How to Get Architecture Clients (for Architects + Students)

Summary

The speaker shares insights on securing clients for creative businesses, emphasizing the unpredictability of referrals and the importance of building a strong online presence through content marketing. They advocate for creating valuable content that addresses potential clients' concerns, leveraging social media strategically, and cultivating an email list to foster relationships. The script also touches on the value of a well-curated portfolio and the potential of transforming services into workshops or virtual offerings to expand reach.

Takeaways

• 😌 The importance of embracing uncertainty in business and understanding that projects will come, even if their source is unpredictable.
• 📁 Keeping a record of declined projects serves as a reminder that opportunities will always arise, which can be motivating for creative professionals.
• 🛠 The lack of formal business or marketing education can be overcome by learning from successful entrepreneurs and through continuous experimentation and learning from failures.
• 🔄 Referrals are a valuable but unpredictable source of leads; to earn them, one must deliver quality work and actively request referrals from professional networks like realtors and contractors.
• 🤝 Building relationships within one's personal network can lead to unexpected business opportunities, emphasizing the value of being helpful and offering advice without immediate expectations.
• 🌐 The necessity of having a searchable online presence through a website and optimizing for search engines to be discoverable by potential clients.
• 📸 Investing in photography skills and equipment is crucial for visually showcasing one's work and process, which is vital for content marketing and attracting clients.
• ✍️ Creating content that addresses potential clients' common questions and concerns can preemptively build trust and establish expertise, making the service more tangible.
• 🎨 The power of documenting one's creative process and sharing behind-the-scenes content to differentiate oneself in the market and to provide unique, engaging material.
• 💼 A strong portfolio is essential for attracting clients, and it should only contain the best, most relevant work that reflects the type of projects one wishes to attract.
• 📈 The effectiveness of content marketing in shifting the business dynamic from convincing potential clients to being approached by those who already feel a connection and trust due to the content consumed.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial struggle during the first year of opening their studio?

The speaker was preoccupied with worry and pressure to find new clients, and even when they landed a new project, they had a hard time easing their concerns about the unpredictability of future projects.

How did the speaker's perspective change around the third year of running their business?

The speaker started to get comfortable with the unpredictability of when or where the next project would come from and accepted that projects would always come, even if they couldn't predict them.

Why does the speaker keep a folder of projects they've said no to?

The speaker keeps a folder of declined projects as a reminder that there will always be another project and to maintain a sense of choice and control over their work.

What is the speaker's background in business and marketing education?

The speaker regrets not taking any business or marketing classes in college and has learned everything about business through researching successful entrepreneurs and by doing a lot of experimentation and learning from failures.

How does the speaker view referrals as a source of new leads for their business?

The speaker sees referrals as a great source of new leads but acknowledges that they are unpredictable. They emphasize the importance of earning referrals through good work and actively asking for them.

What professional groups does the speaker identify as good sources for referrals?

The speaker identifies realtors, contractors, and other architects as the best professional referral resources.

How can a designer add value to a realtor's work to potentially earn a referral?

A designer can offer to do a sample site analysis for a realtor, helping them move a parcel they're trying to sell, and then express their interest in future referral opportunities.

What is the importance of having a camera and learning photography for a creative professional?

Having a camera and knowing how to take and edit good photographs is a valuable skill that helps in building awareness and showcasing one's work and process, which is crucial for content marketing.

What is the speaker's advice on creating content for a website to attract clients?

The speaker advises creating content that directly relates to the searches clients are doing online, answering common questions they have, and documenting the design process to provide valuable insights into the work.

How does the speaker describe the shift in their business from referrals to content marketing?

The speaker notes that the majority of their work now comes through content marketing, as they have put out a lot of content that attracts their 'tribe' - people who resonate with their voice and approach.

What should a designer's portfolio on their website reflect to potential clients?

A designer's portfolio should only include their best work, be focused on a particular theme or topic, and reflect the kind of projects they want to attract, providing assurance to potential clients of their expertise.

What is the speaker's suggestion for a designer who doesn't have work they feel confident adding to their portfolio?

