At Tuesday morning’s networking meeting, we were delighted to have new NCF member, Paquita Lamacraft take the speaker slot. Paquita shared her experience to give us a ‘road map’ to finding new customers, particularly customers you like to work with!
As Paquita explained, every small business owner reaches the same crossroads eventually: you know you need more customers but the noise of endless marketing advice makes it hard to know where to start. Finding new clients at the lowest possible cost and effort isn’t about shouting louder than everyone else: it’s about navigating deliberately, using the right tools to work out exactly where you are before deciding where to go next. Here are Paquita’s reflective and constructive tips for doing just that.
Set Your Baseline: Where Are You Now?
Before any growth strategy can work, you need a starting point. Write down your income goal for the next year, then your current annual income beside it. The gap between the two is your target.
Next, look honestly at your existing customer base. Who is your favourite customer to work with? Which clients are the most profitable? Which were the easiest to win in the first place? Small business owners often overlook this step, but your best current customers usually hold the clues to where your next ones are hiding.
Retrace Your Steps
Most businesses have already tried several routes to attract new customers – some worked, some didn’t. List what you’ve tried, including the ones that flopped, and ask a simple but revealing question: would this approach have worked for your ideal customer? If not, why not? Some ideas deserve a second attempt with better planning, and it’s worth asking who could help you execute them more effectively this time.
Identify the Obstacles
List seven obstacles standing between you and customer growth, then boil each down to its core issue. Looking at all seven key issues together often reveals a pattern, usually one or two underlying blockers holding back the rest of your customer acquisition efforts.
Measure the True Cost of Social Media
Social media is often treated as “free” marketing, but it rarely is. Track how much time you spend on it daily over the last six to twelve months (or how much you pay someone to do it for you), then divide that by your business’s profit, not turnover. If you outsource it, do the same sum with your marketing person’s cost. Is it still profitable once you account for the real investment? This kind of honest measurement is essential for any small business owner trying to build a sustainable client acquisition strategy.
Your Best Customers Are All Around You
Your existing network – clients, contacts and community – will always follow your ‘true north’: your values. Growth doesn’t come from chasing everyone; it comes from staying true to what your business stands for and letting the right customers find their way to you.
Build Your Plan
Three tools will guide your next steps: your client contact list, your true north (your values) and your plan. For your plan, ask what you could do, what you should do and what you will do, then set out actions for the next 30, 60 and 90 days.
Finding new clients doesn’t require expensive campaigns or constant hustle. With a clear baseline, honest measurement and a values-led plan, small business owners can grow steadily at the lowest possible cost and effort.
