As a coach or consultant, attracting clients from your network starts by building confidence in what you deliver.
Have you found yourself scratching your head trying to figure out how to attract more referrals/clients from your network? The female founders I work with do. So, you’re not alone.
Small business owners, coaches, consultants and those responsible for promoting products and services sign up for networking events all the time to build connections. In person you’ll see the busy bee buzzing from flower to flower passing out business cards. On Zoom you may have experienced people blurting out as much as possible in the short time frame the facilitator allots.
You sit on a zoom event hoping to meet people or you pay for networking opportunities to make that great connection that will lead to a new client, only to leave disappointed and overwhelmed.
You’ve been working your business long enough to know you aren’t getting the leads you want from the effort you’re putting in. So, what’s the point of it all.
The problem is this doesn’t work! Passing out cards to people who don’t know you or trying to pitch all your services in a minute hasn’t been effective for some time now.
What can you do differently? It’s time to be intentional with building real relationships and building confidence with the people in your network.
Let’s dive in and fix that!
#1. Learn how to describe what you solve so people from your network understand
#1 Clearly describe the problem you solve
Until you clearly describe what your offer solves for your prospect, attracting clients will be tough. Your network might begin to read your website, or listen to your webinar, but if you are not addressing your client’s problem and the steps to resolve it they will tune you out. Part of building relationships is asking your people for feedback and if they are clear on what you do and deliver.
#2 Focus on them not you
Since 2020 people are even more exhausted than ever having to listen to businesses who brag about how great they are and all their accolades.
TRUTH BOMB: no one pays attention or even remembers that stuff – at least not initially. Avoid sounding like a resume from the 90’s. People want your help, not your bullet points.
Try asking them, during your coffee date, how you can be of help to them. Part of building your network of trusted allies is showing the other person who are there to help them as well.
#3 Put it all together
If you can articulate your actual contribution to their success – meaning – what your clients walk away with after working with you, buying your offer, service, or product you’ll begin to notice more people listening and talking about you and your business and how you serve.
Make it easy for them to talk about what you solve and for who with others.
#2 Make your offers irresistible to attract clients from your network
Lead with their problem – not your solution
Until your audience fully gets the fact you understand their position and all the pain points associated with it, they may not see you as the perfect fit.
Don’t avoid talking about what your folks are struggling with. Don’t avoid talking about how it makes them feel. If you can articulate (verbally and written) exactly what stresses them out, they will listen.
Tip: this doesn’t mean being dramatic that the world is ending kind of problem. It means showing empathy that you understand.
Define the outcome by painting the picture
Be specific on your brand promise. Focus on descriptive words that create a visual. Avoid grand sweeping words that are over used. Instead, share a story of a past client’s success. Other people’s words are your best source of success stories.
Remember, you need to be memorable for people to talk about you and refer you. Marketing is about painting the picture of what successful outcomes look like. But more importantly, leave space to listen to what potential clients are saying about your brand. People remember how you made them feel much longer than what you say.
Tip: Demonstrate you care and you’re not in their space to “sell”.
#3 In order to attract clients from your network, don’t overload them with too much info
Focus on a singular idea
You believe you can help your potential client in a thousand ways.
The problem is marketing was never about selling. Yes, marketing is about creating awareness.
Take a website, for example. Websites acted like brochures. Marketing their products and services with beautiful images and listing features and benefits. But now, by listing too many services, especially on your website home page, you confuse your client. Your potential client is now looking for validation that you are the person they should hire. The website now acts as a selling tool as well.
You most likely are overwhelming your prospect with your huge list of all the things you do. Same during a conversation – the person you are speaking to isn’t your paid salesperson. They are not going to run off and find you a client.
STOP!
You want to leave zero doubt in your client’s mind that you are the person they need. This won’t be accomplished if your website goes on and on about stuff the client is not interested it. That my friends it what causes folks to scroll around and then jump off your website as they continue their search to find someone who can help them.
Don’t leave room for unanswered questions. Stay focused on your expertise and don’t water it down by sharing and offering everything under the sun and trying to solve too many things.
#4 Stop pitching
Have you been told that you need to create an elevator PITCH?
STOP – It doesn’t work. Save that for competitions and angel investors.
Focusing on what you DO instead of the problems your clients face won’t attract clients. If you are “pitching”, you are not delivering a carefully thought out solution.
If it is not a solution, they feel will help them, they won’t buy it. Period!
Propose a solution to their problem instead. (And, you only know the right solution after you’ve spoken with them or they’ve shared the true problem on their own. )
You are unwavering about what you do, yah? You believe in your heart you can help your client achieve that milestone, right?
Make it clear how you can help your client achieve /solve that very thing that is part of your offer. But always ask for consent first. Jumping into a “all the reasons you should hire me” before you’re client is even at this stage to listen, will reduce the trust level you believe you are creating.
Tip: Get their attention right away with a Hook Question or an obvious statement that identifies a pain point they’re experiencing. A statistic about an industry practice often makes people stop and listen (if you hit home hard enough).
Remember: People Buy on Emotion
Research has shown that consumers are pretty savvy when it’s time to make a purchase – to buy a car, or that dress for that special occasion, or book that massage.
Just before we hand over the cash, something happens. We get excited about our purchase. Excitement is a FEELING. You want your prospect to get excited that your offers are going to create great and wonderful feelings of joy, relief, and a sense of accomplishment.
So, let’s focus on:
The problem your client is experiencing AND How this result makes them FEEL.
Ask yourself :
What is my client able to do now that they’ve bought my product, or service?
How will it make a difference in their personal and/or business life?
How will they FEEL now that the problem has been resolved?
TIP: If you can demonstrate that you understand their current situation , and you are crystal clear on the results THEY can expect, you, my friend, will turn a visitor into a customer!
Now, put that all together in your brand story.
Don’t let another potential client scroll by
Stop missing out on sales opportunities and reclaim control by creating a clear message that leaves zero doubt as to how you help and solve problems.
Need help creating and articulating your overall brand message that will leave a lasting impression and be memorable? As a StoryBrand Guide, I can help you with that.
Never heard of StoryBrand and how it can help you clarify your marketing? Hop over to What is StoryBrand and I’ll fill you in.
Your business deserves its best foot forward for success.
Nicole Gallant is a marketing and sales strategist and certified StoryBrand guide based in Nova Scotia, Canada. Her portfolio can be found here.