The speaker suggests either gaining more relevant experience by working in a shop that does the kind of projects they want or doing work on spec to create a portfolio piece and content for marketing.

How does the speaker view social media platforms in relation to finding new clients?

The speaker sees social media platforms as valuable places where potential clients spend time and search for inspiration, and as a place where they can build awareness and a following that can lead to jobs.

What is the significance of having a large social media following for a creative professional?

A large social media following can have social currency in the market, indicating impact and reach, and may be a deciding factor for clients or collaborators choosing to work with the professional.

Why is having an email list important for cultivating relationships with potential clients?

An email list allows the professional to build the 'know, like, and trust' factor with potential clients through a series of automated emails that provide value and educate them about the professional's services.

What mental model does the speaker recommend to simplify the process of finding new clients?

The speaker recommends the mental model of 'What would this look like if this were easy?' to encourage thinking about simpler or alternative ways to find clients, such as hiring a sales agent or collaborating with other firms.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Embracing Uncertainty in Business Growth

The speaker reflects on the initial years of running a studio, characterized by constant worry about securing new clients. Despite landing new projects, the anxiety persisted. It wasn't until the third year that they became comfortable with the unpredictability of the next project's arrival. They maintain a folder of declined projects as a reminder of opportunities to come. The speaker laments the lack of business education in creative fields and shares their self-taught journey through researching successful entrepreneurs. The video aims to impart the learned principles to students and professionals alike, starting with the importance of referrals and the unpredictability of their nature. The speaker suggests proactively seeking referrals from professionals like realtors and contractors by offering them value, such as site analysis, to facilitate future referrals. They also emphasize the importance of personal networking in daily routines, as it can lead to unexpected referrals and projects.

05:03

🌐 Enhancing Online Visibility and Content Creation

The speaker discusses the necessity of making one's website discoverable through targeted content creation that aligns with potential clients' search queries. They advise checking search results for relevant terms and working to improve website ranking. The speaker also highlights the importance of investing in photography equipment to create high-quality images of one's work and environment, which can be leveraged for marketing. They recommend learning to edit photos using software like Lightroom to enhance the presentation of one's work online. The speaker encourages experimenting with different types of content, including blog posts, images, and videos, to answer common client questions preemptively and attract a like-minded audience. They stress the effectiveness of content marketing in shifting business acquisition from referrals to organic discovery, leading to clients who already feel a connection before even meeting.

10:07

🎨 Cultivating a Compelling Portfolio and Online Presence

The speaker emphasizes the importance of a curated portfolio that showcases only the best work, as it serves as a testament to one's expertise and capability. They argue against including student work or projects that do not align with the desired client niche, suggesting that a focused portfolio is more effective. The speaker advises considering the portfolio as a reflection of what future clients will share with others, and thus it should be composed of work that one is proud of and that resonates with the target audience. For those lacking sufficient work for their portfolio, the speaker suggests gaining relevant experience or creating work on speculation, which can then be used to build the portfolio and generate content for marketing purposes. They also touch upon the role of social media in finding clients, highlighting platforms like Instagram and Pinterest as valuable for visual professionals and the importance of using hashtags and engaging with local communities to increase discoverability.

15:12

📧 Harnessing Email Marketing and Social Proof

The speaker discusses the value of an email list for nurturing relationships with potential clients, using MailChimp as an example of a tool to automate a series of introductory emails. They stress the importance of leading with value and providing educational content to build trust. The speaker also recommends studying other successful email lists to understand what makes them effective and applying those learnings to one's own email marketing. They mention the potential for monetizing an email list and using it to announce new products or services. Additionally, the speaker advises on the importance of social media following as a form of social proof and a potential deciding factor for clients or collaborators. They conclude by suggesting that even without immediate client inquiries, the time invested in building an email list and social media presence can pay off in the long term.

🚀 Expanding Client Acquisition Through Creative Strategies

The speaker concludes by encouraging creative thinking about client acquisition, suggesting strategies like hiring a sales agent, partnering with other firms, or purchasing leads. They propose transforming services into workshops or virtual experiences as alternative revenue streams and emphasize the importance of continuous learning from various sources, such as books, podcasts, and online resources. The speaker acknowledges the hard work involved in content creation and marketing but insists on its potential for success. They highlight the importance of understanding how potential clients find one's business, advocating for the use of a simple question to gauge the effectiveness of different marketing strategies. Lastly, the speaker promotes an upcoming course for further learning and offers a link for interested viewers to sign up for notifications of its release.

