copywriting and marketing business to full capacity with several retainer clients and a few regulars as well. I was at the point where I had to actually turn people away. It was incredible!

Now, I don't say this to brag. Not at all! My point is that even though it seemed like magic, there is actually a real formula I used to get my business from that low point, to brimming with clients, and I'm going to share that with you here.

I've boiled it down to 5 main steps that I have taught to others who have duplicated this success within their own business as well. It's what I call The Irresistible Marketing System, and it's the same system that I coach people on every day now. So here goes:

1. Create your ideal client profile. Delve into who you enjoy working with, what you do for them, how you get results (what steps or systems do you use over and over), and what makes YOU their problem solver.
2. Craft your compelling marketing message. Based on the results that you provide work out what the benefits of your products and services are over your competitors. Boil that down to your tagline, elevator speech, and "pull" marketing questions that makes them say, "YES! I want to work with you!"
3. Now it's time to get your message out there. In order to do this, you need to make marketing and client attraction a priority. Schedule business development appointments with yourself and hold them as sacred as client appointments. The best way that I've found to do this is to create your yearly, monthly, weekly and daily schedule. For me, Mondays and Thursdays are my business development and marketing days. Tuesdays and Thursdays I block out for coaching appointments. Figure out what works best for your business model and stick to it.
4. Master the art of the "soft close". Nobody likes pushy people. And for that matter, most people don't like being pushy either. This is where knowing who your ideal prospects are and having compelling marketing messages targeted to them comes in to play. Because it allows you to pre-qualify anyone who contacts you. You can get on the phone with a prospect and find out what their situation is - what they're struggling with. Find out what they've already tried that worked and didn't work. Find out how they imagine their life being as a result of working with you. If they are an ideal prospect, get them to see how you can achieve those results together! There's a lot more to the soft close that I go over with my coaching clients, but this gives you a great start.
5. Take consistent and serious action. Don't make excuses anymore. It's time to get out there in a big way, cultivate more referrals and stop being the best-kept secret in your field. This means creating goals and taking consistent action each and every week to grow your business. Write and publish articles on a site like ezinearticles.com, give talks at groups you belong to in your area of expertise, network on a regular basis. Do whatever it takes and hold yourself accountable. If you don't, no one else will.

Your Assignment:

Start applying the steps above. I guarantee that if you really make this a priority, you will start seeing results (sometimes immediately) in not only the quality of your clients, but also your bottom line. It did for me, BIG TIME. Cha-ching!

If find you are still stopping yourself with limiting beliefs, fears or doubts, find a qualified coach who can work with you to help you achieve your business goals and stay on-track and accountable