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I often hear people say – "The #1 way I get clients is through word-of-mouth." Yet, that’s true for everyone. All of us get most of our clients through word of mouth – at first – before our marketing engine takes off. Our initial batch of clients are likely to arise from our personal network, if we have done a good job of telling them about it. However, if after tapping into your personal network you still don't have plenty of clients, then the answer is simple: you need to do more marketing! This is also true for most of us.  Image by @matthewhenry on unsplash Your own network, even your friends, often forget what it is you do.
Or if they remember, it's too rarely… and not when they happen to be talking to someone who could be an ideal client of yours. They’re not thinking of you, which is when you want them to be thinking of you! If you aren't keeping in touch with your network, how will they remember to refer new clients to you? How do you feel about the word “competition”? For us self-employed people, that word can create anxiety and resistance. Being “competitive” tends to make human beings less cooperative. Instead, I recommend using the term “niche mates” — other worthy human beings who occupy the same industry niche as us. They, too, have families to feed, and dreams they hope to achieve. And, similar to us, they also have hidden suffering in their life that, if we only knew, would inspire our deep compassion. The world is starving for genuine, win-win collaborations. Let’s find a better way to think about, and work with, our niche mates. You’re a connector and love introducing people to each other. It can be a wonderful (sometimes career-changing) effect when it’s the right match! Yet, when it’s the wrong match — unfortunately much of the time — by being the connector, you just added a burden to them. Now they’re in an awkward position you’ve forced them into, where one person, if they don’t want to connect, will come across as unfriendly or unapproachable. The 1% own more than 40% of the world’s wealth. The accumulation of assets in the hands of the few erodes democracy, as societal power becomes concentrated in the hands of a few. Knowing this, anything we can do to support small businesses will not just help those entrepreneurs survive, but will support more democracy, creativity, and true livelihood in the world. Similarly, the 1% most famous people own a huge share of the consumer’s attention. Influencers like Gary Vaynurchuk, Marie Forleo, Brene Brown, Joe Dispenza, and other celebrities own a disproportionate amount of our content consumption time. The accumulation of attention in the hands of a few will erode the diversity of creativity, true livelihood, and authentic business... |
George Kao is a Marketing Coach for small business owners, especially solopreneurs such as Coaches and Mentors. He focuses on ethical & effective ways to grow one's platform and build true livelihood.
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