8 Proven Tactics to Generate New Customers FAST

“Did you know the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Michigan State makes $100,000 a year?” my exercise physiology professor asked me.

I remember my jaw hitting the floor. Wow, $100,000 to train athletes. That would be the greatest job ever, I thought.

At the time I was 23 years old and finishing up my Master’s Degree at McMaster University. My goal for the past six years of undergraduate studies and my 2-year post-graduate research was to get a job as a Strength Coach in the National Hockey League.

After all, I grew up in Canada where we only do two things:

a) Play hockey
b) Drink beer

(And it doesn’t matter which order!)

Hockey was life to me growing up, and to think I could make a living in “the show” was the stuff of a Canadian boy’s dreams.

But things all changed in the summer of 2000. On a whim I sent one of my workout programs to Men’s Health magazine hoping it would get published.

The next day I won the career lottery.

“Craig, this is exactly what we’re looking for,” wrote Lou Schuler, the Fitness Editor, to me in an email. “We’re going to publish this in the September issue, and we’d love to have you write more for us.”

Now listen. The chances of this happening for anyone ever again, in any industry, for any magazine, are somewhere between slim and getting hit by lightning while riding a flying pig.

This was a one in a kabillion shot, and it worked out.

That opportunity led to me selling fitness information programs (essentially “e-books”) for the next 15 years and making millions of dollars – all because of that lucky break.

Since then I’ve gone on to build 7-figure business in multiple industries, including gyms, video production, internet marketing coaching, and online courses. And today, I run a multi-million dollar coaching business helping entrepreneurs increase their income and work less.

My client roster includes real estate agents, doctors, dentists, the #1 professional rodeo rider in America (no, that’s not a joke), CEO’s of 9-figure companies, and New York Times best-selling authors.

And I’ve helped all of them generate more money using the exact same strategies I’m going to share with you today.

No matter what industry you’re in and no matter what you sell, if you apply the eight strategies I’m about to teach you, they will help you grow your business in record time and create an endless stream of new customers for years to come.

Let’s dive in.

1. Use This Script to Generate More Referrals and Close “Easy” Clients

By far the fastest and easiest ways to attract new customers into your business is to ask your existing clients for referrals and recommendations.

Listen.

Everyone knows they should be asking for referrals, but most people don’t. They think to themselves, “Hey! I have an amazing business, deliver great results to my clients, and have dozens of happy customers…I don’t want to be pushy so I’m just going to let them make referrals on their own time.”

But the real world doesn’t work like this.

The simple fact is that people are busy. They have children to raise, mortgages to pay, divorces, illnesses, and family woes to deal with and, no matter how amazing you might be or how many results you’ve helped them achieve…sending more clients to your business simply isn’t at the top of their priority list.

So what’s the solution?

Just ask!

Use referral scripts (like the ones I’m about to share with you) to make it easy for your existing clients to send you new leads. Offer commissions and incentives to ensure they follow through and give them everything they need to make the process as simple as possible.

Just think about it…

If your coach, copywriter, PPC guru, [insert your profession/solution] gave you a word-for-word script that you could copy, paste, and send off to ten of your closest associates and they offered you a 15-25% commission of any sales that were made, would you do it?

Of course you would!

And your clients will too.

But you have to ask.

And here’s how you do it.

Craig’s Referral Script for Existing Clients

This is the exact script I send to existing clients and friends to refer me to new clients…It’s worked for me and I promise it will work for you too.

Hey __,

I wanted to introduce you to my friend and coach, Craig Ballantyne. He’s helped me ___ and ___. And I know he could help you have a big breakthrough in your business. 

Craig, meet ___. “Insert 1-2 line background”

___, I know you would benefit from working with Craig because he can help you ___ and ____.

Craig would love to send you a copy of his best selling books, The Perfect Day Formula and Unstoppable. Just let him know your best shipping address.

Also, Craig would love to hear more about your business goals and obstacles.

Finally, let Craig know if you would like to learn more about his coaching program.

