The five best ways for professionals to get clients

C.J. Hayden is a Contributing Editor for RainToday.com. She is also the author of Get Clients Now!

She recently had this great advice for all of us who are depending on the web to get all our new business without our direct involvement.

But people either buy services from nationally recognized firms that have spent a lot of money to gain name recognition, or from individual people they have come to know, like, and trust.

Here are the five best ways for professionals to get clients:

1. Meet prospects or referral sources in person, at events, or by appointment
   
2. Talk with prospects or referral sources on the phone
   
3. Send personal emails to prospects who already know you (or mail a personal letter for 42 cents)
   
4. Follow up personally with prospects over time
   
5. Speak to groups likely to contain prospects at meetings and conferences

And here are the five things self-employed professionals most often try that don't result in clients:

1. Placing ads in the Yellow Pages, trade publications, or pay-per-click ads on the web
   
2. Distributing or posting brochures or flyers around their community
   
3. Mailing mass-produced letters or brochures to strangers
   
4. Sending their newsletter or ezine to people who haven't asked for it
   
5. Building a website consisting of nothing but promotional copy for people to read

The main difference between these two lists is that the first group of approaches require you to talk to people. The second list consists of anonymous activities that allow you to hide out and never meet the people you are in business to serve.

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