Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Think Big When Looking For Customers

Q: I just opened up a new consulting business and was wondering how should go about finding clients. Would joining the local Chamber of Commerce be a good place to start?

Vincent, Georgia

A: When I was in law school, I took a class on how to start your own law practice because already back then I had an inkling that working for others wouldn’t work for me. One day, our instructor invited a local lawyer, a very successful solo practitioner, to come speak to the class. One of the very first questions he got from us was the same as the one you asked today — where do I get new clients?

“Take out a sheet of paper,” he said, “If you are going to make it on your own, you will need at least 10 sources for customers. Make a list of your 10 sources.” So we did. Most of had a list that said something like:

Mom and dad
Friends of mom and dad
Friends
Work associates, etc.

After looking our lists over, he exclaimed “Wrong!” “You have to think bigger if you’re going to make it in your own business.” He explained that the number one on our list should read something like “1. Everyone I know.” Whereas most of us had friends and associates accounting for the bulk of our list, he showed us that referrals from everyone we knew was just one of at least ten things we would need to do.

I think that is a good exercise for anyone either starting out or currently running a business. Make a list of 10 sources of clients/customers, other than your normal channels.

Think big! Here are just a few options:

Networking. As you mention in your question, networking is vital to the success of most business ventures, and your local chamber of commerce should be your first stop along these lines. However, just as my class failed to realize that contacting all our friends was only one option, so too should you realize that your chamber is but one place to network. Check out also LeTip International. Join trade associations related to your business. Attend their seminars and trade expos. Get involved with local business groups. Get out there.
Contact everyone you know. If you are just starting out, don’t miss the opportunity to have a “Grand Opening” announcement printed and sent to everyone you know, asking them to bring along anyone they know. If you are already in business, send out a letter to all of your existing clients informing them of something new that you are doing and offering them some sort of discount or other reward for sending you a referral.
Become the expert. You already are an expert. You know your area of expertise better than almost anyone. Make sure people know that. Teach a community college class. Put on a seminar. Write an article for a local paper. Create an e-newsletter.
Advertise and market, and then advertise and market some more. I read recently that once business guru is recommending that 80% of your time should ideally be spent marketing your business because that is what makes you money. Everything else he says, costs you money. So try something new: Yellow Pages, classified ads, radio ads, magazines, direct mail, television, flyers, skywriting — the list is endless.

Once you get started expanding your traditional customer base, new ones should start to appear, almost magically.

Today’s Tip: As I am sure you have heard, bankruptcy laws are on the verge of changing. As a former bankruptcy lawyer, it is my opinion that for consumers, the changes are bad for the most part. I know some of you strongly disagree with me on this, as when I have written on this subject previously, you told me so.

While I appreciate your comments, we will have to agree to disagree. What I know is that in my experience very few people who file for bankruptcy are committing fraud. Indeed, most are in dire straits and want to avoid bankruptcy if at all possible. The point here is this: If you are contemplating filing bankruptcy, you should do it in the next 6 months before the laws change, because after that, it will be much harder to do so.