Wanting a consistent flow of clients? Try this...
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Starting your business – the one that you’ve thought of, explored and now finally launched out into the world, is a huge accomplishment.
What comes next is no easy task.
Finding people to work with: Clients. Customers.
You hustle, you network, you get sucked into social media – your Facebook groups, or LinkedIn. Not sure if what you’re doing is going to lead you to those illusive clients.
As time passes and you don’t see the results you hoped for, you’re trying not to do a death spiral of negativity and instead trying to remember why you started your business in the first place.
Secretly hoping this hasn’t been one big mistake.
How do you maintain your sanity while you build your business? How do you focus on adding clients, without the negative spiral of obsessing over your lack of clients?
Here’s a tip: Create a Daily Success Log.
This is a strategy that I’ve learned and used even before I became a business owner. I’m applying this to business owners here, but It can be used whenever you want to be more result or outcome focussed to accomplish a goal.
This is what I mean by a Daily Success Log.
The point where someone gives you money for a service is the final step in successfully selling your services.
There are so many steps before that. Yet, what we often focus on is the fact that no one is buying – that final step.
Well, are you doing the steps that come before?
First, identify the steps in YOUR business that directly leads to finding prospective clients and then converting them into an actual paying client.
Make a list of all the things you know to be true about your business, about the steps needed to generate revenue (or how you plan to generate revenue if you’re just starting). What are the tasks directly linked to attracting a paying client?
Here are some examples:
- Connecting with your existing network to share about your new business,
- Setting up meetings/consultations/discovery calls,
- Offering a free demonstration or sample of your service to key individuals so they can refer you – or become a clients.
- Meeting new people – ideal clients or people that could connect you to them,
- Engaging in forums or discussion groups (in-person & online) that exhibit your expertise in your field,
- Networking with potential clients,
- Creating content for your ideal client and sharing it where they are, etc.,
- Holding a webinar,
- Speaking,
- Joining an association or group that contains your ideal client.
The list goes on.
What activities are you doing every day to move yourself towards attracting those clients? What progress are you making in your business that you can focus on and celebrate?
Create your daily success log by listing out at least 5-10 positive things that happen in your business.
Each & every day.
At the end of each day, reflect and record in a journal, spreadsheet, Evernote, etc your 5-10 daily positive successes.
Some examples you might record in your log:
- Record how much your mailing list grew that day.
- Track your social media followers.
- Record if you attended a trade show or conference.
- Perhaps you scheduled a consultation today. "Ex. Scheduled a consultation for Tuesday with Joe"
- Reached out strategically to someone new to create a new relationship. "Ex. Called and spoke with Sue, head of xyz department. Spoke to her about the project her company is undertaking and the work I've done in that space. We've set up a meeting to speak in person in two weeks"
- Record if you published a blog post and promoted it.
- Capture that you followed up with a past client to maintain your relationship. "Ex. Checked in with Naila and the progress she's making."
- Record if you committed to a future networking event or conference.
- Track if you asked for a reference or a referral. "Ex. Added a line in my newsletter asking my list to refer me." Or, "Ex. Finished a contract with ABC company and asked for a referral"
- Capture whether you had any conversations in your ideal client market about the problems and challenges they experience.
Get the idea?
Every day.
What does this do for you?
- This helps measure and focus on what’s positive about your business versus what’s not (in this case, not enough clients!). You begin to see the progress you’re making, even in small steps. Consistent steps (even small ones) are often what it takes to grow and see momentum.
- If you don’t have 5-10 positive things each day moving your business forward – it can be a wake up call. First, be sure you’re giving yourself enough credit and capture what’s going well in your business. However, if you struggle day in day out, then it could be a sign you’re not doing the activities your business needs to attract clients, thus revenue, thus profits.
- You start measuring success by means other than clients and revenue. While this is extremely important to the viability and sustainability of your business, it’s not the only measure of success. The Daily Success Log helps you identify other measures that are also important and helps broaden your view and definition of success. If you have the habits and behaviours to generate momentum in your business and are able to track 5-10 successes each day, the rest will follow.
Are you ready for a challenge?
Try it.
If you’re struggling to get clients or maintain a consistent flow of clients, I recommend making this a daily practice until you establish habits and see the results you’d like.
I would love to hear what you think of this and how keeping your Daily Success Log works for you. I would also love to hear what's on YOUR log.
NOW is YOUR time.
Ariana
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