Finding Clients, How do you find your clients? Options

[kurzo]

I am starting my own consulting company providing Web Design/SEO/SEM/PPC/ETC...

I have been doing my own SEO and it has supported me for 3 years, but I miss the business interaction and frankly, would like to diversify/expand my business. I do have a site that positions for the various terms for my city (City SEO, City Web Design) and I just recently revamped the content and did some link building to include more targetted keywords.

I feel the majority of companies I would need to work with will not be searching for these services because they may not know what to search for, so I think I need a very strong offline marketing campaign. What are some ideas that some of you have used to get the first round of clients?

thanks!

[Randy]

Chamber of Commerce, any local business associations that are in your area, etc.

Don't try to sell them directly. Become a member, then volunteer to give presentations about how having an online presence can benefit small businesses.

[Hyperformance]

Hey Randy - The Scoundrel - (IMG:style_emoticons/default/notworthy.gif)


Is everyone listening???

What Randy just told you is exactly how I began marketing my business locally...(almost 12 years ago) and it is way more successful than the two sentences it took to explain.

Even after I made a physical move, I did it again (in my new area) and picked up a new client when I went to the first invitation (open meeting) after signing up. That client went on to provide HMI with over $17,000 their first 6 months. Just one client!!!

Then you go in and offer to take one of those breakfast meetings and tell owners how they can better succeed online with their websites (Yep, for free) - It was announced by them to their members and we filled the Hotel Conference Room and they did not have enough breakfast for... it was very successful! They want you back, they want more topics, they want more time, they send the interested people and handle most of the promotion.... It even helped THEIR memberships increase!!!! Nobody loses!!! Worth saying again... "Everybody WINS".

The responses? This was a great mini-seminar which included Q & A and ran out of time everytime we did it. Then you run out of time because it filled you with prospects and clients.... such problems huh?

I guess I wanted to just tell people "This stuff works, these people here (HR) are professionals and know what they are talking about"

Now if we could lift you from your chair and make it happen, we could charge nicley for the service... LOL

- Scott

[Randy]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/hysterical.gif)

It's the same way I started my Web Design bidness many, many moons ago Scott. Then when I had some some testing and training of SEo under my belt I want back to give talks about that. To this day I still give the occasional (couple of times per year) talk about Design, Marketing, SEO, Conversion Analysis, etc even though I don't do that stuff for others anymore because I'm too busy with my own sites. Every time I give one of those I have to beat the business off with a stick. They don't seem to understand why I won't do SEO anymore. They all want to do it, it's just that they don't know who to trust and seeing someone in person breaks that particular barrier.

I can't even count the number of clients I've turned down from these little chats in the last 7 years or so I've been doing my own thing with my own sites. But it's gotta be somewhere in the hundreds.

[Hyperformance]

Can I just say one more thing on this?

Many people read, visit and partake in this awesome forum... many more just "read" topics here... And the counts (# of views) on each topic supports this.

I believe so many people are looking for a silver bullet solution to their web woes, or to find out all the secrets we are keeping to ourselves in succeeding with optimizing and marketing our personal and business websites... So I want everyone to know that everyone here, moderators or not - are sharing their "secrets" with you every day.

There are NO SECRETS! Sure, there are techniques that we each employ (and those are all here too), styles, reasoning, and success stories - I am hear to tell you that no one is holding back on you guys.

The invaluable information found in this website and it's archives alone - CAN AND WILL SUCCESSFULLY BUILD YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS.
(And no, I do not work for them, nor was I compensated [yet - LOL] for anything I say to you).

If you take action and use the suggestions and recommendations found here - You will WIN online! But you have to DO IT, not just read it... and if you have another question, then you return here and many will help set you straight on that technique or use of that technology. This is a GREAT thing!!! No fees here, no billing included, just people trying to help the World with building a better Internet - because in effect - this is what happens here every hour of every day right here - one website at a time.

After Randy's confession I feel compelled to do the same. I no longer take on new business either... I too am too busy in my own ventures and continued education to have the time to do those breakfast meetings anymore... and I know with my workload, it would not be fair to take on another client when I could not do the job I am capable of doing for them. But I loved doing them, and see myself doing it again as my education continues online...

Bottom line? Please help us find replacement individuals and companys to do justice to all the potential clients out there - doing it the right way, and succeeding too. We will even tell you how - this is our new breakfast meeting - this is us helping you - we just can't DO the actual DOING anymore (as much as we'd still like to). Because there is a great natural "high" you receive when you do these things and see success in others and their businesses - Yes, we are all just a bunch of Rush Junkies.

Nike has it right - just "do it" - You will see for yourself. Every secret here can somehow be adapted to helping your business and website succeed both On and Off line.

- Scott
(sorry about the length - it's called a passion for what you do)

[Jill]

Thank you, Scott for that most excellent and inspiring post.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/appl.gif)

You are exactly correct about this forum and also about the way most of us do SEO. We do it the way we do it in order to make the Internet a better place. In doing that, if we also happen to make money from it or get clients or whatever, there's certainly nothing wrong with that.

But in the end, it's all to make the Internet (and search engines) a better place. Corny and perhaps naive...sure. But it's the truth. Glad to know there are others out there who feel the same. (If you read the mission statement on the business part of my site, that's all in there as well!)

[kurzo]

Thanks for the great direction point (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I do not belong to any business groups, but it makes very good sense to do so!