5 Ways To Get New Clients Now

by Michael Huggins, RGD

There is a lot of work out there – even in this economy. In fact, Janet a friend and FGDO (For Graphic Designers Only) subscriber shared with me just how busy she was right now. "Things are going great!" she says. "This recession isn't affecting my business at all... I actually think it's helping."

So if the work is out there (and it is) the question is "How do you get it into your business quickly?"

If this is a question you're asking yourself, here are 5 things you can do to get clients into your business right now. And the good news is these are all highly cost effective solutions...

1. Get Famous Are you known to a select group of prospects as the top person in what you do? Do you have "star" status with them? Getting famous is about marketing to a select group of people so that they think about you first when it comes to design solutions. It's about getting people to recognize you as a leader in your field. Most designers fail in their marketing efforts because they don't intentionally attract a select group of people they want to market to. The good news is – it doesn't need to be a big crowd to produce lucrative results in your business.

You can easily become famous by targeting a specific market, industry or service need. Depending on the size of your business you may only need to focus on 50 - 150 people that you promote yourself to. This can easily be a source of new clients for you in the future. When you are famous to a targeted group of people that means you become the "go-to" person when they need your type of design services. You're the first person they call.

2. Create a Special Report

If you are going to be famous to a select group of people, you'll need to build credibility. To do that you need to create a powerful tool that establishes you as the expert in your field. One of the tools that can help you do that is what I call the "Free Report Strategy". This is a special report that you can create for your business that focuses on your area of design expertise. This tool is like a magnet for attracting new clients to your business. And best of all you can create this effective tool on a very low budget. Creating a Free report increases response and motivates new clients to contact you.

3. Use a "Paper" Sales Force

For most small design shops – having a sales person to make calls is a luxury they can't afford. But that doesn't mean you can't create a similar result without hiring a sales rep. In fact you can and at a fraction of the cost, by utilizing sales letters in your marketing program. A sales letter program is like having a small army of paper sales people that can call on many businesses for you – all at once. And it does cost you more than the price of a stamp.

You send your targeted letters to businesses that you want to work with, and your letters make the pitch and your call-to-action for you. One of the best things about a sales letter is you can automate your program so that you are free to work on design projects while your letters do all the work. Sales letters are great tools for making an impact in your market place, and a great way to secure new clients.

4. Ask for Referrals

Probably one of those most un-tapped resources for design business owners is the referral. Referrals can be your fast-track connections to new clients. And they are easier to get than you may think. In fact, chances are, you probably have 10 - 20 people you know who would gladly refer you to others who could benefit from your services. You just need to ask.

Go through your list of current clients, past clients, friends and even past acquaintances and make a connection with them. Simply ask them if they know anyone who would benefit from your kind of services. Remind them exactly what you do and the type of people you help. The responses you get could surprise you. You could end up with a new client.

5. Create a lead generating website

Finally another thing that helps you get clients quickly is a website that collects leads of qualified prospects for you. It's no secret that the web is a key marketing tool for attracting new clients – no matter what business you're in. But surprisingly many designers don't tap into the power of this tool when it comes to marketing their business. Mainly because most designers don't create sites that help them connect with their clients effectively. In fact many designer sites are nothing more than the "show and tell" variety instead of a source of lead generation.

When you create your website make it effective for your business by adding lead-collection forms on your site. If you aren't collecting the contact names of interested people who visit your site you're probably letting your prospects slip away to your competitors. And you don't want that to happen. If a prospect has made it to your web site make sure you know it and track it by collecting their contact information.

Getting new clients can happen quickly and consistently in your business. It's often just a matter of doing the most productive activities to make that happen. These strategies are extremely easy to apply to your business right now. So if you don't have a plan for getting new clients into you business then start one.

The quicker you implement your strategies the quicker you connect to your future clients.

This article has been provided by by Michael Huggins, Registered Graphic Designer (RGD) and Principal at Mindwalk Marketing. For more information, visit www.forgraphicdesignersonly.com.

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