New clients, new clients, new clients – no matter what time of the year it is; we always want more of them. In this post, I am going to talk about a strategy that generates loads of new clients for your business without costing you a single cent. Sound too good to be true?
Well, in concept this strategy IS extremely simple and effective. But in my experience and that of my coaching clients, there are a few areas of this strategy that you need to focus on to ensure that it’s a success.
Let me explain….
You may or may not have heard of this strategy but it is commonly known as the “human billboard” referral strategy. Now, I am a big believer in giving credit where credit is due and I came across this idea thanks to the amazing Chris McCombs. Let me break it down for you.
The Concept: You train someone in your business for a set period of time (preferably at least 6 months) for free and in return they TRY to refer at least one person per month to you.
The human billboard strategy is great for trainers who are great trainers but haven’t quite got a complete handle on their sales or referral skills just yet. Introducing people to promote your business that DO have great networking skills and a big network can be extremely powerful.
Your Target: In your local community, do some research and identify someone that has an extremely large network of friends or associates (that also sit within your services target market). You can know this person or it can be someone you know of (local politician, celebrity or local business identity).
The bigger the fish, the bigger the reward; so this is the time to step outside your comfort zone and approach someone who you think can bring alot to your business (Remember that risk equals reward). Show your professionalism, book a meeting and make a great first impression.
The Delivery: When meeting with your chosen billboard to discuss the arrangement, it is important that you firstly develop a rapport with them and explain your complete service. After you explain the deal, let them know that they only have to TRY and get you one referral per month.
If after the second month of training, they have not managed to pass on any referrals, simply ask them if they would like to continue with the deal. Most people that cannot generate enough referrals for your business will either try harder and improve or start to pay you for your services. This type of strategy DOES NOT need any contracts or formal agreements. I think that a relaxed, mutually benefit in-formal verbal agreement works best here.
The Benefit: For your chosen human billboard, they receive the obvious benefit of free training with you for 6 months – now you don’t get that every day. If your human billboard has met there minimum requirement of 1 client per month, you should have at least 6 new clients in your business – without spending any cash.
If you know the average monthly spend of your clients, then you can work out exactly how much this strategy will bring in to your business simply for you investing a little of your time.
Why This Works: You get to focus on what you are good at – providing an awesome personal training service and your human billboard plays to their strengths – networking and promoting your business.
Combining the two concepts of giving and gratitude together to develop and expose your business often brings out the best in both the trainer and the client. If this relationship is nurtured correctly, you will be exposed to more people in your local community than you ever imagined (and could reach with your own network).
The Problems: While this strategy may sound too good to be true in theory, there are a few speed humps that must be negotiated in order to get the most from your human billboard.
The first challenge is stepping outside your comfort zone and approaching people (potential billboards) that you perceive are more important than you. This is where your mental strength must now come into play. As I said before, the bigger the fish, the bigger the network so aim the target high and present a professional service and opportunity to the leaders of your community. The local people that others respect and listen to.….this is where the reward is.
I understand that for some people, approaching these people is a challenge but it is important that you believe in what you do and see what these people can bring to your business. The price for not paying any money for this strategy is that you have to step outside your comfort zone, expand your skills and grow and develop and a business owner. That’s a good price to pay….
Building solid relationships in the local business community is priceless and this is the awesome side-effect of this strategy.
Variations: So you have your first human billboard in place and everything is going great – new clients are flowing, your presence is increasing in the community and you feel good because you are giving something for nothing.
What now?
If you feel you have a good handle of the process, simply repeat. Find a new target, set up a meeting, strike the deal and start training. Having multiple billboards in your business is where this strategy really starts to show it’s full networking and promotional ability.
If your service includes boot camps or group training and you want to launch a new group, human billboards are an awesome way to bring in big numbers of clients. Get out, do the leg work and set up 5 human billboards in your business to be trained in your new boot camp or group time slot. The 5 billboards give your group a guaranteed client base to start with and a steady flow of referrals.
So at the end of their free 6 months, your new group session or boot camp should have minimum of 30 paying clients plus your original 5 human billboards.
All for making no financial investment.
So as you can see, this strategy is unbelievably powerful. BUT, you must have the guts to get off your butt, step out of your comfort zone and build some great relationships. But hey, isn’t that what running your own business is all about?
I really love strategies like this because your business does the talking and you just bring in some friends to help spread the word. Your passion and belief will become obvious to everyone who steps into your business and the rest is history.
If you have tried something similar in your business, I would love to hear how it went or if not, simply let me know what you think about the human billboard concept….
I really appreciate your comments.
Rick
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Hi Rick,
Great idea, I could see how this could be a great form of advertising.