The Helping Warrior

Who certifies the people who are going to do the certifying?

I wish in the real world things were as simple as you make it sound but in a competitive market it's always nice to have an edge. Can you imagine walking up to your followers and say... You have to get results and let that be that. It wouldn't go well. See, some people need that little extra nudge of help.

The last part that you said is a great ideal, like I said above in comment I'm all about the inclusion of ideas. "Find 3-5 businesses they can help out, get their permission, and as payment, they can give a reference to vouch for them". Superb thought you have there...

I'll say this, the best part about all these ideas is that some things work better for some than others, so options are great.

Thank you for the response.

I read the OP and skimmed the thread so please forgive me if you have already mentioned something similar to what I am about to say.

I would like to tell a short personal story that I believe will get my point across better than just words.
I got my first job at 19. I never worked before that, no paper route or etc even. Let me tell you a few things about my first job.
1. $1.50 over minimum wage.
2. Set schedule with Fri and Sat off in retail.
3. 40hrs per week (32 some weeks in Jan or Feb and a bit over around Christmas but the rest of the year I was scheduled for 40)

I know people who have worked in retail for years that don't have that. Yet I got it with my first job. Why? Because I believed in myself.

Now about 2 years later I decided it was time to move on. I needed a better job. You know what my second job was? It was an Assistant Manager for a small retail store. So I got my first management job as my second job.

1. I had no management experience. I wasn't a manager at my first job.
2. I was raised to Store Manager in 3 months
3. I was put over 3 store a month later acting as an Area Manager. That's right low level multi-unit retail management for a guy who didn't have management experience.

What did I have? Skills, knowledge, and the ability to back them up. I took my experience at my first job and made a killer retail resume. I took my retail knowledge, skills, and belief in myself and sold myself in the interviews.

So what was the point of telling you about my first two jobs? To illustrate a secret that so few know. If you sell yourself your past and therefore references don't matter.

If you become "their expert" why would they stop and ask for references? The reason they are asking for references is because they don't believe you are an expert. You haven't shown them the value of what you can do for them.

Getting a client is many ways is like getting a job. If you can sell yourself in an interview you can sell yourself in a sales pitch.

No one cares about certifications. People always tell me how you need a college degree to get a good job. That's BS and I make more than most people with college degrees. What people need is drive combined with skills and knowledge. And then they must learn how to sell. Not only their product or service but themselves and their company.

So if to help those 31 followers you need to help them learn how to sell. Because right now their failure is not one of skill in production (making websites) it is a failure in the skill of selling. Some of them may learn they don't have the sales skills to do this. In which case they would be best serviced by doing one of the following.

1. Get a job. Trust me these can pay well and you get training that can help you become so much more.
2. Start outsourcing to people who can sell. Someone who can sell is better off selling vs. producing that which he sold and vice versa.
3. Hire someone to sell. If you are building a business and not a job sooner or later you will need to hire people so why not do it right away but with independent contractors for selling?

Sometimes people need tough love. Sadly they pay for the opposite and get mentors that coddle them vs. give them the true keys to success. Anyone who continues to do the same thing over and over again and expects the results to change is a fool. They are not a failure. No they are quite successful. They have learned to be very successful at talking to prospects and not closing them in this case. The problem is a smart person doesn't want to be successful at talking to prospects but not closing them.

A successful fool is not a failure. Failure is an event and not a person (Ziglar). And those who fail the most are often those who we as a society see as successful. The key is they learn from their failures. And they never let themselves become a success at being mediocre.

Become a certified Google Adwords Expert or a Google Trusted Photographer for instant credibility.

Cheers,
Steve

I can only offer you my experience here- Tell them you are just starting out...be honest, and you will come across with more conviction. Tell them you can offer them a good deal only because you ARE just starting your business, need a handful of initial clients in order to showcase your ability to the rest of the community. Tell them that you are hoping that a reference is what they will BECOME once you do a great job for them. In exchange you will grandfather them in at a special price. Tell them that you would appreciate the opportunity to do business with them, and that you would be obliged for them to take a leap of faith with you. Say that to enough people and someone will say yes, and you will have a reference. This is not what I would do, but rather what I have DONE, and it worked well.

Also you can create associations with google and other known companies through various affiliations and partnerships that will increase your credibility to help boost that image a bit initially, as stated by Steveski.