The Best Strategy to Acquire New Clients

When we are talking to a new prospect, one of the things we actively try to do is put ourselves in their shoes. In episode 176 of The Journey to $100 Million Podcast, Erik talks about the strategy we use when trying to acquire new clients. When we are selling to these prospects, we want to understand exactly what their challenges are when it comes to running their business, while also focusing on getting this prospect leads. Here at Array Digital, we work with a lot of different businesses, and we’ve seen quite a bit. We actually act a lot like consultants for most of our clients when it comes to giving them business advice. A lot of times when we are talking to a brand new prospect, we have a pretty good idea what is going on within their business, and the problems they may face. But, the best thing to do is get them to explain to us exactly what is going on. We need to understand, from their perspective, what their problem is that we could possibly assist in solving. When Erik first started off on his own, he would make assumptions on why clients were coming to him for help. Around 50-75% of the time, Erik was right in these assumptions because he had been in the industry for a good amount of time. But, the issue was, he would make big assumptions of what the full problem was, which was a mistake. Fast forward to today, and Erik tries his best to not assume anything as far as what a prospect’s problems are. He wants the client/prospect to state precisely what their problem is. We want them to talk much more than we do when we sit down with them for the first or second time in order to understand what they feel their problem is, and express their vision for the future. The key here, is getting the prospect to explain to us what success looks like, based on their budget. We want to understand how many leads they are looking for, how much revenue they hope to increase, and what their vision is. Once we know that, we are able to go back to the drawing board, look at their digital marketing presence, and come up with a plan to bring back to them. A lot of times, we hold two or three meetings before we actually ask for the prospect’s business. This is a lot of work, but it allows us to establish a very tight relationship centered around what the prospect needs. We may bring ideas to them, but we discuss it, and that allows the prospect to pick and choose what they feel is best for them. This is the best way to acquire new clients in our eyes. As Ian Altman says, you have to put yourself in the shoes of the buyer. You are about to form a partnership, and you want to understand exactly where they are coming from, and align your ideas with theirs! When you do that, it is beneficial to both parties. — Erik J. Olson is an award-winning digital marketer & entrepreneur. The Founder & CEO of Array Digital, he is also the host of the Journey to $100 Million Flash Briefing and daily podcast, and the organizer of the Marketers Anonymous monthly meetups. — Kevin Daisey is an award-winning digital marketer & entrepreneur. He started his first company when he was just 23, and is the Founder & CMO of Array Digital. Kevin is the also the co-host of the Journey to $100 Million Flash Briefing and daily podcast, and the co-organizer of the Marketers Anonymous monthly meetups.