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How to get clients with no testimonials, just starting out with zero startup costs.

by Kevin Dee
18 replies
I am trying to sell lead generation, for which I have a process in place to deliver a great service.

My question is how to get clients with no capital for advertising etc and no testimonials?

Offering services up front first for free isn't an option, as the leads cost money through PPC... So I need payment before taking on a project.

But at the moment, I am basically reaching out to business owners on LinkedIn and cold email and basically offering them a trial run where they only cover costs.

Any advice would be appreciated.
#clients #costs #starting #startup #testimonials
  • Profile picture of the author helisell
    You'll get much better results if you connect in the way you are now......but then call and speak directly to them.

    You gain credibility, and they will respond more favourably. Try it!
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    • Profile picture of the author Kevin Dee
      Well, yea that's what i'm doing. I am reaching out, offering them a call, then closing them for a free trial on the call.
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  • Profile picture of the author helisell
    So how is that working out for you?
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  • Profile picture of the author DABK
    Listen better.

    I mean this: you call me out of the blue and you say you can get me leads. I ask some questions and you answer them, on the surface correctly and completely.

    But not to my satisfaction.

    Because I don't know you. Because I don't know you I need to know the whole process of how you get the leads, everything you say at any step to get them to move to call me.

    I am telling you why I've rejected all 5 people who called me out of the blue to tell me they have great leads for me.

    I bought leads... from people who showed me their process... The leads sucked...Because their presentation of their process and what they actually did once they had me as a client were not the same... Specifically, we agreed that I would give them feedback on their leads and future ads and that they would tweak accordingly... They did no such thing, or not enough of it.

    Originally Posted by Kevin Dee View Post

    I am trying to sell lead generation, for which I have a process in place to deliver a great service.

    My question is how to get clients with no capital for advertising etc and no testimonials?

    Offering services up front first for free isn't an option, as the leads cost money through PPC... So I need payment before taking on a project.

    But at the moment, I am basically reaching out to business owners on LinkedIn and cold email and basically offering them a trial run where they only cover costs.

    Any advice would be appreciated.
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  • Profile picture of the author animal44
    Originally Posted by Kevin Dee View Post

    I am trying to sell lead generation, for which I have a process in place to deliver a great service.
    How did you get this process in place...?
    Use that as you "proof" or testimonial...

    Cold email to strangers is pretty tough. You really need to offer them something they can't refuse... Asking for money is easy to refuse...
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    • Profile picture of the author Kevin Dee
      The way I see it, it's a no brainer for them.

      I am offering to make zero profit for the first 'test', and guaranteeing them a certain amount of leads (depending on industry).

      The problem I am having is getting people to get on the phone, like you say their barriers are up.
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      • Profile picture of the author animal44
        Originally Posted by Kevin Dee View Post

        The way I see it, it's a no brainer for them.
        Except it's not a no-brainer. Dabk gave you a business owner's perspective...
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        • Profile picture of the author Kevin Dee
          DABK is in the industry. He knows about marketing and campaigns etc. The companies I am targeting do not.

          Why would I explain a process to somebody who is staring at me with a blank look on their face because they have no idea what I am talking about?
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          • Profile picture of the author bola oyetunji
            Originally Posted by Kevin Dee View Post

            DABK is in the industry. He knows about marketing and campaigns etc. The companies I am targeting do not.

            Why would I explain a process to somebody who is staring at me with a blank look on their face because they have no idea what I am talking about?

            Telling them the truth about your status can make you win their hearts. Telling them how good you are in running PPC campaign but no start up capital. So you don't mind running the ad for them without your service charge, and what they stand to benefit if they agree to your terms. Mind you, prepare to contact over a hundred prospects before getting a single positive response. And your very first client is what you need to start showing others your great results and testimonials.


            I wish you good luck.
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          • Profile picture of the author DABK
            If you target people who do not know much about what you sell, you need to educate them. Confused people don't buy from you.

            If you get blank stares, you're targeting the wrong people or you're approaching them the wrong way.

            Let me give you some examples:

            Some industries are regulated. In the mortgage industry, in the USA, if you mention a specific rate in your ad, you must also mention its corresponding APR (annual percentage rate). Some states have their own rules... Like, in Illinois, you must have the broker/lender/bank's address, NMLS #, and the phrase An Illinois mortgage licensee in the ad in sufficiently large font that it can be considered prominently displayed.

            If I am a mortgage broker and don't know about your process, I am risking a $2500 or $10000 fine by letting you get me leads.

            But even in industries that are not tightly regulated, there are standards... and positioning... and likes and dislikes.

            For instance, I know the owner of a wedding dress shop. She is selling elegance and beauty, she is not selling sexy and she is not selling cheap (though her positioning is that in her store brides get elegant, quality, European dresses for about half of what they get them at the 'main' (brand-name) stores.

            You might have all that down pat in your ads and she'd still say no to you if she perceives that your prose is not soft.

            So, to get her to sign up, you'd have to show her your ads, your websites, just to make sure her store name appears within soft writing.

            (By now, you probably figured out that I was not claiming they are interested in your funnel, in changing your funnel and such.)

            Also, I might be a plumber on whose site you find the words "24 hours" and "emergency" who will do emergency service at night but who does not want to push that.

