Get Clients Now! Update #3
I worked through the Get Clients Now! program in June, and wrote about it here, here, and here . The condensed version: I started strong and full of enthusiasm. I wanted to really challenge and push myself, but after a couple of weeks, realized that my schedule (full-time job on top of my biz) was not going to allow me to reach most of my goals. I decided to re-direct my energies to a couple of areas for the last part of the program, then take a week’s vacation in early July and work on the part I had made no progress on: networking and referral building.
While I didn’t accomplish everything on my to-do list (I was on vacation after all, and spent most afternoons by the pool!) it was very productive and successful. I attended two networking lunches. The first groups didn’t seem to be a very good fit for me; the second, however, was much more successful. I had two members express interest in my services for their business, and I had members attending from other chapters who encouraged me to visit their chapters as well. Turns out, there isn’t another Virtual Assistant in any of the chapters in Memphis, so my business wouldn’t conflict with another one in any of the chapters.
I did attend another chapter meeting last Thursday morning, and also found several members interested in my services and how it could help their businesses. I am very pleased with the overall reception I had, and with the interest there was among the members. My problem – committing to a weekly meeting at this time. Given my work schedule, a breakfast meeting would be best; however, most of them start at 7:30 am and I have to drop my son off at school after 7:45 am. This means I would be late every meeting during the school year, and miss out on some of the best time for one-on-one networking. In another year, when my son is in high school (which starts at 7:15 am!!!) attendance would be less of an issue. And, my business may have grown to the point that I am no longer having to work the full-time job, which opens up myschedule considerably.
For now, I’m going to attend some of the other chapter meetings, and see which one seems to work best for me. Then, I’ll decide if it is the right time to join or not.
So, I’ve got several potential clients, a long list of ideas for blog posts, and a feeling that this business is actually going to work. Just hearing people express interest in what I do, and how I can help their business was very reassuring.
Next, I’m going to take the rest of July and work through the potential clients I’ve met. At the end of the month, I’ll see where things stand, and consider doing another 28 days of the Get Clients Now! program in August.
I think this is a great program, and I strongly encourage anyone with a service business to consider it. In addition to the structure and wealth of ideas on getting cleints, I also like that it is flexible. They have a plan set out for you to use, but you can adjust it to fit your schedule. As I learned in June, with my schedule, I probably need to focus on fewer areas so that I can really devote myself to them. I may even plan to work on the program fewer days during the week, so I have at least one day completely off from work and business. Or, I may come up with something else that works for me.
If anyone else has done the Get Clients Now! program, what are your thoughts on it? If you are considering the program and have questions, please leave a comment and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Growing my VA business with Get Clients Now!
Get Clients Now!, by CJ Hayden, outlines a 28 day program designed to help you find clients for your service business. This post, however, is not a book or program review. It is a record of what I learn as I work through the program to see if the program will help me get clients now.
I started the program in mid-May, when a post appeared on the Virtual Assistant Forum about a reading group forming to go through the book and work the program. One thing the book notes is that it is better to work the program with a group, so you have support and encouragement. I don’t often participate in reading groups because I usually find I don’t have the time to keep up with the reading or work involved. But something told me this would be a great opportunity, so I signed on. One of the best decisions I’ve made this year!
To work the program you first choose which area you are stuck in. For me, as a new business, owner, I need to fill the pipeline with potential clients to contact and with referral sources. For more details on areas you may be stuck in, and on the ingredients to select to get you out, please see the web site where you can download the table of contents and a sample chapter.
So far, my group has had three weekly calls on Skype. (Not only have I been working the program, I’ve also had the chance to learn Skype!) I really look forward to these calls; they have been very supportive, informative, and a lot of fun! I have a feeling that we’ll continue to be a support group for each other after we finish the program.
For the first call, we read the first 3 chapters of the book, and completed the first half of the action plan. There was a lot of information there, but overall, it was easy to do. For our second call, we read the fourth chapter and finished the action plan. This is where it got more challenging. Trying to narrow down the areas we were going to focus on to help me reach my goal was hard – there were so many that I was either interested in or believed I needed to do to get my business off the ground. After much reflection, I selected the correct number and was ready to begin.
What do I think of the program so far? I like it! It is very straightforward, and can be adapted to focus on the area you are stuck in, and pick success ingredients that play to your strengths. I can see returning to the program as my business grows and I need to work another area.
And now we are actually working the program – I’ll talk about how it is going in the next post…..
Small Business Marketing Ideas
As I get my business off the ground, I am looking for ways to get the word out about GS Business Resources. So when the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur blog posted 115 Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses, I took notice.
That’s right, 115 tips gathered from a wide range of sources, and designed to help small businesses market on a tight budget. Well, I have a small business, and my marketing budget is about $0, so this list was very helpful for me. I was pleased to see that I am already doing some of the items suggested; however, I came across some I hadn’t thought of such as:
- #13 – Send hand-written follow-up cards. Hand written notes are so uncommon, they get your recipients attention. Now this may seem odd for a virtual assistant, but as I am building my business locally, it is the perfect opportunity to make myself stand out. And if I live far away from a client? Why not use a postcard featuring local attractions to show them my part of the world?
- #34 – Join forces with other businesses in the same target market. Need to brainstorm people to contact on this one.
- #78 – Use your email signature to promote new products, discounts, or events for your business.
- #97 – Use Twitter Search to look for keywords related to your business. Join in conversations and tweet help to people looking for it.
Not every idea on the list will work for every business, of course, but I encourage you to take a look and see which ones would work for you. What marketing ideas are listed that you had not thought of before? How will you implement them? Post a reply so we can all benefit!