Keywords

💡Referrals

Referrals are recommendations from one party to another, often used to gain new clients or business opportunities. In the video's context, referrals are highlighted as an unpredictable but valuable source of new leads. The speaker mentions that to earn a referral, one must deliver good work and actively ask for referrals, especially from professionals like realtors and contractors.

💡Content Marketing

Content marketing is a strategy that involves creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and engage a clearly defined audience. The video emphasizes the importance of content marketing in attracting clients through informative and engaging material, such as blog posts, images, and videos that address potential clients' questions and concerns.

💡Portfolio

A portfolio is a collection of an individual's or company's work, showcasing their skills, experience, and style. In the script, the portfolio is discussed as a crucial tool for selling one's experience to potential clients, with the advice to only include the best work that is relevant to the type of projects one wishes to attract.

💡Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO refers to the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine's unpaid results. The speaker in the video suggests using SEO to ensure that a professional's website appears on the first page of search results for terms that potential clients might use, thus making it easier for clients to find them.

💡Social Media

Social media platforms are used for sharing content, ideas, and experiences. In the video, social media is presented as a significant channel for reaching potential clients, with a focus on platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, where visual content can attract attention and build a following.

💡Email List

An email list is a collection of email addresses that can be used for sending out newsletters, promotional materials, or other correspondence. The video script mentions the importance of cultivating an email list to build the 'know, like, and trust' factor with potential clients, using autoresponders to send out a series of introductory emails.

💡Personal Network

A personal network refers to an individual's social or professional connections. The speaker in the video talks about leveraging one's personal network to make connections and gain referrals, suggesting that one should be friendly and curious, and share their expertise to potentially receive referrals in return.

💡Branding

Branding is the process of creating a unique name, symbol, or design that identifies and differentiates a product or service from others. The video touches on the importance of branding through the creation of a portfolio and the use of social media, where one's work and voice can attract a tribe of people who resonate with the brand.

💡Experimentation

Experimentation in the context of the video refers to trying out different strategies and approaches to find what works best for attracting clients. The speaker encourages viewers to experiment with various forms of content and marketing tactics to see what resonates with their audience and generates leads.

💡Value Proposition

A value proposition is a statement that communicates the unique value a product or service offers to customers. In the video, the speaker advises creating content that speaks to the benefits and solutions provided to clients, rather than just listing features, to effectively communicate the value proposition.

💡Work on Spec

Working on spec, or speculative work, means creating work without a formal agreement or payment with the hope that it will lead to future opportunities. The video script suggests doing work on spec as a way to build a portfolio, generate content for marketing, and potentially attract clients through the demonstration of one's capabilities.

Highlights

Overcoming the anxiety of finding new clients and learning to be comfortable with the unpredictability of project acquisition.

Maintaining a record of declined projects to remind oneself of the continuous flow of opportunities.

Lack of formal business or marketing education and learning through research and experimentation.

The importance of referrals in gaining new leads and the need to earn them through good work and proactive asking.

Utilizing professional networks such as realtors and contractors for referrals and offering them value in return.

Leveraging personal networks for potential business opportunities by making connections in daily life.

Ensuring visibility on search engines by publishing content relevant to client searches and improving website SEO.

Investing in photography skills and equipment to create high-quality visual content for marketing purposes.

Creating a website content strategy that addresses common client questions and concerns preemptively.

Experimenting with various content formats such as blog posts, images, and videos to attract a target audience.

Documenting the design process and sharing behind-the-scenes content to differentiate from competitors.

Shifting from reliance on referrals to content marketing as a primary source of business acquisition.

Building trust with potential clients through consistent and valuable content before they make contact.

Curating a portfolio that reflects the best work and resonates with the target client base.

Avoiding the inclusion of lower quality or poorly photographed work in the portfolio to maintain a professional image.

