Guides

Guide

How to get more clients for a service business

By James Lord · Updated · 2 min read

Most service businesses grow on referrals until, one day, they don't. Referred clients are great, but you can't turn referrals up when you need more work. Here's how to build a steady flow of new clients that doesn't depend on who happens to mention you this month.

Make the offer easy to say yes to

People buy services when they understand exactly what they'll get. "Bespoke solutions" is hard to buy. A named service with a clear scope, a timeline and a price, or a price range, is easy.

  • Package your most common piece of work into an offer with a name.
  • Say who it's for, and who it isn't for.
  • Give a starting price. It puts off poor fits and reassures good ones.

Prove it before they ask

Buying a service is a leap of faith, so take away as much doubt as you can before the first conversation.

  • Reviews on Google and the sites your clients use.
  • Short case studies: the situation, what you did, what changed.
  • Your people. Real faces and names build trust faster than stock photos.

Make enquiring effortless

Plenty of enquiries are lost on the contact page. Keep forms short, offer a calendar so people can book a call directly, show a phone number, and say how quickly you reply. Then test the whole thing on a phone.

Reply in minutes, not days

Someone who has just enquired is often contacting your competitors too, and the first business to reply properly usually wins. Aim to respond within the hour during working hours, even if it's only to book a proper call.

Ask for referrals on purpose

Happy clients are glad to refer you, but most are never asked. Ask at the moment you've just delivered something good, make it easy with a short message they can forward, and thank the people who do.

Add ads when you want growth on demand

Once your offer, proof and follow-up are in place, ads let you turn up the flow of enquiries whenever you want more work. Search ads catch people already looking for a service like yours; social ads reach people who need you but aren't searching yet. Judge them on clients won, not clicks or form fills.

Questions

Do ads work for professional services?

They can, especially when the offer is clear and the follow-up is fast. They tend to work best for services people actively look for or can understand quickly. Judge them on the clients they bring in.

How do I compete with bigger firms?

Be specific. A smaller firm that's clearly the best choice for one type of client usually beats a bigger one that says it does everything.

How fast should we reply to enquiries?

As fast as you reasonably can: within the hour during working hours if possible. Speed tells people you'll be easy to work with.

Keep reading

More guides