How I enrolled 30 clients in one month..
Consider how you would feel if you signed up 30 new clients next month. I achieved this, and so can you. In this blog, I’ll share how I filled my brand new coaching practice in just one month through networking. However, it might not be the kind of networking you’re thinking of.
Hello Coach, I’m Dulci Brito.
For the past 15 years, I’ve been a client attraction mentor, life coach, and image stylist. Among all the marketing strategies I’ve employed, networking stands out as one of the easiest and quickest methods for coaches like me, and possibly you, to gain a substantial number of clients from scratch.
If you believe networking isn’t for you because you’re introverted, shy, or have a stutter, think again. I managed to do it, and if I can, so can you.
Let’s talk about what you’ll learn..
What is networking truly, and why is it quicker and involves less effort than traditional lead generation?
Here's exactly how I managed to secure 30 clients in 30 days.
The errors I made along the way, the unexpected lessons I discovered, and the specific tools I used to achieve this, which I will share with you for free.
Let’s guide you through it... So what is networking and what isn’t it? Understanding networking is crucial because many people misunderstand it. I'll begin by explaining what it is not.
Networking is not selling. It doesn't involve distributing your business cards everywhere or pushing a sales pitch on everyone you encounter. Many are unclear about what networking truly is. Like the internet, networking involves connecting to serve, share, and support one another in our efforts to reach and serve our markets while building our businesses ethically, responsibly, and generously. Essentially, it’s about developing relationships and making connections. The connections you form through networking are not targets, but partners in success. This includes mutual referrals, introductions, advice, support, co-promotions, potential joint ventures, and yes, sometimes even sales. The possibilities are extensive.
But what you need to know is this...
The value of networking is becoming known, liked, and trusted by people who will send referrals your way.
No, why...
Referrals play a crucial role as they are five times more likely to turn into sales compared to leads obtained through other marketing strategies. This means quicker and simpler sales for you. Clients who come through referrals usually have a 20% higher lifetime value, resulting in greater profit for you. Additionally, referred clients are four times more likely to refer others to your business.
This means less time and effort. That's why referrals were a top priority for me when I launched my coaching business.
If you’re ready, let me share my story with you...
How I grew my client base from zero to 30 through networking, and how you can achieve the same.
It all began on a Monday morning, the very first day of my new coaching business. I found myself at my home office desk with no clients, no appointments, and nothing on my schedule. I had decided to engage in networking to build my reputation and earn trust in the local market.
Why? Because my research shows that networking is the quickest way to acquire new clients who will pay, stay, and refer others, helping me grow my business and significantly increase my profitability. However, it was Monday morning, and there were no networking meetings available at the time. On my desk, though, was a stack of old business cards from people I had met at various networking events over the past year, but I wasn't sure what to do with them. I understood that the connections these cards represented could be valuable, but I wondered what I could or should do with a pile of other people's business cards.
I couldn't bear the thought of making cold calls to sell my services because, as an introvert, the idea of cold calling made my blood run cold. So, I counted the cards, hoping for inspiration. There were 57 cards, and inspiration struck in the form of a quote I remembered: You can have what you want if you just give enough to other people what they want.
That quote was from Zig Ziglar, and it prompted me to ask myself what I had to offer these 57 individuals whose business cards ended up on my desk.
How could I help others so they could help me?
I mean, not buy swapping services. I didn't want to work for free. I wanted paying clients who needed my services, not tradesies with people who didn't need or want or value what I had to offer in exchange.
What I wanted from all these referrals?
I wanted people who were ready, willing and able to pay now and who would benefit from using my services right now and who would benefit from my coaching right now.
And if that's what I wanted, maybe others wanted that too.
My ideal was to offer referrals because I plan to network actively and would meet a lot of people.
So I thought, what if I meet these people one-on-one?
We'd have time to get to know each other. Maybe even help each other out with referrals.
First
Connect with other professionals, starting with the people of the stack of cards and then from networking meetings I plan to attend.
Second
Set up one on one meetings with my new connection to teach each other how to recognize and refer qualified potential clients to each other.
Third
Watch the referrals roll in. Good plan, right? So with that in mind, as much as I dreaded doing it, I decided to make 57 calls. Now, as an introvert, I knew I needed something to give me
courage. Because I didn't want to stutter, I decided to write a script for the calls.
Actually, 2 scripts...
If they answered the phone, and if I got voicemail. The two most important questions I asked in that script were: First, are you accepting new clients? Second, would you be willing to accept referrals from me? Using my script, I called 57 people, which worked surprisingly well because I explained who I was and what I wanted, which was to their benefit as well. My goal in this process was to simply set up one-on-one meetings.And it was a total success.