Considering creating work on spec to build a portfolio and generate content for marketing if lacking client projects.

Recognizing the value of social media platforms in client discovery and the importance of strategic posting.

Using Instagram effectively with hashtags and engaging with the local community to increase visibility.

Developing an email list to nurture relationships with potential clients and build trust over time.

Adopting the mindset of 'what would this look like if this were easy?' to explore unconventional client acquisition strategies.

Learning from other creative professionals and businesses to apply effective strategies in one's own industry.

Understanding the importance of tracking how potential clients find you to focus marketing efforts effectively.

Transcripts

I remember the first year I opened the studio and I was completely preoccupied with the

worry and the pressure to find new clients even when I’d land a new project a new client

I was thinking alright now this will ease up now that I have a project but I just had

a hard time filing that thought away it was probably around the third year when I started

to get comfortable with the idea that you know I just couldn't predict when or where

the next project would come from but I also got comfortable with the idea that it always

just came and I keep a folder to this day with all the projects that I've said no to

just kind of as a reminder that there will always be another project you know most creatives

architects designers artists you know we aren't taught how to find new clients and I never

took a business or a marketing class in college and I really do regret that everything I've

learned in business has been by researching other successful entrepreneurs other businesses

and just by doing you know lots of experimentation iteration and of course failure so I wanted

to take this video to share what I've learned with you and if you're a student you can apply

these same principles to finding your first job out of school so my first project like

a lot of architects and other designers that I know was from a referral a referral from

a contractor and referrals are a great source of new leads and they remain a source of great

new leads for my business so the one problem with referrals is that they're kind of unpredictable

so you can't control how other people are going to react or even if they're gonna position

your business in front of somebody even when there's an opportunity first thing about referrals

that you need to understand is that you need to earn the referral you need to have good

work right so we're gonna presume that you have good work the next thing is you actually

have to ask for them so the best professional referral resources that I found are realtors

contractors and other architects so when you're approaching contractors and realtors I think

you want to think about how you can save them time and also offer some value so one of the

things you can do let's say for the realtor is reach out and do a sample site analysis

and help them try and move a parcel they're trying to sell and then you can say, look

this is the kind of thing I do and this is the kind of thing I'm hoping to do more of

in the coming year and if you see an opportunity for a referral I'd really really appreciate

it architects same thing if you approach a larger firm someone who's more established

than you are chances are they're gonna be overloaded with work and they're not going

to be able to take on the smaller projects which you if you're just getting started you

have the bandwidth to handle those now your personal network very similar you have to

reach out be friendly be curious you know there's things you're doing throughout your

daily routine maybe you're going to the gym maybe you have a personal trainer maybe you're

going to the bike shop to pick up some more gear for your hobby you know reach out make

connections so my son's drum teacher perfect example of this I take him to a weekly drum

lesson and his teacher was just starting to renovate his studio so I sort of pointed him

to a few resources and I said here's a couple ideas there's a couple things you might think

about while you're doing this you know acoustically you can shape the room like this and you know

not long after that he referred me to an exceptional client and that was a client that ended up

being a pretty big project for me so, was it because I offered up some free advice to

him you know pointed him towards some resources?

Maybe, you know you never know where mentioning what you do or actually showing what you do

where that will fall on the right set of ears okay so ideally you want clients to find you

right and they do that through your website but just because you have a website doesn't

mean they're gonna be able to find it so here's what I want to do I want you to go to Google

and I want you to type in exactly what you think a client might put in to search to find

you okay then you're gonna look at the results and if you're not on page one and chances

are pretty good you're not on page one you need to change that and the way we're gonna

do that is we're going to start publishing content that directly relates to the kinds

of searches that your clients are going to be doing online but first okay so you're probably

saying what does buying a camera and an interchangeable lens have to do with finding new clients?

