5 steps to building relationships with potential clients through your website
Earlier this year I was doing website reviews for coaches and was surprised to discover that a high percentage didn’t invite people to connect with them. They also shared little to nothing about themselves on their website.
Connecting and sharing is all a part of your business, more so when you have a presence online. I’d taken it for granted that this was common knowledge because building a relationship matters so much.
So to make sure you cover some key bases with your website, here’s a mini guide. It will help you build better relationships with your people online, which can only be a good thing.
1. Commit to keeping in touch
Offer to give them something in return for their email address so that you can begin that relationship with them.
This can be easily done by creating a free report, training series or video—anything that introduces them to what you do. Also this introduces them to the way you do it. Add an opt-in section at the top of your site for them to access it.
Not offering a way to stay in touch is a bit like keeping a closed door when what you really want is to open the door to an opportunity for them getting to know you. It also helps them to decide if they’d like to work with you.
2. Share a little about yourself
A common saying in the marketing arena is: People don’t care about you; they want to know what’s in it for them. To some extent I agree and disagree.
I agree that when you offer a service that solves a pressing problem, people might just want the quick fix. They don’t necessarily want to hear you going on about yourself. Granted. You can leave that for your “About” page on your site.
On the other hand, I disagree because if you’re only ever offering what you do for your visitor, you can come across as being cold.
I’ve found that relating by sharing a little about yourself creates rapport between you and the person you are speaking to. That way, they have more reason to understand what’s in it for them. You get where they are coming from.
3. Be consistent with connecting
Now that you’ve been “introduced,” be sure to keep in touch with those people. What you want is for them to think of you when they experience the problem you help solve.
The more they hear from you, within reason, the more likely they are to get in touch or take you up on the offers you make. If you aren’t in regular contact with them, they’ll get the help from someone else who is!
A word about keeping in touch within reason: Maintain a healthy pace. Instead of filling up a person’s inbox daily, try giving them room to breathe. It saves both yours and their time when you respect the person has a life too beyond reading or ignoring emails!
4. Listen to your people more often
While your services may be focused on a certain problem, you’ll always find a potential client feels they are the only one going through the problem they are experiencing.
“The end of the world is nigh” has certainly paid a visit to my residence once in a while! When this happens feelings of being overwhelmed make it difficult to focus beyond the chaos to the possibility of calm.
Be there when that chaos might be going on by asking what challenge or problem they are having. Being listened to is more welcome than being talked at sometimes. You as a coach learn a lot more from your client this way.
5. Make sure you offer a solution
After point four, the last thing you want to do is keep a person hanging right? So make sure you support them to get to the calm and back on track by providing a solution.
Whether or not the time is right for the person to accept is not your concern. The fact that you were of service to them is your concern. Honour your own commitment to stay in touch regardless.
Opportunities never end. There’s always another one coming around. You never know when a potential client will accept your call to action and become a client. Keep the relationship intact. They’ll appreciate it.
Now I’d like to hear from you
Reply in the comments and answer these questions:
Which of these bases are you covering to build relationships with your people online?
Which of them could you better at?
Bianca Forbes
Bianca Forbes is an online business and marketing strategist and coach. She makes online business and marketing simple for service-based entrepreneurs who want to work fewer hours, make more money, and help more people.
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I am meeting tomorrow with my website designer to begin my website. Thank you for reminding me what I already knew bit hadn’t thought about for web design. This came at a GREAT TIME for me. Thank you for the practical tips!
Blessings, Sue
Hey Sue,
I’m so pleased this post was great timing for you. Amazing what difference considering the online side makes doesn’t it :-).
It’s always a good thing to have your site designed with your visitor relationship in mind!
I’m sure the design will be even better for you now:-)
Bianca
I agree to all of that. Important is also to have anonymous feedback. Then you can soon locate where are the most of the mistakes that you made. And if those are solvable 🙂
Making a new friend is much easier than making a new client. If you need a friend, just walk up to any stranger, offer to buy them a coffee and go from there, no strings attached.
Business relationships, on the other hand, are full of strings, and a friendly approach isn’t enough. After all, this isn’t just friendship. It’s business, and there’s a lot on the line.
How do you convince someone to trust you with their money, and potentially the future of their own company? There’s no clear-cut path to building your customer base, but there are some universal tips you can use to expand your client list. To start, here are a few steps to help you find more clients: http://inp-software.com/blog/irina/5-steps-build-your-client-list
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