Starting a new business, especially when you have just lost your job, or quit your job, is always a difficult path.



Getting those first clients is HARD and critical to your financial future.



Your debts would be piling up if you don’t get those first clients real quick.



And if care is not taken, you’ll accumulate a lot of debts that the future would look almost uncertain to you.



This situation is not a good place to be.



Trust me, I’ve been there.



It looked like the world was coming to an end.



It looked like I was dreaming, but it was real.



Thank goodness I had great mentors who showed me the way.



I’m talking about great guys like Ramit Sethi, Neil Patel, and Bryan Harris.



These guys showed me how to promote my marketing agency using effective marketing strategies that work.

It Starts With Your Credibility

A new business has zero credibility.



So all the credibility is on you.



If people can’t trust you, the founder, then they can’t trust your business.



Here’s where a lot of entrepreneurs fail:



They have zero credibility and they don’t know how to build it.



What can you do to ensure you succeed with your agency or business?



Let’s assume you have no money, zero work experience, and zero connection.



I have a simple but powerful secret for you.



Here’s it:



Build your credibility.



How can you build your credibility? The answer to that question is very easy:



Work for free.



I know many people will reject that idea.



You’ll probably think “why do you have to work for free?”



Here’s where many people miss it and fail to build a successful business as a result.



If you’re a web designer, meet website owners and design their websites for free.



If you’re an Android app developer, create amazing apps for Android even if they don’t become successful.



If you’re an SEO, help a client for free. Get their web page to rank on the first page of Google.



Why do you have to do all these?



Working for free gives you work experience and something to show in your portfolio.



In fact, working for free will help you get valuable testimonials to use on your website.



Working for free is a great way to get clients coming to you instead of the other way round. It reduces your cost of customer acquisition.





Be Super Talented In What You Do

There are loads of people out there who do what you do.



People don’t need another average freelance designer or writer. They need a highly talented and versatile one.



Are you the one?



Talented people add more value than just what they do.



Average people do what they are told to do. They don’t do more than that.



Chances are, your prospect has worked with a freelance designer, writer, developer – whatever you do.



It’s clear that they weren’t satisfied with the service or product they received.



When they see your portfolio, they want to confirm if you offer more value than what they are already getting.



What I mean here is, you should offer something more than what your prospect is currently getting.

Get In Front Of Everyone You Know

Here’s the key:



People buy from people they know.



I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but it’s completely wrong to say you don’t know anyone.



I’m sure you know a guy who knows a guy, who knows another guy, and so on until you hit that client who’s willing to do business with you.



The best lead is always from people you already know.



The biggest mistake you can make here is to assume you don’t know anyone.



No matter how low-level the person you know may be, they can always lead you to people they know who could know highly influential people that would land you that high-paying client you’ve been dreaming of.



Get in front of as many people you can.



Go to networking events and make some new friends.



Connect with everyone you know on LinkedIn.



Connect with everyone your friends are connected with.



Get introduced to the CEOs, and even the secretary of a company.



No matter who and where, just keep connecting with everyone and tell them what you do.

Get Introduced To The BIG Names

As you keep connecting with everyone, you may be scared of getting introduced to the big names.



It’s easy to believe that your best chance of success is with small companies, who have a small team.



Earlier in this article, I emphasized the importance of credibility.



This is what I didn’t tell you:



The powerful indicator of credibility is not your work. It’s the names you can associate with it.



For example, if you’re a freelance writer, it’s easy to give the names of websites where your work has been published.



What really matters to clients is not the work you published, but where you published those works.



For example, publishing your article on big sites like Entrepreneur, Lifehacker, and the New York Times will increase your chances of landing high-paying clients than when you publish on those little-known sites.



Your opportunity lies with those big names you can mention in your portfolio.



The bigger names you can associate yourself with, the more high-paying clients you’ll have.



Associating yourself with the little guys will lead to getting work from the little guys.



Associating yourself with the big guys will definitely lead to more big guys knocking on your doors.



Big companies will raise your reputation and land you bigger checks.



I think this graphic best summarize my point here:





Build your credibility by working for free.

Be super talented and knowledgeable in what you do.

Get in front of everyone you know.

Get yourself introduced to the big names.

Related resources

Related books you should start reading today

Here’s a recap of this article:About the guest writer: Michael Akinlaby is an SEO Consultant and Freelance Writer. He’s the founder of RankRain.com, an Internet marketing agency that specializes in Search Engine Optimization and Content Marketing.Search Engine Optimization and Content Marketing.The three books below can help you become much more effective with your Digital Marketing efforts. Check them out if you haven't done so yet.