Well a lot when you think about it as building awareness so buying a camera for me has been

like hands-down the single best investment I've made in probably the past ten years learning

how to take good photographs and learning how to edit them is one of those meta skills

that's going to pay off in your entire creative life and we need lots of images of your process

your work and also your environment your surroundings all this is going to feed into the next steps

we're about to take all the gear and the equipment that I recommend the stuff that I started

with like the 70D the 80D that's all linked up in the cards here I have a bunch of posts

and you can find all the stuff that I used then and now the second thing that I want

you to do here is also learn to edit your photos in Lightroom it doesn't take much work

to do it but it makes a huge difference when it comes to quality of your work okay so now

you're ready to start making content on your website and I want you to start thinking about

that search term that you put in to Google to see how your clients are going to find

you you need to make content that's directly aimed at that person, right?

So that means answering those first questions that clients always ask you in that first

meeting answer those preemptively make an epic piece of content that answers all the

questions that you would have if you were in your clients position, right?

How much does it cost?

What's the schedule gonna be?

What's my team?

What problems are you solving for your particular client?

Now the cool thing about this is when you do it enough you make enough content you're

gonna start to attract your tribe the people that gravitate to your particular voice how

you talk about things and your approach but you're not gonna know what that is just yet

so you need to try a lot of different things so you're gonna experiment I want you to experiment

with blog posts and images and maybe even video if you're comfortable with it if you're

short on ideas one thing you can do is to sort of try and reverse engineer what other

successful firms and businesses and entrepreneurs are doing online content should answer pain

points content should talk about benefits rather than features you know what problems

are you solving for your clients?

Speak about those you want to make the abstract service of design real to people like what's

the real pain point you're solving?

And we talked about this in the previous example but I want you to document your process I

want to document your work and share all that behind-the-scenes stuff like that's a great

way to do what other people aren't doing there's a lot of people in this industry who aren't

willing to bring you into their studio and show you what they're doing and I can promise

you people are interested in that and it's a great way to produce content for your content

marketing so how effective is this kind of marketing?

The majority of my work in the past used to come from referrals and that's how I started

off the business we talked about that already the majority of my work now comes through

my content marketing and I've put a lot of content out there so I can see what works

and what doesn't and I can promise you this does work probably heard that phrase: people

hire other people they know like and trust so when you make enough content people get

to know you they start to like you – hopefully - and then they trust you and you’re doing

all of that before they even reach out and make contact with you and one of the big shifts

I've seen in the business is I used to have to do a lot of convincing but by the time

people show up to the studio and we're sitting across from each other at this table one of

the things people say is like I feel like I know you already and part of that is due

to the videos that I've made part of that is due to the voice of my content you know

I'm always providing value I'm always trying to be helpful and so it really does help people

get to know like and trust you.

You've been working on your referral network you've been making content we need to talk

about your portfolio now.

Potential clients need assurance that you're actually the right one to do the work and

your portfolio is going to sell your experience so in your portfolio you can only put your

best work okay that probably means no student work and that's not a dig on students necessarily

but like the mortuary thesis project it's just not gonna win new clients clients need

to be able to see their work in your portfolio so that's what the portfolio is designed to

do I think a portfolio that has maybe only two or three projects and they're really focused

around one particular theme or topic is far more successful than one that has let's say

you know a retail project maybe a single-family renovation project and let's say a design

for a nightclub like that's confusing to a potential client right if client comes to

your site and they see those three different things are they gonna be assured that you're

the right one to design their new family home on the coast?

Probably not, right?

So think about your portfolio like a mirror what you put out there is what you're gonna

receive in return so the same goes for lower quality work or work that's poorly photographed

and I do see this all the time you know people put up images or projects that they're not

totally satisfied with they're not totally proud of thinking okay in the future as I

get better projects you know I'll swap these images out I'll swap out my portfolio it doesn't

work like that it's a bad idea I think in general because what you put out is what you'll

receive I want you to think about your portfolio as the story your future clients are going

to be telling and sharing with their friends and family is that a story that's shareable

for them?

You know low-quality photographs poor projects it's not shareable so what if you don't have

any work that you feel like you can share or your portfolio just isn't sort of up to

snuff yet?

