You’re finally ready to admit… “I want a website for my new business”.
You want to land your first client ASAP – you really want the validation that you have what it takes to become a business owner. A business isn’t really a business without paying customers, right?
It’s tough to land that first client because there are so many other tasks you need to do to land a client first.
Despite searching for info from business gurus and watching online tutorials, you’re still completely and utterly overwhelmed.
You have no idea where to even start with building a business website! This stresses you out even more because who could even take you seriously enough to hire you without one?
But here’s the thing… focusing on creating assets like building a website, creating social media content, or investing in paid ads, is all busywork.
These tactics take months, and sometimes even years, to actually pay off (pun totally intended).
By focusing on them now before you even have your first client, you’re taking away time from the #1 action that will land you that coveted first client: conversations.
I’m about to show you exactly what you need to be doing to land your first client FAST. Best part of this… no website is even necessary.
When I wanted a website for my business, I wasted my hard-earned money (and my time)
I’m no stranger to business development. I spent over 15 years of my former career helping mom and pop resellers compete with fortune 200’s.
So when I started my own coaching practice, I was convinced I knew it all. I’m also a former designer… so I wanted a website for my business, so it was the first thing I focused on.
I spent months building my website, designing my logo, and perfecting my social media feeds.
When I finally released my first promotion, just in time for Black Friday, I expected a giant payday!! I watched my cart obsessively… and waited… for days…
Crickets.
The ironic part is, by the time my cart closed, I did have two whole sales. But they didn’t come from my website, social media, or ads.
They instead came from two people I had coincidentally met in person that week. One at a coffee shop, and the other at a local small business event.
I had told them what I was up to, they expressed interested, and signed up from a link I emailed them directly when I had messaged them to thank them for meeting with me.
Today, my programs and offers completely sell out, or have waiting lists. My revenue is predictable and reliable. Even as a third generation entrepreneur, this is the first time in my life I ever really felt validated as a business owner.
I’m so incredibly proud of everything I’ve built, and my website is now a reflection of this. It’s also completely different from the first version of it I spent months on years ago. In fact, when I look at all drafts of my site now, I can’t help but cringe.
If I could do it all over again, I really wish I didn’t waste all those months… and all that money… on promotional assets that literally brought absolutely nothing to my bottom line (at that time).
I had to learn the hard way, and I’ll be honest. It was a bitter pill to swallow!
I’m going to share with you how I got where I am today in a second, but first I want you to know…
There’s a real benefit to not wanting a website (right away) for your business… and taking things offline…
You really get to know and understand, your potential clients
My early clients were people I met i passing and really got to know. It’s quick and easy to understand their challenges, aspirations, and objections by having simple conversations over coffee.
People trust you more
Folks you meet in person or directly will tend to trust you more than someone they happen to come across online.
You don’t waste money guessing
When you build websites, content and ads prior to really knowing and understanding your customers, you’re spending an awful lot of time and money guessing. That’s not a super smart way to invest your hard earned savings.
I finally got my business to where it is today when I shifted my attention from building assets (prematurely) to instead building relationships.
@iamcorrielo
Building relationships helped me overcome these common challenges every new business owner experiences:
Being unknown in the market
While I had been in my career for over 15+ years and was an expert at what I did, I was completely unknown in the coaching world. By really engaging directly with my potential clients and making an effort to understand their struggles and help them solve their issues, they got a direct taste of my experience and value.
Having no referrals
When you have a brand new business with no clients under your belt, it’s near impossible to get referrals for your new business.
What I found was even if someone I met wasn’t my ideal client, someone they knew very well might be. By sharing what I do, how I do it, and who I help – I found people starting to refer friends and family to me – without me even having to ask.
Getting no engagement
It’s impossible to get clients from a website, content or even paid ads if people aren’t interacting with what you create.
Once I really understood on a deep level what motivated my ideal clients, it was then easy to create promotional assets specifically designed to help my clients. This is why my website is now completely different than my embarrassing first draft. People don’t interact with content unless it’s valuable in their eyes.
Listen, I understand you want a website for your business. I’ve been there myself. But there’s a process you need to follow before you sink money into making that happen.
The process to get past all of this… to land your first clients… and years later scale a sustainable business, is fairly straight forward.
You need to know…
- What you offer, how you’re different, and who needs your help.
- Where exactly the folks you can help hang out… both online and offline.
- How to have effective conversations with not only those who need your help, but anyone who might have direct access to those people who need your help.
Now when I say conversations, I mean exactly that. We’re not talking about sales calls or sleazy, high pressure sales tactics.
I’ll be breaking down how to have these conversations step by step, in my next few posts.
In fact, by the time we’re done, people will literally be asking “how do I work with you?”. No more posting content and waiting for engagement!
To make this happen, you’re going to have to overcome any fears about putting you and your business out there publicly. Once you do this, it’ll make it much easier for the people who really need your help to find you without having to rely on algorithms to do it.
You’re also going to need a script so you know exactly what to do and say once you start having actual conversations with real, live people. This is going to help you feel confident, as well as ensure no matter who you speak to, that they’ll receive value in the conversation.
Until we dive into all of this, you can get a jumpstart with the below cheatsheet.
When you download and complete the cheat sheet, you’ll have a list of places ready to go for the next step, as well as get the next steps sent directly to your inbox.
I get it, it’s unbelievably overwhelming, frustrating, and demotivating taking action on your new business and not seeing those efforts turn into paying customers.
When you are just starting out, getting people to know, like and trust you can feel like an insurmountable task.
Your first client is out there, and they are looking for someone exactly like you to help.
The longer you take futzing with your website (which will be near impossible for them to find you without effective SEO to begin with), the longer they suffer not having their problem solved.
Download the cheat sheet and find places you can meet them offline – so that they can meet you immediately.
So the next time you think “I want a website for my business”…
Remember… it’s not even necessary.
