Erika Dickstein — March 13, 2018 — March 13, 2018
I’m going to let you in on a secret: running a business (any business) is a huge amount of work. Crazy, right! Now that we’ve gotten that bombshell out of the way, it’s time to share some moreinsider knowledge with you: If you’re a business owner, you’re going to run into hurdles along the way. One of the biggies is the struggle to find new clients. There will be stretches of good days where it seems like you have more work than you know what to do with, but there will be lean days as well. Will the good days outnumber the bad? Let’s hope so! Will you notice and dwell on the bad ones anyways? Most definitely. You might find yourself awake at 2:00 am searching for new software or services that promise to solve your client acquisition problems. It is tempting to keep looking for the magic answer. But here’s the truth of it all: 99% of the time, the solution isn’t a new big idea, it is doing the little things right. If you take the time out of your week to stay on top of the little things, that is likely time better spent. For example:
1. Keep up with Profesional Social Media (no not dog gifs)
I get it. You have a million things to accomplish every day, and it’s natural to prioritize the tasks that directly relate to your business. But, I bet you still find a few minutes to check your social media throughout the day. What if, instead of mindlessly scrolling through your personal Facebook feed and reading about the latest craziness from the White House, you purposefully engaged on your professional social media? We all diligently set up LinkedIn, but do we really engage with it? How about seeing what your LinkedIn connections have been posting, and consider adding your voice to the conversation? Making sure you are connected to all the people in the service organization to which you belong? Keeping yourself top of mind by wishing someone a happy work anniversary? These actions take literal minutes to accomplish and make sure that you’re keeping your business’s name out there. There’s absolutely no downside.
2. Google: Know it. Love it.
Let’s be frank, and acknowledge that Google has the biggest impact on how many potential clients find their ways to your website, and it’s up to you to make sure the Google Overlords look upon your business fondly. There’s already a massive amount of information out there addressing how to make sure your website is ticking all the SEO boxes, and I’m not going to get into that here. Plus, SEO doesn’t fall into the category of “little things”. However, staying on top of Google My Business does. Google My Business is a free tool that allows you to update your Google Business listing at any time. You can add pictures, engage with potential customers, and provide your most up-to-date contact info. If you can control what potential clients see when they do a local search for your business, then why wouldn’t you?
3. Circle Back Through to Prospects.
There is nothing better than that feeling that you get when you are on top of your game, you make an amazing pitch, and then you close the sale! The only problem is, that is so rare! Most of us that sell things know that the real gold is in the follow-up. We have written about this, but it bears repeating. Often, if you are looking for clients, the most productive list you can focus on is the one in your CRM system.
The topic reminds me of a favorite quote of mine from Thomas Jefferson, “ I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” So stop looking for the big answers and the shiny objects and start focusing on the little things.
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