Now I think you have a couple of options I think the first option is maybe to reevaluate

and say maybe it's time for me to get more experience more relevant experience maybe

it's time to go work in a shop that actually does the kind of projects that I want in my

portfolio that's a good rubric or a framework for you if you're a student and you're looking

for a job like look at their portfolio and say is that the kind of work that I want on

my own portfolio the other thing you can do and I think this is a really great possibility

is to do work on spec so the studio here this is a great example of that you know I hired

myself to do this project and the great part about that is you have a network of people

who helped you build this you have a portfolio piece and you have all this content that you

can repurpose for your blogs and your social media outlets and then in the end you have

the drawings and the details and the design to possibly sell on your website everyone

has done work on spec and if you don't have new clients coming in you definitely have

the time to do work on spec okay so social media is a big topic and we need to think

about where your clients are spending time online where are they searching for the kinds

of things that you do, right?

Where do you search for things for inspiration?

Probably Instagram Pinterest you probably visit some blogs you probably go to YouTube

I hope and you know there's probably podcasts too so those are the places I'd probably start

as a creative and actually I've gotten jobs from every single one of those places online

so don't dismiss the the socials please now you actually have kind of an unfair advantage

when it comes to social media because you know the bigger firms the places that are

already getting work they already have referral networks in place and operating for them and

usually they're pretty busy so they don't see investing time in social media as a worthwhile

outlet so one of the approaches that I like and I use is you take this epic long-form

content that you’ve already been creating for your website and then you start chunking

it up right and so these bite-sized chunks are then re-contextualized to whatever platform

you're posting on so Facebook for example you can't post long videos on Facebook people

aren't there to watch long videos but you can post that on YouTube it works very well.

Instagram, Pinterest, those places are visual platforms so that's a great place to post

your behind-the-scenes processed visuals you can even post video there there's Twitter

there's LinkedIn you know LinkedIn you can do white papers Twitter you can do images

with text overlays sort of bite-sized pieces think about the platform think about what

makes sense for posting on that platform now I think as a visual creative person you absolutely

cannot ignore Instagram so a couple of things about Instagram that you need to know: hashtags

obviously use the broad hashtags so architecture the larger broader hashtags to sort of associate

your posts with a certain family but then also use the hyper local hashtags like think

about hashtags in your local neighborhood places that you actually want to be building

think about those hashtags as well because if you can show up in those local neighborhood

posts and showing what you're doing people will discover you that way now the other hashtags

that you can consider using are search terms you know what would people be searching for

on Instagram that they might find you think about ways to be social think about ways to

connect think about ways to add value you can tag real local realtors in your posts

you can tag local contractors you know engage in the platform and offer value comment on

other people's posts you know don't just go in for the ask I get so many DMs from people

that just say hey I've got a problem hey I need an advice hey I've you know this litany

of questions and I think you have to be considerate of people's time these are busy people that

you're reaching out to and if your first introduction to them is an ask for the most valuable thing

they own it's just a bad way to be social it's a bad way to build that referral network

now the other thing to do on these social platforms is to look carefully at your profile

right?

Ask yourself - again we're gonna view this through the lens of a potential client - if

a potential client comes to your Instagram profile and they look at it are they gonna

see something that's gonna make them feel comfortable hiring you right?

So you probably need a nice profile photo you need to have a nice bio a succinct bio

need up links back to your website you know your feed is gonna attract people who are

attracted to the things that you're posting there if you're posting photos of just junk

like that's kind of what you're gonna receive in return everything's like a mirror here

okay so make sure you come up with a nice bio a nice photo maybe some testimonials if

you're thinking about posting on Houzz or LinkedIn something like that you need some

social proof maybe post a few awards your accolades you know give people a reason to

reach out and get in touch with you.

Now the last thing I want to mention before we move on from social media your social media

following is gonna matter even if you don't think it's going to matter today it already

has social currency in the market so people look at the number of followers you have they

look at your impact your reach but in the future it's going to not only have real monetary

value but it may be the decision point for a client or a collaborator choosing to work

with you or not if you have a larger social following that may be enough reason for someone

to say, yeah that looks like a good partner for me.

So think about that before you completely dismiss the socials and if you're not finding

clients you definitely have the time to invest in this kind of thing.

I know it can feel overwhelming what I'm saying do this do this do this do this and yes it

takes a lot of work.

