Starting a new small business is hard. It takes confidence, courage and a thick skin to get you through the first few months and years.  If you’re smart, you have your marketing plan in place, a brand that differentiates you and a great website… but the phone isn’t ringing. You don’t have a client yet, and you’re feeling nervous.  It’s a common feeling for new small business owners: you feel the pressure to secure that all-important first client.

Securing that first client isn’t as hard as you think.  The secret lies in the phrase “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. It’s a term used to describe how you can get ahead by knowing influential people and it’s the guiding principle to the best strategy to landing your first client – marketing to people you know.

This technique is very simple and cheap, and has produced clients for every small business I know that has used it.  It also brought me my first client when I started MarketingHQ. So here it is, three steps to earning your first paycheque.

Step 1

Make a list of the contact details of all your friends, family and former business colleagues. Gather the details of all your personal contacts and put them in a spreadsheet.

Step 2

Write a letter (or email) of introduction for your new business.

The key with the letter is not to make it “salesy”.  Don’t make an offer, don’t pitch any business, just make it nice and personable with some information about your new business with your new contact details.

The letter must also be clear about the service your new business offers.  Again, don’t try and sell anything – just tell your friends and family what you are up to.

Step 3

Send the letter or email to your contact list.

After you send it off, it’s likely you will get some responses either by phone or email. It is at this point you ask for referrals. I don’t mean asking for more contact details; just politely tell them they are welcome to pass on your details to anyone who fits your ideal customer profile.

One of the first responses I get with this technique is that business owners feel uncomfortable ‘selling’ to friends and family. My response is: get over it. You will find that with most small businesses, the first clients are often friends and family. Your job is to make sure your friends and family know what it is that you do and make it easy for them to tell others.

The reason this technique works is simple. These people know, like and trust you. You instantly overcome the first three major barriers in gaining referrals all in one hit, and now you have provided them with the tools to talk about your business. Above all, your friends and family also want you to do well, and by giving them the right information, you make it easy for them to be a part of your success.

Chris Dale is a marketing consultant, and the managing director of MarketingHQ.