I’ll let the two of you take it from here.
Talk soon!

Craig’s 3-Part Referral Script for NEW Clients

Note: This script was written for my brick-and-mortar gym, but can be modified to fit any business.

Part A – Say this during the initial sales consult, but only AFTER they have signed up:

“Mrs. Jones, welcome to our family here at ___. As we help our clients get results, we’d love to earn the privilege to help others to achieve their goals too. Can we count on you to refer your friends and family members so that we can reach more people with the gift of health and fitness?”

Part B – After they start reporting progress…

“Mrs. Jones, I am so proud of you. You work so hard, and you’ve earned it. We really appreciate the energy and effort you bring to every session. And I bet that so many of your friends and family members have been asking you what you’ve been doing to get back in shape. And as we discussed when we first met, it would be an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to help your friends and family members achieve their goals. Can you think of the names of 2-3 people that you would like to refer in to our family?”

“___ and ___”, they will reply.

“Great, I’m going to give you a little email or text message script that you can use to make an introduction between them and me.”

Part C – The Client Referral Script (to send to their friends)

Dear ___,

I wanted to introduce you to my friend and coach, Craig. He’s helped me ___ and ___. And I know he could help you too.

Craig, meet ___. “Insert 1-2 line background”

___, I know you would benefit from working with Craig because he can help you ___ and ____.

Craig would love to invite you in for a free session and/or give you a free copy of his book.

I’ll let the two of you take it from here.

See you soon!

If you use these two scripts this week, I can all but guarantee you will close at least 2-3 new clients before Friday and, if you have a sizeable business already, you may close more than a dozen.

Use this tactic with every new client you close and I promise you will never struggle with generating new business ever again.

2. Implement a Customer Reactivation Campaign for Past Clients

Most entrepreneurs I know make a HUGE mistake when it comes to client generation and retention.

When a customer decides to leave their business or discontinue their service for unrelated reasons (e.g. they had to make payments to the IRS, went through a divorce, reorganized their company etc.), they falsely assume that customer is gone forever.

They mistake “Not now” for “Not ever” and fail to follow up or remind their old customer about their product or service.

And when they do this, they miss out on thousands in monthly profits and leave a ton of money on the table.

To grow your business and generate customers as quickly as possible, you’ve gotta remember the old adage…

The money is in the follow up.

This is true with new prospects and it’s true with old clients.

If someone was paying you in the past and they were happy with your product or service, chances are good they will happily pay you again.

IF…

…You remind them to do so.

Whenever a client leaves your business for whatever reason (so long as it isn’t a mistake or failure to deliver on your part), use the Boomerang app to create an automatic email that will follow up with them 3-6 months down the line.

For example, if you had a coaching client who was forced to stop working with you because of an unexpected expense (like a medical emergency or back taxes), write up a simple email like this to stay on their radar and regain their business:

Hey [Client Name],

I was thinking about you this morning and I just wanted to send you a quick email to check in and see how things were going?

Last time we spoke I know you were dealing with [xyz problem], I hope you’ve managed to make progress towards resolving it and get things back on track.

If there’s anyway I can support you, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thanks,

Sign Off

P.S. My [coaching program/services/product]  have changed a LOT since we last worked together and I’ve got some amazing new [programs/offers/etc] that have been helping my clients get [specific result]. Let me know if you’d be interested in learning more!

That’s it.

If you will do this with all of your “lost” customers, I can all but guarantee you’ll be able to regain the business of 25% or more of them.

And it won’t cost you a dime to do it.

3. Run Paid Traffic Campaigns to Generate New Clients on Demand

If you have the budget (typically $100-$500/week), running paid traffic campaigns on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, or Google–depending on your particular business and demographic–is a fantastic and consistent way to generate new leads and convert those leads into paying customers.

But there’s a problem…

Most entrepreneurs run all of their commercial advertising to “cold” prospects.

In other words, they run ads asking for a sale to people who don’t know, like, or trust them.

And these ads rarely turn a profit.

