How I got my first 5 clients for my new marketing agency.
And how you can get your next client too. Gimmick-free advice only.
It’s been a little over a month since I “soft-launched” my VA agency for coaches, course creators and high-ticket service providers. I say “soft-launched” loosely because it picked up quicker than I imagined! I mean — woohoo! But also, whoa! I thought I’d share how I got my first clients as an online service provider to help anyone needing a new idea for lead generation.
Total transparency — I have been in the online space as a business for over 4 years now. First, as a VA, then as a VA coach (which I still do, and you can learn about how to become a virtual assistant here), and now I have circled back to being an online service provider, but this time in the form of an agency at Josette Agency. So, I am not brand new to the space, and that, of course, helped me establish credibility and leverage relationships I have made over the past few years.
Additionally, as a white CIS gendered woman, I have a ton of privilege. I need to acknowledge how that has helped me with my success recently and throughout my entire online career.
So, let me tell you how I got my first 5 clients at Josette Agency… but first, let’s talk about marketing in general and the problem with gimmicky marketing strategies.
Marketing isn’t complicated.
The marketing education space is so incredibly saturated. There are so many ideologies, theories, methods and tactics. Every marketing guru has their own angle, and in their world, that is the ONLY angle. Deviating from the path they have set out for you means certain failure and shame. You’re told that your mindset is the problem, and you need to fix that because you’re sabotaging your own success. Sound familiar?
Marketing gurus want you to believe their way is the only way, so you buy into whatever they’re selling. They use their own marketing and sales tactics on you, so you believe it will work for you if you do exactly as they say (and pay for their costly program.)
This could not be further from the truth. There are so many things at play when it comes to marketing when it comes to the person doing the marketing and the person intended to receive the marketing. It will be different for every personality type, every disability, every level of privilege, every type of brain, every type of target market… you get it. Marketing needs to be flexible. It’s not about following a set of templates and rigid steps. It’s about finding what works for you that feels good so you don’t get turned off by it and helps you get the realistic goals you hope for.
I will share some things I did that worked for me, but you can take this advice with a grain of salt. Bend and mould it to your needs, so it works for you.
Simplified marketing that works for you
This is what it comes down to. Finding the balance of a marketing system that allows you to like what you’re doing and actually works to attract your ideal client.
Sarah Moon invited me to talk about minimalist marketing with her in her AMA Crowdcast webinar. She encouraged her community to think about marketing differently. The conversation was super interesting, and I think those who were able to attend it really enjoyed our unique approach to marketing that prioritizes simplicity instead of over-complicated gimmicky marketing tactics. I share what I believe minimalist marketing is and isn’t. You can catch the entire replay below!
If the topic of minimalist marketing interests you, learn more about what minimalist marketing is over here, on my publication, Josette Journal. (It’s a work-in-progress.)
As a new business, I haven’t been able to work too much on my SEO and long-term marketing strategies. So, I had to find ways to get clients and get them fast! But I didn’t want to use icky tactics that you hear the marketing gurus telling you to do. I wanted it to feel easy yet effective.
And I want to tell you all about how I did it…
Gimmick-free marketing methods I used to get my first clients for my new marketing agency.
Client #1 — Previous Client.
Never underestimate the power of the upsell. Your warmest audience is your existing client roster. I was working with this client in my coaching business to help her hire her first VA. By the end of our container, it was clear she needed more help. So, I pitched!
I understood where she was in her client journey, and I inserted myself in at the right time. First, I helped her plan her entire year of paid offer rollouts, free offers, launches and more. Then I helped her launch her membership and host a 3-day challenge.
If you are new to your business, you might not have a previous client yet. However, I bet someone you worked with at some point might be a good fit for you and your new business — don’t be afraid to reach out and ask.
Action: Think about who you can upsell an offer to. Examine where they are in their process and what their biggest needs and problems are. Then, make yourself be the solution and pitch to a super warm lead.
Client #2 — Referral(ish).
The next client was READY to outsource, and the right person shared my announcement on Instagram at the right time. This client already knew who I was, I believe, but someone they trusted shared a post and validated what I was doing with my content repurposing services and bam — I got an inquiry almost immediately.
I didn’t ask for the Instagram share, but I nurtured this person for several years as a friend and now colleague (oh hey Sarah Moon, again!). Relationships in the online space are your lifeline. Not everyone understands our challenges — make some online friends and hold them close.
And yes — this referral source is getting a referral fee. More on that later.
Action: Invite an online friend who you’ve been casually conversing with up until now to a virtual coffee. I guarantee that after an intentional “get-to-know-you” date, that person will have your back for life, and you will have theirs too.
Client #3 — Facebook group
I know, I know, I know. I know what you’re thinking. Facebook groups are a time-suck and energy drain. I always think that too. But, I’ve found more clients in Facebook groups than I can believe, so I can’t ignore it. My third client was a tad lucky — or was it strategic marketing?
They found ME by searching the keywords “virtual assistant” in the Facebook group.
I don’t participate in many groups. However, I am in a few that I find interesting. I am one of those ghost followers that reads and sometimes chimes in and drops a link whenever it’s allowed. This client found me because I had posted something about virtual assistants. She reached out to ask me if I knew of any VAs to refer her to, so once I learned about her needs, I pitched Josette Agency as an option.
