Getting More Clients Isn’t Your Problem

“I need more clients.”

When I ask business owners what’s getting in the way of their success or causing the biggest challenge, it’s almost always some variation of this answer. 

And technically, that may be true. You need clients to make money, and you need money to run a business. But getting more clients is usually not the actual problem. There's almost always something underneath that's keeping clients from finding you, saying yes to your offer, or returning for more. 

Last week, I talked about how to take stock and look for patterns as you prepare for Q4. Today, I want to go deeper with that.

Numbers don't lie

I know money can make people clam up, but I invite you to take a deep breath and engage with me here. Your numbers and other data tell an important story.

Start with your top three sources of revenue this year. That almost certainly means opening your bookkeeping software and pulling up your P&L or income statement. Which of your offers generated the most revenue?

Then look at your last ten clients. Literally make a list with their names and include where each one came from, what offer they purchased, and the revenue generated from it. 

Now compare that to where you spent most of your marketing or business development time. You may be surprised to see that most of your clients came from one source, like referrals or speaking, while most of your time and energy was spent creating content for Linkedin. When I’ve gone through this in the past, I’ve always found it very enlightening. One year, I had spent an insane amount of time and money on social media and ads, and the vast majority of my clients (upwards of 90%) came from direct networking and referrals.That insight completely changed how I spent my time and money the following year. 

This data is often where we can start to hone in on why you’re struggling to get clients. 

Look up and out

Environmental scanning is the approach many businesses take where they look at what is happening outside their business to see what could create positive or negative impacts. 

Ask yourself:

• Who is buying from you now? Has what they want, or how they buy, changed in the last year? 

• Who else are your buyers considering? That includes other providers, doing nothing, or doing it themselves.

• How has the outside world affected your business? Think about the economy, the ongoing volatility in the world, new regulations, how much harder trust is to earn, and how AI is changing what clients will pay for. 

Sometimes what's keeping clients from buying has nothing to do with your business at all, but it still affects you. So, knowing what’s happening both in and around you is critical to making decisions about what to do to address it. 

Where the problem usually lives

In my work with female founders, executives, and leaders over the last two decades, I've consistently come across three things that directly impact your ability to get more clients. The data tells an important story, and when you look at that in the context of the following three areas, you can formulate a real action plan. 

Your positioning isn't clear. 

Maybe the way you've been talking about your work or what you think the client's challenge is, doesn't resonate the same way it used to. If you're too broad, people won't know you're talking to them. If you're too niche, it may be difficult to get your message heard. 

This is NOT an exercise for AI, so grab a pen and paper and answer the following questions:

Who do you help when you do your best work?

What problem do you solve for them? 

What is the number one result you help people get? 

Why should they choose you over anyone else, including doing nothing or doing it themselves?

The answers to those questions shape how clearly you can communicate your message to your target audience but also the unique value you bring to the table. It’s also where your big idea, business values, and the way in which you do business, are critical for differentiating you from your competitors. When people sense that you share their values, care about issues that are important to them, and see that you can help them solve their biggest problem, they can't help but be drawn in.

When you tie this information to the potential external factors you identified above, now you can tailor your message and approach in a way that meets potential clients where they are. 

A while back, I wrote about positioning yourself with buyers when the economy is extra challenging. If you haven’t read that, you can do that here.

You don't have a client attraction system. 

When was the last time you audited your client attraction (aka marketing and sales) system?

I’ve written often over the years about the five phases of a client attraction system: Captivate, Connect, Cultivate, Convert, and Care. 

Each of these phases requires dedicated time, energy, and attention from you. If one area is underperforming, that’s where you need to focus some energy. 

I created a quick audit to help you do that, and you can find it here.

Once you know where to focus, go all in and be consistent. It almost always takes 90 days to get real traction, so pick a path and stick with it! 

Your operations are getting in the way. 

Inefficient operations or inadequate systems and processes can also contribute to the revenue rollercoaster. If you're spending too much time and too many resources on non-revenue-generating activities, you may be missing out on opportunities to grow your business. These inefficiencies also lead to higher expenses and lower profitability, making it difficult to achieve financial stability.

This section of the business can seem overwhelming, especially when you look at your tech stack, your process and system documentation, and hiring an effective and aligned team, but it doesn’t have to be.  

Again, knowledge is power here. Do an operations audit and see where you’re crushing it and where you need to do a little work. This may be where you can leverage automations, AI, and outsourcing some of your non-core activities when the time is right.

So, now what?

If you’ve gone through this step-by-step, you should have some newfound clarity about what’s working and what’s not in your business. The answer is not about doing more… If anything, you're probably doing too much of the wrong things. That’s why knowing the root cause of the challenges you’re facing are critical to managing your time, effort, and resources.

Next week, we're going to dive into what a real client attraction system and consistent action really look like, so you can get off the revenue rollercoaster once and for all!

In the meantime, I'd love to know: which of these three challenge areas feels most true for your business right now?

If you'd like a second set of eyes, grab a spot on my calendar and let's talk through it. Book your spot here.