Instead, I recommend that you take the advice Frank Kern shared on our Empire Podcast, and run a value-driven ad campaign instead.

Here’s how it works.

First, you’re going to create a value-packed 3-5 minute video that solves a very specific problem your audience faces.

It could be a video on generating new clients, improving time management, fixing your relationships, or anything else that is relevant to your specific offer or service.

Then you’re going to spend $10-$25 a day promoting that video to cold prospects.

You aren’t going to ask for a sale or even an email. You’re simply going to lead with the giving hand and wait.

After running this ad for a couple of days (be sure to check out some in-depth tutorials on your specific platform to make sure you do this correctly), you’re going to create a new advertising audience of individuals who watched at least 75% of your value-first video.

You’ll then run a commercial ad–i.e. An ad that is selling a low ticket item–to that audience and I promise your conversion rate will be much higher.

This simple strategy will ensure that you stretch your advertising budget further and only pitch offers to individuals with whom you’ve established some KLT.

4. Send 2-3 Emails to Your List Each Week with Great Content and a Link to Your Offer

Despite what some digital marketing pundits claim…email is not dead.

It’s just as alive and powerful as ever before. But most people are doing email wrong.

They send a non-stop stream of promotions and “limited time” offers (that everyone knows aren’t limited) and fail to provide any tangible value to the readers on their list.

Don’t do this.

Instead, send 2-3 emails to your list each week with valuable content and a link to your offers in your P.S. line.

Again, lead with the giving hand and help your audience achieve tangible results from the content you shared in your email.

I’ve used this strategy to close nearly $20,000 in coaching programs from non-promotional emails this year alone.

As long as you offer value and follow through on any promises you make, your list will actually be excited when they get emails from you and you’ll make a ton of money from a relatively small amount of work.

And for those of you who are scared to send “so many” emails to your list…don’t worry.

My friend and client Joel Marion sends 14+ emails to his list (of more than 1,000,000 people) every single week and his business is doing just fine–9-figures in revenue fine.

5. Go on a Public Speaking “Tour”

After taking action on the previous four strategies–the “easy” client generation strategies–it’s time to step things up a notch.

Specifically, you’re going to start a public speaking “tour.”

Not only is public speaking one of the most valuable high-income skills you can develop (I personally charge $25,000 per keynote and earn far more than that in mastermind and coaching sales from every presentation I give), but regular public appearances on a podcast, TV show, or at events/masterminds is one of the fastest ways to manufacture authority–something I’ll talk about later.

The first step in executing this strategy is to identify 10 places where you can reach your target audience via public speaking.

For example, you could start speaking on:

• Podcasts related to your industry.
• Other influencer’s YouTube channels
• Local Real Estate Investor Meetings
• Entrepreneurship meetups
• Masterminds in your industry
• Live events and seminars

Find the places your ideal customers spend time and GO THERE.

And if you aren’t a strong public speaker?

Then develop the skillset.

Join a toastmasters event. Give presentations to small audiences and record yourself so you can learn and improve. Talk to your wall for all I care but develop this skill.

It’s one of the most valuable skills you’ll ever develop and it can mean the difference between running a floundering 6-figure business and exploding your revenue to 7-figures and beyond.

Going “all in” on doing podcasts to promote my Perfect Day Formula book helped me become a great speaker and storyteller, and some might say I can even tell a joke – all because I was interviewed on 315 podcasts and radio shows telling the story over and over again and getting my timing down perfectly. Not only did that lead to over one million in direct revenue, but it also dramatically improved a valuable skillset I will have for the rest of my life.

Oh, and a final note…

NEVER hire a PR company. I’ve watched thousands of friends and clients waste 5-figures+ on these firms and I have never once seen them generate a positive ROI.

Just do it yourself.

6. Grow Your Social Following Using the “Bicycle Wheel” Content Model

One of the fastest and most consistent ways to grow your online following to drive new leads into your business is to use what I call the “Bicycle Wheel Content Model.”

It’s wicked simple, but dangerously effective.

