How to find clients

In truth, there is no one answer because clients can come from many directions. One of the advantages that we (and many small companies like us) have is that we perform many services, and that provides us with a variety of "ins" with clients.

I would like to tell you that we have a large sales force, a large web developing staff, and a cast of thousands behind the scenes. I'd also like to tell you that Bill Gates calls me to borrow money, but all of that would be a lie.

In truth, we are a home-based business. We have no sales staff, just my two older sons (19 and 18) and I, and sometimes my wife and youngest son (13). I had my wife's age in there, but she took exception. The bruising on my arm should go away in a few days.

There are a number of options for finding clients. Here is a look at some of them:

The door-to-door approach

There is always the method of finding a business listed in the telephone book and then going door-to-door to contact them. The problem with that is they may already have a site, and then — even if they need a new one — they may resent the time you take away from them during business hours.

If you choose this method, contact them by telephone first to find out if there is a need or desire for a web site, and then arrange a time to meet at their convenience. That concern for their time will also show that you are likely to be equally concerned about their site and the services you offer.

How about Advertising?

Yes, we could advertise in the local papers and other media, but we really don't. We just hang around and let people find us most of the time, usually through word of mouth from previous clients (the cheapest and most effective advertising there is, by the way).

In our previous location, we did reduce the cost of building a web site for a local newspaper in exchange for running ads throughout the site telling how wonderful we were. It was fairly effective, but we didn't rely on it.

Having moved to a new location, we are trading a local radio station's web site for on-air and on-site advertising. It remains to be seen how effective it will be, but the station plays oldies, and I dig it - to borrow a phrase from my teen years.

We consider banner advertising a waste. I read where the most effective ones involve pornography, but I don't do nudity (count your blessings for that). Besides, my oldest son tells me that even my DNA is too fat to fit on a 468x60 banner.

However, in areas where there is a lot more competition, advertising by conventional method may be crucial. It may also be too expensive and, in that case, let the bottom line be your guide.

It is important to consider when to advertise, too. In a local newspaper, for example, if you can advertise the same day they run the grocery ads, more people will be apt to see your ad. It may sound silly, but it is a fact.

Alternative Advertising

There are other ways to advertise without actually buying space in a newspaper or time on radio or TV. Perhaps the best move we have made in recent years was to participate in a local business showcase at the nearby Ceasar's Casino.

There was a lot of traffic, and the two days investment to get and to man the booth was well worth it. Besides, the food was excellent, and we didn't have time to gamble, so nothing was lost. In fact, just one of the clients we gained from the showcase more than covered the cost and provided a decent profit. The others were gravy.

Because of our size, we don't expect to get many national accounts (they'd rather spend 20 times as much for a web site as what we and businesses like us would charge, I guess), so such a local showcase is a great way to meet local business types, and it helps establish credibility, too.

Another way to get alternative advertising is to provide local media with stories about your business. In smaller areas, particularly, business news is always a needed commodity. Topics could include anything from a trade show appearance to new services offered.

Those types of stories can also lead to the newspaper doing a feature story about your business, and that is excellent advertising because it goes into more depth about your business than a paid ad ever could. Further, because someone else is writing it, it adds credibility to the news about your business.

Our favorite way of finding clients