subject: New Clients & No Website? Job Offer & No Résumé? [print this page] New Clients & No Website? Job Offer & No Rsum?
Prior to my being out on my own, I commonly asked small business owners how they found clients. I would almost resoundingly hear backreferrals orword of mouth. Since I was stuck in companies where one-page rsums were the norm, cover letters were encouraged, and references were rarely called, I found it hard to believe that the small biz owners did not fire back with answers likea never-ending pursuit of new clients by any possible means. I saw a world where business owners no sooner landed a new client then they were on to the next aggressive pitch for new business. Never able to enjoy the new client opportunities, challenges, or relationships.
As with so many other times in my life.turns out I was dead wrong and should've listened.
At a meeting with a client today, he actually asked me how I found clients. Before I could catch myself, I spouted out the same answer I had heard time and again and he reacted about thee same way I did. I could tell he thought I was feeding him a line, so I jumped in with a few questions:
Me: How did you find out about me?
Client: Colleague mentioned you after he worked with you years ago.
And there you had it.
I am most likely idealizing the entire process, but it's my blog. We talked about how happy clients really represent me better than I ever could and dug a little deeper until my client mentioned that he has a few emails in his inbox from clients that think the sun rises and sets with him. And, outside of a quick agreement to put some testimonials on his site, he believed meat least in part.
They Never Asked
Up until a few months ago, this website was completely blank. I was struggling with what to say and how to say it. I was also focusing on other efforts. Strange thing is, it never hurt my potential. I signed new clients inthetime my site "went dark", went on pitches, and had some great introductions on which to follow up. Not once did they ask what my website was and I never even thought to throw it out there (that would have been stupid, the site was blank). But you get my point. I am extremely fortunate to have clients/colleagues/friends that are not shy about pimping me out. In return, I do the same. If it weren't for their gracious referrals and kind words, I'd be dead inthewaterand this website would probably have a lot more content, bells, and whistles because I would be busy working on it and not helping my clients.
On the flip side, by counting onreferrals, I know what kind of people I am getting into business with. My "network", if you will, rarely sends me duds. Quite the opposite, they commonly send me challenging clients with great projects or problems in need of solutions. They act as an informalbs detector and I could not survive without that.
Please Send a Rsum and Cover Letter
I cannottell you how many times I saw that line in the endless postings to which I replied. Every morning I was on auto pilot, putting the right company in the INSERT COMPANY NAME field in my stock cover letter and adjusting my resume to appeal to the HR person on the other end of my email. Either I applied for all the decent jobs intheChicagoland area or I learned my lesson. My best opportunities came from introductions from friends and colleagues. Many times I found myselfleaving interviews or discussions about opportunities and hearing "you know, we don't have your rsum, can you send it so we look official?" That is more of a testament to those around me than to any skill I may claim to have.
Sending cover letters into an abyss seems futile. At some point I questioned even wanting anything to do with a company to which I did not have some form of informal introduction. Opportunities look great on indeed.com but I'll take my chances with old friends and colleagues, they help me more than any job board can.
So, in typical fashion, it took my own experience to realize that all the small business owners to which I posed the questionhow do you find clients were dead on when they told me to count on and make happy all my clients because it will come back to you. Even better, some of those small biz owners that were lending me helpful advice are now sending clients my way and I am trying my damndest to do the same.