            Or I might be a roofer who can install flat roof but hate doing them.

            Or a painter who does not want the high-end jobs (none of the subcontractors who do scagliola I know are easy to work with... they're all sons-o'-bitches... I'd rather get only $1000 to $3000 jobs than get a $12,000 one and have to work with one of them).

            Then, there's the stuff several people already mentioned.
            Originally Posted by Kevin Dee View Post

            DABK is in the industry. He knows about marketing and campaigns etc. The companies I am targeting do not.

            Why would I explain a process to somebody who is staring at me with a blank look on their face because they have no idea what I am talking about?
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      • Profile picture of the author DABK
        Because you're not looking at it from their point of view. The way they look at it is:
        can this guy deliver?
        will he deliver but also get me in trouble with my clients?
        what if he doesn't deliver but gets people to talk badly about me on them webs?

        They need to know that
        you understand their industry enough,
        you understand their business enough,
        you care about what happens to them enough to hear what they have to say in the beginning and later.

        They might not phrase it enough, but that's what they're after.

        Originally Posted by Kevin Dee View Post

        The way I see it, it's a no brainer for them.

        I am offering to make zero profit for the first 'test', and guaranteeing them a certain amount of leads (depending on industry).

        The problem I am having is getting people to get on the phone, like you say their barriers are up.
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  • Profile picture of the author helisell
    Walk into a business of the type you'd like to target.


    Tell them EXACTLY what your current situation is
    I mean tell them the truth like you have here.

    Ask if they'd like to work with you to develop a lead
    generation system.

    Charge them nothing.

    Work with this business to create a system that works.

    1. You'll learn how to make it work

    2. You'll have a glowing testimonial

    Spend some time with the business to find out what type of leads they need.

    That is your cost of entry into the business. If you want to learn about something else that has lots of complexity......say brain surgery....the cost is much higher than this
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    • Profile picture of the author Kevin Dee
      Whilst good advice, this isn't practical at all.

      Like I said, the businesses I am targeting will need around £300-£500 in ad spend. I simply cannot foot that bill, hence why the thread was asking how to get clients with no start-up costs.
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  • Profile picture of the author helisell
    If it was a 'no brainer' you'd be rich now.

    You need to do some graft (work) you need to go out into the big bad world of small business and stop selling anything.

    Just ask to pick their brain....tell them where your at in your business and throw yourself at their mercy. You'll be amazed, people will want to help you, they'll tell you far more than you'd ever find out any other way. Don't be scared...be humble....and keep asking questions. THIS WORKS. I know for a fact that when you ask people in business to help you they usually do.

    If I was near you right now, I'd drag you into a business and say 'this young fella has an idea to help small businesses get more leads. He's just starting and he's too scared to ask for help. Please tell him what type of leads you'd want. Tell him what you think you'd pay for them etc. He'll work with you for free for a while to get things going....would you work with him? They'd say yes.....and I wouldn't need to speak to 100 it would be more like 5 or 6.

    Go for it, do this and I guarantee you'll be so far ahead of your competitors offering the same service.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kevin Dee
      It is a great idea, I get that.

      But the cost of generating the leads needs to be covered. Saying that I can work with them for free isn't something I can do, because I would need to cover pretty big costs with no guarantee that anything would come of it.
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      • Profile picture of the author animal44
        Originally Posted by Kevin Dee View Post

        But the cost of generating the leads needs to be covered. Saying that I can work with them for free isn't something I can do, because I would need to cover pretty big costs with no guarantee that anything would come of it.
        That there is your problem... If you have no confidence you can get results, so why would a business owner...?

        BTW multiple signins is against the rules. Do you think you'll get some different magical answer by posting under different Ids?

        Not to mention your WSO from 2013 which was apparently about "a complete system for making 6 figures+ per year using sales funnels."
        https://www.warriorforum.com/warrior...-programs.html

        Perhaps follow your own advice...

        My variation on Hellisell's advice is to go to networking meetings or CofC and ask people there to critique your spiel. You'll get far better feedback than from any forum and you might even start to understand the business owner's perspective... People who get involved in business things tend to be more prepared to help than random selection.
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Originally Posted by Kevin Dee View Post

    The way I see it, it's a no brainer for them.

    I am offering to make zero profit for the first 'test', and guaranteeing them a certain amount of leads (depending on industry).

    The problem I am having is getting people to get on the phone, like you say their barriers are up.
    The way they see it, it's a risky proposition. You're just another voice on the phone interrupting their real work.

    helisell's interview technique has worked for me for decades.

    If that's too much work for you, or just too scary, at least start calling people who might be willing to front the ad spend if you can provide the expertise behind it.

    How do you find such people?

    Look on forums, Q&A sites like Quora, Facebook and LinkedIn groups, etc. for business owners asking how to generate more leads. Contact them and tell them you have a service that may help them out at very little risk and no fee to start (not 'no cost', no fee) Don't pitch them, just ask if they want to talk.

    Once you have the first client or two, you will have testimonials and case studies.

    Like helisell mentioned, business people love to help other people get started because it makes them feel good. They likely remember what it was like, and being approached as someone important enough to ask is an ego stroke.

    I've given away hundreds of dollars worth of consulting to folks that have approached me the right way.
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