Are you running a new service business? If yes, I am completely sure the biggest sleepless question you always have in mind is how you can land your first new clients. Regardless of how much you have put into your service business, getting your first new clients can be a headache. I remember when I was employed as a project manager in a start-up business, one of the biggest problems I faced as a team leader is how to guide my sales & marketing team to land our first client.
We spent 7 months without a client. Even with the beautiful office, we were in and the best facilities we had, No one called or knocked on our door to ask for our services. So instead of giving up and hoping that a miracle will happen, I decided to read and implement ways we could get new clients.
To cut the long story short. According to my experience, here are 5 ways a new service business can get clients.
How to get your new client
1. Get clients through networking
I am pretty sure you have heard the saying “It's not about what you know but rather whom you know”. To get clients you need to connect and interact with potential people who can buy your services. I have come to realize that, someone somewhere knows who will benefit from your service. So, the best way is to start sharing your business existence with potential people. There more people get to know you the high the chances work will start coming your way. I remember, during my employment, I took the initiative of telling at least 5 new people about our business and the services we offer. Doing this, I could receive calls and I started getting meetings to elaborate further on our services.
Note, when networking, have your business cards, brochures, or any printed material that has your business info. This way you can give them something they can remember or use to contact you.
2. Get clients through Cold calling
Have you ever received a call from someone you don’t know? And they start telling you about their business and how good their services are? It was annoying right? Well, whether you were annoyed or not but you at least had the chance to know that there is a certain business offering certain services somewhere. That is what cold calling is. I remember, working with my sales team, we put into action a cold calling plan. We first did research to find who might want our services. Then we noted them down and their contacts. The next thing, we spent every morning from 8 am to 10 am, calling prospects and setting meetings. Do you want to know what happened after that? We got around 5 new clients. We did a bunch of projects and money started coming in.
Note, for your cold calling plan to work. Make sure you have a good offer to share. Secondly, have a sales pitch in place. No one wants to hear boring stories. So, plan how you will introduce yourself, how you will introduce your offer and how to ask for a meeting for further discussions.
3. Get clients through Pay per Click Advertising.
Did you know that Google receives 5.6 billion searches per day? If you didn’t know then now you know. The truth is, nowadays people are searching online for services or products before they buy. It has become a common thing to do. We always tend to search to either find reviews about a service or product before we decide to buy. And the good part about this is, that most people who search for services on Google are really intending to buy. So, if you can be able to appear when they search, chances are you will sell your service. If you are a new service business looking to get new clients, I advise you to try pay-per-click advertising from google (also called google Ads). What these PPC Ads will do is, it will help your website appear whenever your ideal client searches for a service related to your business. This gives you an opportunity to be seen by potential clients. Isn’t that what we all need as a business? True testimony, me and my sales team did several PPC campaigns and we were able to get clients who paid thousands of dollars.
Note, when doing PPC Advertisements, make sure your Ads are well managed by an online marketing agency. They know how to plan, execute and analyze to ensure you don’t waste money but rather make money.
You can learn more about how PPC Ads can help you get clients here.
4. Get clients from social media marketing
There are around 4.5 million social media users in Tanzania. All of These are people who could be your potential clients. Why not get them then? With this huge number of social media users, plus the number is still increasing, Businesses are finding new opportunities by joining social media platforms. Whether it's Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Tik Tok, there is a huge opportunity for you to get new clients by joining social media platforms. That’s why your competitors are there for.
Note, for social media to be of help to your business, try optimizing paid social. This will help you be discovered by new audiences that may be interested in your service.
You can find more on how social media marketing can help you get new clients.
How new service businesses can get clients: Final Advice
First, before you start implementing the four ways we discussed above, I want to tell you that, getting new clients is not an instant process. It will take time and may take even longer than you expect. But if you have a well-strategized plan, chances are you will start seeing results soon. You need to optimize every chance you get. Whether it's events, meetings, or anywhere you are invited, take it as an opportunity to tell people that you are business offers so and so services. Who knows, your clients might be seated right next to you.
Secondly, selling requires techniques. How you talk to people, how you share your information, and how you follow up on any promised meeting, will hugely depend on the sales techniques you have. Saying this, I strongly suggest you read about how sales work. This way you don’t throw stones in the dark.