How To Attract Customers Organically and Authentically
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Sales and new business are very hot topics.
If you scroll down through any social media platform, you’ll be flooded with so-called marketing gurus.
Apparently, they’ve all “discovered” the latest, most innovative strategy that, in 5 simple steps, will bring you more clients than you can possibly manage.
Look, if you’re reading this article to find a groundbreaking technique, I have a feeling that you’ll be disappointed.
I don’t have it.
I don’t have the coolest FB Ads hacks.
Or the newest LinkedIn cold-messaging tips.
I just don’t.
What I do have is a $4M/year business and a bunch of years of experience in my shoulders.
By all means, I don’t know everything. But I do want to share with you the approach I’ve used to grow my company from 0 to 4 Million.
If you are a business owner or a CEO, I really think this can help you attract more clients and scale your business in a very organic and authentic way.
Here’s how…
The Most Unsexy Marketing Strategy Ever:
What I do is this:
I meet people.
And then I help them.
And if I can’t help them myself, I try to connect them with someone that might be able to.
There really are hundreds of people I’ve introduced that have done business together –which is awesome.
And I do this every single day. And every single week. And every single month. And every single year.
Just think about it:
In the last 5 years that I’ve been really focused on this, I’ve probably talked to around 3,000 people.
(50 people/month x 12 months x 5 years. And I’m sure it’s more because there are days where I’m talking to 5-8 people).
And then it compounds.
Seriously, how is it going to look when I’ve done this consistently for ten more years? Or 20 more years? The more people you meet and help, the better it gets.
It’s a long game.
And this weird thing happens when you help a lot of people:
It comes back to you.
Maybe not now. Maybe not in a year. Honestly, maybe not ever.
But, a lot of times, it does. And it can happen in ways you don’t expect or long after you’ve even forgotten about it.
Why some people don’t like this method:
I was recently having a conversation about this on Twitter with Mike, a good friend of mine.
And something he said really spurred my thinking:
“Shiny object syndrome is a real thing.
People don’t think this works because, if it did work, they would have to do ungodly amounts of work.
I’m not going to become a hustle-porn account, but some people don’t want to do it.
Not can’t, won’t.”
And I 100% agreed with him.
This is a ton of work without an immediate ROI. That’s why some business owners don’t like our answer to how to get more clients. Others love it.
“Intellectually, he added, it’s much easier to say that Mike and Anthony are wrong. Then, it shifts the burden away from oneself.”
He’s right. This is not the automated way to get clients while you sleep.
It’s a very slow strategy that takes years. But it pays off later on.
And it all starts with…
The Importance of Giving
My friend Chris Schembra once told me about Adam Grant’s book Give And Take.
In it, Adam talks about how the most successful people are givers and not takers.
I never thought about this as a “strategy.”
Going into it, I just wanted to help as many people as I could. I trusted that business would eventually flow my way.
And I really subscribe to the idea that stuff comes around to people that give more than they take.
Over the 7+ years I’ve been playing this game, I’ve personally seen how people have built very big businesses following this philosophy.
And this is not a hidden secret.
It’s just about giving as much value as you can and expect nothing in return.
Yes, even if you have to do free stuff for others.
I worked for free when I was starting up to prove my value. And I now help a bunch of people without asking for an economic return. And that’s okay.
I kid you not, if you have patience and bring an enormous amount of value, business will find you sooner or later. I’ve received referrals from people I haven’t talked to in 2 or 3 years.
There’s a Law of Attraction component to it as well. What you put out will be what you receive. It just works.
But something you have to keep on doing is this…
Share your story.
As you help people, you have to also be constantly storytelling.
There’s power in telling people your story and what you’re doing, right?
I’ve told my story over the years when it comes to Jakt so many times to so many people… that they just know me now.
I’m top of mind with those that I’m interacted with (and helped). So then, if there’s ever anything that might be a good fit for us, they tell me.
Sure, there will be people that say things like:
“Referrals aren’t scalable.”
But referrals alone can build a really solid book of business. At Jakt, the combination of referrals and channel partners makes up for the vast majority of our revenue.
And this doesn’t have to be your only client acquisition strategy.
I’m not shitting on any paid marketing channels. There are definitely good things when it comes to them.
I just wanted to share the importance of meeting people, helping them, and telling your story.
Yes, you’ll need a truckload of patience.
And a ton of effort.
And a bunch of work.
But, in my opinion, it’s worth it.
3 Quick Takeaways On This Approach:
- The more people you help and the more value you bring, the more people you’ll make an impact on. Doing that consistently over time will bring business back to you. Give more than you take.
- This is a slow process. It’s not easy, and it takes a lot of work. That’s why some people don’t like it. You won’t see results in the first week, but it compounds in the long run.
- You have to share who you are and what you’re up to. Keep on telling your story so that you’re top of mind when they have business to send your way.
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