Think of your online presence like the wheel on a bicycle.

Your preferred (aka most profitable) platform is the main “hub” of your online presence and the “spokes” are all of the other channels on which you have a presence.

For example, if you are an avid YouTuber with a healthy base of subscribers, YouTube is your hub and Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are your spokes.

Now here’s the deal.

Most people make the mistake of trying to create unique content for every platform.

They falsely believe they need to write a long form Facebook post and then create a new video for Instagram and another blog post for their site and then another article for their LinkedIn.

If this sounds like you…STOP!

Instead of spreading yourself thin and wasting your day trying to create platform-specific content, create amazing content on ONE platform and then repurpose it for use on all of the other platforms.

In my business, Instagram is my biggest money maker. I spend several hours a week creating amazing videos and posts for my profile and then I send that content off to my social media assistant and have her repurpose it on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook.

Would I get more ‘clicks’ and ‘likes’ on each platform if I created unique content tailored to their specific demographics? Of course!

But I don’t care about likes. I care about clients.

And this simple strategy has allowed me to consistently generate new customers from social media channels I don’t even know how to use!

7. Become a Video Making Machine

I’m going to let you in on a little secret…

Video is not the future of online marketing…It’s a prescription for success RIGHT NOW.

I know that your articles are amazing. I’m sure your Instagram photos are beautiful. And I have no doubt that you can record a killer podcast (more on that in a minute).

But if you aren’t creating videos, you’re getting left behind. Period.

It’s the most effective form of digital communication and is the fastest way to build KLT with new leads and prospects.

So if you aren’t doing so already, I want you to commit to recording and publishing at least 2-3 videos a week.

If you aren’t confident on video, guess what?

Using that as an excuse to NOT record videos isn’t going to help you get any better.

Go to the Early to Rise YouTube channel and look at some of the videos I published back in 2014.

Go on, I’ll wait…

…Bad, right?

Some of my clients, like legendary real estate industry guru Sharran Srivatsaa, used to ask me, “Why were you so angry in those old videos?”

I wasn’t angry, I was just bad and frustrated by how bad I was… and that bled into my videos.

That’s why I spent hundreds of hours getting coaching, doing videos, getting feedback, and getting better through a virtuous cycle of self-improvement.

If you compare those low-energy montone videos to the high-energy clips I record today, it’s like night and day.

I’ve made more than $1,500,000 in the past 2-years directly from the videos I record each week. But it never would have happened if I hadn’t developed the skill and habit of getting good on camera.

Forget your excuses. Record more videos. Share them across all of your channels. Solve people’s problems. Bring the energy.

And I promise, you’ll generate more clients than you know what to do with.

8. Create Your “Dream Dozen” List and Reach Out

Finally, to generate more clients and drive new profits to your business, you’re going to sit down after you finish this article and identify your “Dream Dozen.”

The 12+ partners and influencers with whom you could build a mutually beneficial relationship where they send you customers and you send them money.

Whether you work together on a joint venture or simply piggy back on their success with an affiliate deal, YOU don’t have to hunt down new clients by yourself.

There are hundreds of other entrepreneurs out there who are willing and able to help you find new customers…IF you can propose the right deal

Find other entrepreneurs in your industry who are playing the game at the same or a slightly higher level than you are and reach out to them.

Offer to promote their products to your list. Ask if they’d be willing to co-create a program together. Offer a 100% affiliate commission (remember: affiliates are sending you FREE customers…you can make that money back on the back end) on one of your mid-range digital products.

When you can build a rolodex of high-performing partners and affiliates, you’ll off load all of the heavy lifting and generate clients on demand.

Conclusion

What do you think of these strategies? Did I miss anything you use to generate clients FAST?

Which one are you going to test out first?

Let me know in the comments below and, as always, if you found this article helpful, please take a minute to share it on Facebook.

Want my help to double your business in 2019 while working ten fewer hours each week?

Send an email to support@earlytorise.com with the subject line, “I’m interested” and they will send you over the details!