It turns out she’s amazing, and we are a great fit, and she’s getting set to sign onto a retainer package this month. Was it luck? Or was it being in the right Facebook groups and participating just enough to be visible?
Action: Join Facebook groups your ideal client is hanging out in. Don’t spend hours in the group, but participate where you can. Offer advice and insight and whenever the rules allow it, drop your link or your speel using the keywords your ideal client might be using. On top of that, you can search for keywords like “website designer,” “copywriter,” “virtual assistant” to see who is talking about your industry so you can jump in.
Client #4 — Instagram
There is a right way and wrong way to connect with people ethically on Instagram.
The wrong way: liking and following a shit ton of people and then cold DMing offering your services. Ew, David.
The right way is to vet people before engaging with them and create super aligned content, so they come to you.
I’ve loved learning about selling, particularly on Instagram, from my squirm-free sales coach, Katy Prince. She is someone I look up to when it comes to general ethics as an online business. So I knew that anyone following her probably would be my ideal client and aligned with my values and what I am trying to accomplish at Josette Agency.
I used her audience as my look-a-like audience.
I went to Katy’s Instagram account and checked out who was engaging with her content. I took a look at her most recent post to see who has liked it or commented. I then vetted them by asking myself if they were my ideal client based on what I could see on their account. If yes, then I give them a little follow.
That’s it!
Note: This is not the same as piggybacking someone else’s audience. Katy’s business is complementary to mine, and I even have her in my referral partner program. This would feel icky if she was doing the same thing as me. So, don’t do that, please.
After that, I intentionally engaged with the people I was following authentically. Like, I commented or responded to stories without expectation of anything when their content genuinely resonated with me. No scripted responses or creepy DMs. I acted like a human and used the app the way it’s meant to be used — to connect with other humans.
It seems silly to be that dramatic about it, but seriously, why do we overcomplicate Instagram marketing? Just be a friggen person.
I got a mysterious inquiry in my inbox from a personal style coach who wanted to outsource for the first time and get help with her launch. She actually said to me that she liked the way I made myself be known to her. A simple follow to get her attention followed by strong content that spoke directly to her needs. #contentisqueen
The key here is to have an obvious idea of who your ideal client is. Know the details and the nuances so you can know where to find them on Instagram. It’s not through hashtags.
Action: Find your look-a-like audiences and vet some people! If someone looks aligned with you and your business, follow them and become part of their community. Don’t be stingy with your energy and networking.
Client #5— Referral
This has been by far my more successful method for lead generation. It started with having a good understanding of the problem my ideal client is experiencing and how I intend to solve it. Content repurposing is such untapped territory. A few people I mentioned it to, who knew my ideal client, said “BRILLIANT” because they knew this is something we need in our industry — especially if we want to simplify our marketing systems. Like, duh, why wouldn't we reuse content?
Sharing what I wanted to do with the right people who jumped on the opportunity to be referral partners makes my job so much easier. They already have the people who want my services, and they can benefit by simply dropping my name when the time is right.
Referral marketing is powerful. Here are some stats from Extole to back me up…
- When referred by a friend, people are 4x more likely to make a purchase.
- Customers acquired through referrals have a 37% higher retention rate, and 81% of consumers are more likely to engage with brands that have reward programs.
- Referred customers have an 18% lower churn than customers acquired by other means.
- You can expect at least 16% more in profits from referred customers.
See.
I made the referral process easier by inviting them to be a referral partner and then creating a spot on my website to help them be amazing referral partners.
My referral page on my website, which you can check out here, has a few key parts. Feel free to copy this for your own referral page.
Part 1 — be super clear on how much $ your referral partners make. Don’t overcomplicate it, don’t hide it, just put it out there. You want your dollar amount to be enough to make them excited at the possibility of making some money.
Part 2 — any small details because transparency is a must.
Part 3 — a form for them to register their information, so I have it on hand. The purpose of this is twofold. The first is that I have their Paypal email and mailing address for payouts, and if I ever want to send them a nice little thank you gift. Second, if I ever have a promotion or something urgent I want my referral partners to know about, I can let them know about it directly. So now, I have created a whole new lead generation source. Brill.
Part 4 — a referral toolkit. I may beef this up later, but on the fly, this wasn’t so bad. It includes an outline of my ideal client, so they are actually sending me quality referrals, plus a bullet point list of the kind of services we offer.
I also have an example of a swipe template to email potential referrals, plus some ideas on how they can get the word out. Smart, right?
Part 5 — finally, I have a spot for important links that they might need, like a freebie download or social links. I’d also include any information about current promotions and offers or anything that is “coming soon.”
Action: Build your referral page and reach out to some people, make connections and start putting as much energy into building referral relationships as you do building relationships with potential leads. Help referral partners help you.
It’s been a whirlwind month, and I am super glad I leaped back into the service-based business. I spend less time on social media than I did when I was actively seeling online courses and coaching. But, of course, I still do that, but behind the scenes and not so visibly on social media.
If any of these tips gave you a light-bulb moment, let me know!
And hey — give a girl a few claps before you leave. 👏
