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What mindset to have while finding clients?
I am an experienced SEO professional but till date I am very hesitant and anxious when it comes to finding clients.
I think my mindset is the reason because most of the time I think that I am overcharging or no one will hire, there is so much competition , etc
Please, tell me:
1) What mindset to have while finding clients?
2) What can I do to tackles this problem?
Your help is priceless as well your opinion. Thanks for anybody who is willing to help me and other people having same problem
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11 Replies
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1) it’s a numbers game. Be prepared to be rejected many many times.
2) remember that you are the prize. You’re there to help then succeed, not the other way around. If they don’t want to pay you what you’re worth, or work together with you to be successful, move on. -
Sounds like a spot of impostor syndrome, it’s very common and nothing at all to be afraid of – I’m no psychologist but there are plenty of resources out there to help you overcome the mental block.
Finding new clients is always the hardest part, do you have a portfolio of previous client case studies you can share on LinkedIn, or better yet, a website ranking well enough for local SEO consultancy / agency key terms?
In terms of practical advice, start small and build relationships with clients. A couple of hours a month can very quickly snowball to a day a week or more. Demonstrate your value and start to add in lines like, “I can also help with…” or “If we did this it would be more effective…”.
The best advice I would give is to maintain regular calls or emails with the client, outlining what you did the previous period, intend to do in the upcoming period and the expected results – Especially as SEO tends to be a slower burn than PPC. An additional email or call to talk about results. I found this way is great for keeping the client informed on what you’re doing, it also gives them a chance to feedback any questions or concerns. The results email I would always encourage the client to share with their wider team – Hence the separate comms, Sales don’t care how many positions you’ve improved, they only want to know what leads / sales it’s generated.
As always with this sort of thing, I’m of the belief they have brought you in to do something they cannot – There’s absolutely nothing wrong with increasing (or decreasing) your fees as long as you’re talking to the client regularly and able to justify changes in the project or type of SEO you are doing.
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Very good question. I maybe don’t have much experience in SEO.
But I can help you in getting clients. What you say? Dm you. -
I know the feeling! It can be so hard, especially because a lot of people don’t understand how much they actually need to pay for SEO.
I really don’t like cold pitching, so I have put a lot of my effort into marketing myself on LinkedIn and Twitter. All I do is post a few times a week (LinkedIn) and almost every day (Twitter), sharing my insights, thoughts, and experiences.
It took some time, but eventually this started to get me inbound leads, which I find is much easier on the old self-esteem. Because I’ve already positioned myself as an expert, the people who come to me already have a good understanding of SEO and how I do what I do.
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1. Find a industry that you are interested in, learn the ins and outs of how it works and what types of people work in it, and then specialise in that area. You can charge more for being the expert in that field. It also helps you build trust with the potential customers.
2. Google local small businesses in your area, see if they have a Google My Business (GMB) listing, check out their website if they have one and then approach them with how you can help them build on their current customer base. If they don’t have a GMB listing and/or website then you are in an even better position to approach them.I would recommend building out an email template to send to your potential clients, doing some research into their business and then tailoring the email to that. Follow up the email with a phone call or better still, a visit to their business address. Show them the work you have done for other businesses and how you have helped them grow their business. Once you have built and element of trust you will find it easier to sell to them.
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1. Niche down
2. Provide value first
3. Answer questions and give lots of free advice
4. Take one the clients that want to hire you.
I’ve found, across several industries, the best clients/customers are the ones with whom I have already developed a relationship with and have s good understanding of the services myself or an organization offers. I’ve found hustling services first leads to a lot of BS generally while taking the time to make sure everyone is on the same page keeps things smooth.
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Sounds like a bit of a lack in self-confidence/esteem. Very common. You’d be surprised at just how much you actually know. The fact that you care enough to be self conscious means you’re already better than half the degenerates that call them selves SEO professionals these days.
Maybe start off small to get your confidence up – low risk/reward clients that you know you’ll get a result. From there, work your way up and before you know it you’ll have confidence in your pitching and quoting.
Check out The Futur (by Chris Do), he talks a lot about client negotiations, pricing and pitching.
I’d also highly recommend watching the YouTube video featuring Jonathan Stark on value-based pricing. Bit of a long piece but it is a real eye opener if you’re looking at how to go about positioning yourself as an authority and getting away from the hourly rate slog.
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The best mindset could be summed up as “I’ll eat steak”. Pretty much – “no matter if this prospect becomes a client or not, I’ll eat steak tonight”.
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SEO is something I always get excited about for current or potential clients. In this day and age the first thing anybody does when they want to know or buy anything is Google it.
I look at SEO with the mindset of it, not necessarily me, but the work, has the potential to change the course of a business and therefor all the lives connected with it. Customers always want to rank on their business name, but that is a given (I feel), I always point out that we aren’t targeting the people that know who they are but they people out there that want what they are selling or what service they are providing but don’t know they exist.
I watch out for local company cars/trucks that have wraps or billboards. If they have gone that far they have some understanding of the value of advertising and that helps because it is when the client or future client really understands the value that SEO brings to the table that your relationship with them changes. Your client has to work with you, nobody knows their business as well as they do and being able to talk to them, ask them questions about how they are getting business now, what has worked in the past, what parts of their business makes them the most money and if they feel like more business in that area would help them grow as a business. Ask them questions to get them saying yes and that will help once you have your foot in the door.
Practice on friends and family. You have to be able to explain the ins and outs of how it works in a way that doesn’t make people feel either intimidated by what can really be a lot of overwhelming information, or like you are talking down to them.
I also talk to a lot of local shops where I shop, I already have a relationship, I’m standing there handing them money so at least for a few seconds I have their attention. Make sure you have already been on their site and are familiar with it and if you had any issues finding them. If a trained and skilled SEO has difficulty think about the average everyday person searching.
Creating a well designed email to send was a great suggestion from someone, when you do, leave space to customize it. Include some details about their site or their GMB listing to show that you have done your homework on them and are not just spamming companies.
I’ve gone on, I get excited. Remember, you can be the key to make great changes for people, you have to go in knowing that, and the confidence doesn’t have to be in yourself even, just in the work. *Best practices alone can go so far in helping websites*. SEO is a fine balance of art, science, guessing and magic. Embrace it and spread the love.
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Hello,
I am also experiencing this kind of problem at the moment. Even if our specialty is a little different.
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Show them opportunity not issue.
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