Now, for those who don't want to make calls, I get it. I didn't want to make calls either, but people tend to ignore emails and sometimes even texts or DMs. And sometimes the communication loops break down. Technology actually gets in the way when trying to find a day, a time, and a location for meetings. Even when you send links to a scheduling app or Doodle when.is good, you lose people. But having a good conversation is quick and easy. So, yes, I did calls with my calendar in front of me and a list of places that I knew were good for meetings, like coffee shops.
Important note..
I didn't invite people out for coffee; I invited them to meet and discuss mutual referrals, often suggesting a convenient spot, which frequently happened to be a coffee shop. Let me tell you about those meetings. Beforehand, I was anxious. To ease my anxiety, I considered how to gather the necessary information from others to provide them with quality referrals. This made me think about what information I needed to share to receive good referrals in return. In short, I created a referral sheet to guide the conversation, serving as an agenda for the meeting. I'm glad I did because, without an agenda, meetings can sometimes run long or become unproductive.
I always arrived early at the meetings to get my own coffee and find a table, avoiding any hospitality confusion during the meetings. You might not realize it, but even buying someone coffee can create a sense of obligation and pressure, which isn't the purpose of these meetings.
We benefit each other mutually. As I mentioned earlier, my invitations were never just for coffee; they were to discuss mutual referrals, with the coffee shop being a convenient location. Does that reasoning make sense? Great. I would arrive early with my coffee and my name tag placed high on my right shoulder so people could identify me if they didn't remember my face. My meetings were scheduled for 30 minutes each, starting on the hour. This gave me time to wait if they were late and to extend the meeting if necessary, without delaying the next one, as I sometimes scheduled up to four meetings a day. While 30 minutes might seem brief and does pass quickly, using my referral sheet as an agenda helped keep us focused and on track. It typically took me 20 minutes to go through the sheet, ask questions, and note their answers. This conversation fosters relationships and builds trust.
Notes make a great impression on almost every one.
Don't make the mistake of requesting the information beforehand or just accepting a brochure instead of asking questions. It's important to understand this person and what they offer their clients beyond what's on their business card or brochure. When it was their turn to inquire about me, I provided them with a blank note sheet, as I had extras prepared, and quickly gave them the answers so they wouldn't struggle with the process. This went smoothly. I allowed them to take notes, which helps them remember the details and feel engaged in the process. As for my results, people
were definitely impressed at the meetings.
They appreciated the questions, the attention they received as I listened and took notes, and the concept of mutual referrals.
All of these meetings ended quite well. There was one person who was suspicious of my intentions and couldn't believe I was genuine, but that was my fault. I made the mistake of shifting the agenda to sales. Totally my error. He told me he was so impressed that he insisted we discuss working together, and he signed up for my coaching package on the spot. However, as he left, he crumpled the sheet with notes about me.That was a red flag. He tossed it into the garbage can. So much for referrals from him, I thought.
Unfortunately, a colleague of his was scheduled to meet with me next.
My new client remarked to him, “Oh, are you here to meet with Dulci, too? Be careful, she's really good at sales.” The important lesson here is to keep networking and sales separate, as you don't want to gain a reputation for bait-and-switch tactics. If they are interested in collaborating, they will often arrange to discuss details later. Don't repeat my mistake. It was a harsh lesson to learn. But back to my results: after my first two weeks, I had 24 meetings and secured zero clients. I hadn't yet met with the person I just mentioned. That happened much later. After 23 meetings, I still had zero clients. I was panicking. The question that kept running through my mind was, “What was I doing wrong?”
As a problem solver, I reviewed my process. Did I connect with others? Yes.
Did I set up one-on-one meetings? Yes. Did we teach each other how to recognize and refer? Clearly, something was missing from the process. So, at two weeks, I was completely panicked. Even though I had a lot of confidence in referral marketing, I realized I needed to change my approach.
Let me take a moment to summarize what I discovered after much trial and error: the most effective way to make a referral, which I still believe is the best method, is through an introduction by email or text. Why not just give out a business card or suggest they talk to someone? Because people often don't follow up, not due to any fault of their own, but because
they're busy and their mind tricks them into thinking the issue is resolved since they have a referral, a suggestion of someone who might assist them. As a result, they typically don't feel the urgency to make contact, and without a proper introduction, there's no social expectation or reminder.
They forget, and nothing happens. This is why I favor introductions via email or text. You can call them referrals, but what you're really doing is connecting an information seeker with an expert, without pressuring either party to buy or sell. I've developed an email template for referrals. Here's how it works: send a 'seeker to meet expert' email or text to both parties. Introduce the person you're referring as someone seeking information, with questions on the subject. Present your referral partner as a professional or expert on the topic. Provide contact details for both and leave the follow-up to them.
This way, both parties are well-served and have a record of the referral, even if they don't follow up immediately. You've done your part by making a helpful introduction, without guaranteeing an outcome, simply connecting a seeker to an expert. From years of experience, I can say people appreciate this approach, and it works exceptionally well.
