How to Book More Clients For Your Service-Based Business
If you want to book more clients for your service-based business, you’re in the right place. As a systems and client experience strategist, I know that attracting clients to your service-based business is only part of the equation. And the problem? That’s often the part that MOST people focus on. But in my experience, the real magic happens after they inquire. After all, we’ve all heard that “people are ghosting more,” right?
In today’s blog post, I’m excited to dive into some practical strategies to help you not only market your business but also ensure that you’re turning those initial inquiries into confirmed bookings. Sound good? Let’s get started!
PS: Before we dive in, welcome to my corner of the internet if we haven’t met yet. I’m Colie – your new systems fairy godmother. Got questions or need a hand fine-tuning your systems and strategies? I’m here to help! Learn more about me here.
Creating Systems for Marketing Your Business
First things first, you have got to market your business. As you already know, the first step to booking more clients for your service-based business is to start bringing new eyes in. But effective marketing doesn’t just happen. You need to have systems in place to get your business in front of the right audience.
So how should you market your business? That’s really up to you! Personally, I use a mix of SEO (this blog you’re reading is part of that!), Instagram, and my podcast: Business First Creatives. And you know what? I have systems for all of it!
If you’re getting stuck in the “marketing” side of your business, I have a TON of episodes on the podcast that you can binge right here. But when it comes to trying to book more clients, that’s NOT the main focus for today!
Make Your Inquiry Form Exciting + Inviting to Fill Out
Have you ever wanted to reach out to a service provider but you weren’t sure exactly what to say? It can be a little overwhelming staring at that empty space on a contact form! While I’m not suggesting you change your inquiry form into a not-so-fun game of 20 questions, I do think adding a few key questions to help guide them into sharing the information you’re going to be asking about first!
In case you are new around here, I typically recommend Dubsado or Honeybook for this (and most of the next steps too!). I love someone who’s not afraid to take action quickly, so if that’s you grab my quick start guide here!
What Happens After Potential Clients Inquire
The truth is, what comes AFTER the inquiry can make the biggest difference in trying to book more clients. What’s your process right now? One of the first things I like to recommend is setting up an auto-response email to make a good first impression. I call this the fast follow up email!
If you don’t have one, here are a few tips for what to include:
- Let the client know their message has been received. It sounds simple, but it can provide instant relief to whoever just took the time to fill out your contact form.
- Tell them when you’ll get back to them. I’m under the opinion that it doesn’t matter if your email response time is 5 hours or 5 days, you just need to tell them what it is.
- Show Your Personality. Even in an automated email (that everybody knows is automated), your personality should shine through. Remember, while some of your potential clients may have followed you for a while, some are BRAND NEW. I can promise you that they want to get to know you. Write in the same manner you speak!
- Give them something to do. It sounds counterintuitive, but sometimes they aren’t quite done “looking” at the time they inquire. Give them something to look at! This could be more information about your services, links to your blog posts, examples of your work, or even an invitation to come find you and say hi on Instagram.
- Outline the next steps. People are EXCITED when they reach out. Take a few sentences to tell them what they can expect!
The Fortune is in the Follow-Up
It may sound cliché, but it’s true: the fortune really is in the follow-up. If you want to book more clients, I like to say that you should go until you get the no. Because the truth is, people ARE busy. And too many businesses lose potential clients simply because they fail to follow up effectively. The key is consistency and persistence. A well-timed follow-up can often catch a client at just the right moment and help them make the decision to book with you.
Setting up an email follow-up sequence can significantly increase your chances of converting inquiries into bookings. After all, we humans are emotional. The more you can “remove yourself” from the follow-up process the more likely that you’ll actually do it.
Not sure what you’d want to say? You are in luck! I’ve crafted the perfect set of follow-up email templates just for you.
Book More Clients In Your Service-Based Business
While there are a lot of great marketers out there who will have you convinced that the ONLY thing you need to do to book more clients is focus on marketing, I’m guessing if you’ve read this until the end you know better. By making sure that your systems for handling inquiries are as refined as your marketing tactics, you can create a seamless flow that not only attracts potential clients but also warmly invites them to book your business.
Want a little help learning to love your leads again?
If you’ve been nodding your head while you’ve been reading this (but want a little more support to implement it), you need to check out my Love Your Leads Toolkit. If you’re tired of getting ghosted and know you need to put more systems in place in your business to give your booking rate a boost again, this toolkit has everything you need. Not only do I include a video training where I dive deeper into how to book more clients, but I give you all the done-for-you resources actually to get it done. With 15 inquiry and booking email templates, a Love Your Leads workbook (to help you start customizing the experience you want your potential customers to have), and either Dubsado or Honeybook forms to implement it fast and make it all feel effortless, this toolkit is worth the peace of mind alone. Grab yours here.