Okay so we're gonna talk about your email list here for a moment and I feel I know it's

gonna feel like another thing to do but if you have an email signup on your website it's

a great way to begin cultivating that sort of know like and trust factor with your potential

clients so I use MailChimp and we're in the dashboard of MailChimp here and what I've

done is set up a series of sort of seven emails that sort of introduce people to what I do

how I can help them I'm always leading with value I'm educating I’m providing information

and that's kind of how you use an email list I use MailChimp here it's free up to I think

it's about 2,000 subscribers I'm beyond that now but once you get beyond 2,000 subscribers

you should be finding a way to monetize that email list and that's a sort of next-level

discussion that we can have but you know email lists can help you do that as well so what

you do you set up this autoresponder when someone signs up it drips out this series

of emails to your potential client your potential leads over a period of time at an interval

that you choose so it's really helpful for building trust now one of the other things

that I like to do is sign up to other email lists so that I can see what they're doing

and again we have this idea about reverse engineering things see what other people doing

that's effective with you you know you sign up to certainly an email list and there are

probably ones that you unsubscribe from and there are probably ones that you sub keep

subscribed to because you enjoy their content start making content like that now also you're

going to use your email list when you create new products or maybe you have an opening

in your wait list or maybe you have a new book that you're releasing and you use that

to reach out to an audience of people and tell them what you're doing so it's a way

of again building up your referral marketing reminding people that you're out there and

building awareness.

Okay we've been talking a lot about sort of experimenting with things so one of my favorite

mental models from my hero Tim Ferriss is: what would this look like if this were easy?

So I think there's lots of ways to think about this.

So what would this look like if it were easy?

Well you could hire somebody who had a bigger network than you right you could hire a sales

agent to bring new clients to you.

You could team up with another architecture firm right and take all of their smaller work

and just agree to be that guy that they send all their smaller projects to you could pay

somebody else for their leads so larger firms they have an excess of work maybe you just

say hey look I'll give you $1,000 for every lead that comes into my business that I convert

into a client.

What if you turned all of your clients into customers instead so turn your service into

a workshop like a two-day workshop sell it for $500 a seat and fill your studio with

ten people and run a workshop.

Maybe your clients aren't actually building things in the physical world maybe you're

designing virtual sets for luxury brands and you know before you dismiss this as a sort

of joke I've definitely been approached before by people who are looking to design virtual

sets for cars and luxury brands so like it really does exist remember you don't have

to necessarily have the skills or knowledge necessary to solve a problem if you can rent

or buy it elsewhere right?

You know I would suggest that you just keep digging in on this mental model because I

find it pretty liberating.

So I love borrowing tactics from other businesses other entrepreneurs study and learn from other

people doing similar things to you and apply it to your business now think about how photographers

find clients how do UX designers find clients or graphic designers or illustrators so some

great resources online YouTube has some amazing content you can get your virtual MBA this

way podcasts books blog posts you know always be a student is kind of the mantra that I've

adopted so if you want to know what I'm looking at what I'm consuming books I'm reading podcasts

I'm listening to YouTube channels I'm watching check the link in the description and the

cards.

Now there's plenty more you can dig into but I think you've got enough to get started for

sure this is a lot of work I've been making content a long time so I know how much work

it is I also know how successful it can be if you start to implement a lot of these strategies

most of what you're gonna do is not gonna work and that's perfectly fine because you

don't have time to do all of these things all the time some of them are automated but

a lot of them actually take a ton of work now what's important to know is when a lead

does reach out a potential client does reach out and say hey I want to talk to you about

getting a project going it's important for you to know how they found you so a simple

- hey great to meet you how did you find me? - will help you focus your efforts as you

move forward so you know what's working and what's not there is no easy button for clients

to find you for you to find clients and it's good because it actually filters out the people

who are too lazy to do all that it takes to do this and it leaves room for you and for

me now if you want to learn how to get more clients you want to dig into this in more

detail and possibly even work with me one-on-one I'm working on a course right now and if you

want to be a part of that or you want to sign up to be notified when I release it you can

check the link in the cards or the description below to find out more about that alright?

Cheers my friends we'll see you again next time!