So, you want to get more clients for your business? To do this, you need to connect with more people.
The mistake many business owners make is that they focus most of their attention on making connections with strangers. However, strangers don't know you, so it will take more work to get their attention than it will to reach out to people who are more familiar to you. Plus, it's more fun to connect with people you already have something in common with.
But who are these people and where can you find them? Perhaps they're already in your sphere.
These kindred spirits are all around you. Think about all of the groups and communities you belong to (this includes online as well as offline groups). These different groups can come from networking, Facebook, LinkedIn or MeetUp. You may also find like-minded people within organisations, associations, conferences and more.
Grab a pen (or your laptop / device) and jot down all of the places where you are considered a member. How many groups are there? And how many people are members of each group?
Let's be super conservative and say you are part of five groups and each one has 200 members - that is 1.000 people in total. Do you know them all? No. But do you have something in common with them all? Yes.
At the very least, you are both members of the same group and because of that, there are probably other things you have in common as well. Things like common interests and mutual connections with other members of that group. See where I’m going with this?
Go back to your list and pick one group. Scroll through the list of members and reach out and select the people you see a possible connection with. Next, choose a platform that the person you want to connect with is already using, such as email, WhatsApp, Twitter / X, Facebook and LinkedIn, and connect with them through there. Continue doing this with people in your other groups as well.
And by "connect", I don't mean to pitch, sell or make offers. I mean: connect and say hello and ask how they are or about their work. Get to know each other and ask how you can help them!
Yes, you should be the one to give something first, instead of asking them for a favour. Of course, not everyone you connect with will become a client - that is normal. In any case, even if you don't succeed in getting a new client, you'll probably make a new friend.
"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you." ~Dale Carnegie
Keep in mind, this is just the start of a relationship. Relationships develop over time as trust is built. Because of that, you'll want an efficient way to keep track of your contacts and interactions. After you reach out to someone for the first time, be sure to continue to pay attention to, and nurture, the relationship you have started.
I hope you're starting to see how many people are in your orbit and would be happy to connect with you. So instead of spending time and money trying to reach strangers, make time to connect with people that you are already in close proximity to.