After two weeks filled with excessive coffee and endless meetings, I was panicking because nothing seemed to be progressing. I realized the missing element was reciprocity. It's the concept where people feel compelled to return a favor or do something good when someone, like a promising referral ready to purchase, assists them. According to the law of reciprocity, if you provide someone with a referral, they will strive to reciprocate. Suddenly, everything made sense. I had the meeting agenda ready and knew how to finalize the process with referrals using my special expert message. I understood that to activate this reciprocity, I needed to start giving referrals immediately. From that point, everything changed for me.
In the first two weeks after the 24 meetings, I had no referrals. However, in the following four weeks, I had over 46 meetings. In total, over 30 days, I held 57 one-on-one meetings. That was a lot of coffee, and I began to appreciate the benefits of decaf. In those last two weeks, I gave out over 56 referrals. Not all were successful, but I did my part, and having a referral template made it easier. I received 50 referrals in return. Again, not all were suitable for me, but I was excited that if I couldn't assist them, I had others to refer them to, which I did. The major news is that I gained 30 new clients, and I was ecstatic.
Wouldn't you have been?
What do you need to implement this strategy for building your business? Let's review the tools I utilized. My meeting setup script, my referral sheet for notes, and my seekers meet expert email introduction for referrals. I also had a few other items like follow-up scripts, but those are just extras.
These are my three essential tools for this process. The final process involves, first, connecting with others. If you don't have anyone to connect with right now, get out there and attend
networking meetings. I highly recommend leads groups for maximizing your networking efforts, especially if you're an introvert and a coach like me.
Next, set up one-on-one meetings with the people you meet at networking events to get to know them personally. Then, teach each other how to identify and refer great potential clients. Finally, share referrals via email or text. This is straightforward and highly effective for coaches.
And my lesson learned. Besides everything you've already heard, there are four important lessons to share with you.
Lesson 1
I discovered that the best individuals to connect and collaborate with are those whom my future clients might require either before, during, or after engaging with me as a coach.
This included professionals in related fields such as marketing, website development, graphic design, advertising, promotional products, printing, copy writing, and business services, among others. Interestingly, some of my most valuable referrals came from and were directed to other coaches.
Lesson 2
I learned to promptly enter my notes into a relationship management tool, along with contact information and keywords, so I could swiftly and easily identify potential referrals when someone requested one.
Lesson 3
I realized that I shouldn't wait for people to request referrals. Instead, I became very proactive in offering them. For instance, when I overheard someone at a meeting mention issues with Quick Books, I informed them that I knew an expert and asked if they wanted to be connected. The rest, as they say, is history.
Lesson 4
I understood that I don't need to have personally purchased or used someone's products or services to refer them. As discussed in the email referral template segment, my role is simply to connect a seeker of information with an expert on the subject. We are not accountable for the outcome of the connection, but rather for the intention to serve, share, and support. Whether it leads to a sale or not is not our responsibility or concern.
Before we conclude, let me express that I believe I understand your purpose for being here today. I recognize that you, as a coach, are driven by more than just business; you're on a mission. I relate to this because I'm also on a mission—to assist coaches like you in bypassing the often challenging learning curve of becoming a successful business coach.
Today, we discussed addressing the need for clients by expanding your business through networking. I know it works because I've personally done it. By applying the strategies I shared, you'll be able to connect with those seeking your assistance, who are actively looking for support like yours, through your colleagues and referral partners that you encounter in your work. This approach allows you to attract a broader market of individuals ready to pay, stay, and refer new clients to you, rather than relying solely on family and friends to grow your business.
You can achieve this. Yes, this networking process requires time and effort to establish, but it's entirely
within your reach.
So what is the next step...
Get on a strategy call with me to discuss how to get all the clients that you need
Now that you are ready for the next level in your business, let's not forget the enormous power of compelling marketing. You can't help others if they don't hear about you.
To attract ideal high paying clients and dramatically increase your income. I suggest booking your free strategy call and working with me on our signature Elevar Client Attraction Blueprint system. It includes everything you need to know to prioritize what to work on first to set up simple systems to consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It's all about the step-by-step of the system and move on to the next . That's why my clients got results from it. All the tools, scripts, templates and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. So easy. You can get your Elevar program at https://www.dulcibrito.com
Dulci Brito: Certified life coach. Certified image stylist. Client attraction mentor the founder of the Elevar Client Attraction Blueprint system. The proven step-by- system that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time...guaranteed. To get your free tools go to https://www.dulcibrito.com
Receive your free articles on marketing and attracting more high paying clients and dramatically increase your income. Why struggle when you can just model a system that already works?
Visit our website at https://www.dulcibrito.com
Fill in the form, send and book your strategy Call
Love and blessings,
Dulci Brito
Comments