Hey friends – welcome back to the podcast. I am really excited about today’s episode because we’re diving into how to prepare for your first client.
Getting your first client is a really exciting time so it’s important to be fully prepared so that you can maximize your efforts going forward and hopefully start generating referrals in your business.
So while I think it’s important to be prepared, we don’t need to have all the bells and whistles before we even land our first client so I want to hone in on the bare minimum you need to set yourself up for success.
Tools You Need to Get Started
A CRM Tool – I highly recommend Dubsado because you get your first 3 clients within the platform free so that gives you the opportunity to start receiving a little income before you start paying for the service. If you’re not familiar with Dubsado, it’s a software that sends contracts, invoices, etc., and allows you to automate your entire onboarding and offboarding process. Dubsado also has a scheduler as well included so that you don’t have to worry about paying for another tool.
Landing Page – You definitely don’t need a full-blown website before you land your first client but I think having a landing page to send them to that lists out your services (and prices) and a little bit about you is important. I don’t suggest sending people directly to a link to book a call with you because most people will want to learn a little more about you before taking that next step.
Project Management Tool – If you’ve been around for a while, you’d know that I am a huge project management tool junkie. I have tried nearly every PM tool out there and certainly have my favorites. I personally love ClickUp but a lot of people love Asana and Trello so those are decent options as well.
File Management – When you’re managing clients’ podcasts, there’s a lot of files to keep up with so I definitely recommend getting a file management tool like Google Drive or Dropbox. I personally love Drive because it’s easy to use and free but some of our clients use Dropbox and it’s great too.
Editing Software – As a podcast manager, you will likely be editing your client’s podcasts so you need to have an editing software in your arsenal. I use a combo of Descript and Audacity but there are plenty of other options out there. You just gotta find the one you like the most.
Other Things You Need:
Contract – While Dubsado does have contract templates you can customize, I definitely think it’s important.
Welcome Packet – Having a welcome packet lays out the expectations from the get-go so that there’s no room for confusion from your client. Some things you can include in your welcome packet are your office hours, your preferred method of communication, and any other must-know information.
Onboarding and Offboarding Process – Dubsado can automate your onboarding and offboarding process, but you need to create the process first. Take the time to map out each step your client will take and then set up a workflow in Dubsado so that you can create a repeatable automated process so you’re not spending valuable time manually sending contracts, invoices, welcome packets, etc.
A Clear Client Attraction Strategy – You can have all the fancy tech and software to help move your client through the process, but if you’re struggling to attract clients at all, then the rest doesn’t even matter.
This is something so many service providers forget so make sure when you’re first getting started you’re not spending all your time on your backend and zero time marketing yourself. It can feel a little uncomfortable to put yourself out there at first but I promise you, it is so worth it.
Figure out where your ideal clients are hanging out and consistently show up there and share your value and connect with your people and with persistence, you will find your dream clients.
Positive Mindset – And lastly, you need a positive mindset. Your first client isn’t just going to fall into your lap so you need to be patient and stay positive otherwise you’ll throw in the towel too quickly.
Now it’s time to go out there and land your first client. I believe in you.
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