How to Get Started? See How I Signed a $1500+/month Client as 1st Client

Hey dudes and dudettes,

I'm sharing my story here for those people who think they can't make any money doing offline internet marketing, that it's a fluke, whatever the case may be-- for those people who are where I was about a month or two ago.

Like a lot of people here, I started building sites almost two years ago. As a beginner, I thought if anyone could make money online, then surely it would be me. Fast forward to October 2011, and I have probably made less than a $100 online.

All this defeat kind of piles on; week after week, month after month to the point where you feel like a giant pile of dung. It gets hard to step outside of your head and feel like you can get to a great point.

Anyways, about a couple of months ago or so, I remembered that I had registered for WF a while back but never used it. So I started reading about all these WSOs and eventually a lot of great threads in the Offline section. I ended up buying a couple of underwhelming WSOs but also a couple of really good ones.

Now, before I mention these WSOs, you should know that I paid for these products and that I haven't been asked to mention them. I am including them here in case you need that boost in knowledge and confidence: Voasi's Free Funnel System (the link is in his signature) and webmusntang's Offline Video Bazooka.

One thing I did right off the bat was experiment. Especially the video sections. There were moments of success... there were also moments of failure. I kept modifying keyphrases, testing and asking questions.

After a good 2-3 weeks of testing, I have several videos ranking in various local niches. So how did I take this and use it to my advantage?

I combined parts of Adam's and Jerome's video sections of their WSOs. I checked out dentists that were ranking on pages 2-4 for one of the local cities here. Also people who were using Adwords but not ranking on page 1.

I made highly personalized videos for about 7 dentist businesses. I didn't make a generic video and send it to 7 dentist offices. I did a bit of research for each company. Heck, I even sent them an email asking questions as a patient would. I had to make sure these emails were being checked; otherwise, it'd be a waste of time.

So yes, this took a little bit more time. However, the videos were highly personal to each dentists' business. After about video #3, my flow became a bit more natural and these became easy to do.

As the time came near to email all these seven videos, I became quite nervous. The thought of not one person responding back was mentally taxing. I'm glad I did!

It was within the hour that I received a phone message and an email by the same dentist. Turned out his current SEO company wasn't really doing much. I called him the next day and met him face to face.

Of course I was nervous about the meeting as well. But again, things took a natural turn after I started off with a couple of questions. (Like, 'So, what made you contact me?') Things just took off from there.

We corresponded through e-mails for over a week. Finally, I met with him last Wednesday. He signed the Echo Sign contract while I was sitting there and paid me through Paypal the next day.

There's a lot more to this: like how he didn't pay his invoice right away and I thought he had changed his mind. How his old SEO company conned him out of possibly $10k and ranked him for phrases noone really searches for when looking for a dentist. How I had to be honest with him, not look desperate and convince him to take a chance with me.

This all didn't happen on its own. I'm glad I paid for those WSOs. Even though I haven't purchased all the resources mentioned in them, I am adding them to my catalog as needed. For instance, I am using Basecamp (free) until I get more than one client. I am using Paypal & Freshbooks (free) to get paid until I get a few more clients. I am also using Echo Sign (up to 10 free signature if you allow Twitter access).

Did I mention I have no website set up yet? I gentle referred him to my LinkedIn profile which contains a couple of reviews from co workers at my last job. I was asked, on our first meeting, why he should hire me. Even though this question really threw me back, I countered with the fact I was local and how flexible my contract is... that I have as much on the line as he does because I'm building my client base as well.

I also had to give a bit more: like sending him a basic report of how he stands for relevant keyphrases with the videos his ex seo company uploaded. Not a big deal at all.

So, for all the seemingly scary steps I have taken, the pay-off is pretty cool. My rent is close to $1500 and my first client has hired me for over that amount per month.

I plan on getting him great exposure in his local space so he will have no problem paying me every month and he sees good growth in his business. In fact, he's already mentioned that if it all works out, then we will extend the contract to include another nearby area (more money).

Win-win. I haven't figured it all out yet. I will probably have some major hurdles. But this post is all about taking your first set of baby steps.

Thanks to this major victory, I don't have to use my savings any more. Better yet, I don't mind putting in a few hours of work to get my second client. Maybe I'll have to face 20 rejections before the next one but I know there are great clients waiting for my valuable service.

Anyway, if you want to learn, spend a little bit. And here's my personal thanks to Voasi (Adam) and webmustang (Jerome) for allowing me access to such valuable information in exchange for a few bucks.

I hope after all this typing, that you walk away with a bit of hope and inspiration.

Here's to building the base of my business, learning from people who have done what I'm trying to do and stacking the blocks to build my own business that will generate me more income than my previous job ever could have.