Client attraction through nurturing relationships

Client attraction made simple…

“How can I attract clients to my business?” How many times have you asked yourself that question?

We all hear people talking about client attraction and all the ways you can attract paying clients. Yes, I have mentioned the same in other blogs previously. Still, there are a lot of questions that need answers…

Where then do these elusive paying clients come from?  The short and simple answer is through relationship building.

Easier said than done, I hear your reply. In this blog, I’ll show you how to nurture relationships effectively.

Are you open to another way?

So far I’ve found the best way of building relationships with clients is to think of the process as a date. Cast your mind back to when you met your partner.

When you went on your first date, you had probably met them before (unless of course, it was a blind date, in which case keep reading!).

Let’s assume you met them at a party.

You looked across at the opposite end of the dancefloor, your eyes met and something clicked. Yes? You didn’t rush up to them and blurt out the date and time of your fourth child’s birth!

 Taking it easy

You looked at your partner-to-be and somehow felt recognition. A thought that maybe things could be good. And so, the two of you walked across the dancefloor, said hello shyly and began chatting.

You took your time getting to know each other and then agreed your first date.

From there, a second date. After you got to know each other, you then met the family, friends and so on. There was a proposal, a wedding, time elapsed and children came along and now you are where you are now.

But what does this have to do with paying clients?

Simply put, the same process for dating applies to finding your ideal clients.

You build a relationship with them by following these seven simple steps:

1. Know your ideal client – Have a clear picture in mind of who this person is. So clear that if you bumped into them on the street you would almost recognise them. Or at least feel that you do!
2.  Hang out where your clients do – Find out where your clients are and go to them. Talk to them, ask questions. By having a conversation and getting to know them, you are building the know, like, trust factor and setting a great foundation for doing business for a long time to come.
3.  Have a successful business plan – You know this is important for sustained growth. Check out my previous blogs to get a simple template to help you.
4.  Be the Go-to-expert for your clients – If you know what they need, you can give your clients solutions when they need them most. Helping them be better is a great testimonial for your work. And it brings in more clients for you. Sweet!
5. Have a clear marketing strategy – Marketing is by no means sleazy or difficult provided your focus is on serving your potential clients. When you are clear about who you are talking to, when you are talking to them, how and what you are talking to them about, the process gets much more fun. Clarity is the key though.
6.  Build and nurture relationships – Think of your work as farming. Planting the seeds, watering them and making sure they have everything needed to grow – that’s how you grow an awesomely busy base of raving fans (a.k.a. paying clients).
7. Be consistent and follow-up – Whichever way you look at it, consistency and follow-up are the key elements to keeping your client base growing strong. If you haphazardly attend networking events or only post on Social media once every three months, then all your hard work will be lost. You don’t want to keep starting from scratch again, do you?

There you have it, seven awesome steps to build your paid client base and all you had to do was remember your first date.

Your clients will value you more and will continue to come back and recommend you, provided you treat them with all the love and care you do your partner…

Try these pointers out and come back to tell me how it’s working out for you. I love hearing your successes and…

… Sharing keeps you accountable.

Cheryl-lya is a Transition Strategist: helping women around the globe plan launch and grow successful sustainable businesses & careers. She is London based and runs workshops alongside one-to-one coaching. Contact her: Book a call, or visit her website soulscompass.net Say ‘hello’ or share your joys via email: hello@soulscompass.net