Ask HN: How to find clients as a small Web Dev Agency without network?
A US based company with no network and no local clients, looking for clients and a method to hack at our first clients.
16 comments
There are no hacks for clients. The client-consultant relationship is -- well it is a relationship. Good clients have ongoing relationships with consultants. Those consultants are actively working to maintain that relationship because -- well they are good clients.
To put it another way, it is a mistake to assume the market is inefficient and there is a trove of good clients who cannot find consultants. There might be, but that would just be dumb luck.
Without clients you don't have a business. Finding clients is hard work. Harder than doing what they want.
Looking for hacks is easier than finding clients. That's why it is attractive. It's also why it is not work. There's not some step before finding clients. Looking for hacks is turning a Y problem into an XY problem.
The problem is no network. The way to build an network is to build a network. The way to find to find local clients is to find local clients. If those are activities you are avoiding, my best advice is to find something else to do. There's nothing wrong with that. Everyone isn't cut out for the work that is involved.
Finding clients is both necessary and sufficient for having a consultancy. If you can do that, you can hire technical talent to execute.
Good luck.
To put it another way, it is a mistake to assume the market is inefficient and there is a trove of good clients who cannot find consultants. There might be, but that would just be dumb luck.
Without clients you don't have a business. Finding clients is hard work. Harder than doing what they want.
Looking for hacks is easier than finding clients. That's why it is attractive. It's also why it is not work. There's not some step before finding clients. Looking for hacks is turning a Y problem into an XY problem.
The problem is no network. The way to build an network is to build a network. The way to find to find local clients is to find local clients. If those are activities you are avoiding, my best advice is to find something else to do. There's nothing wrong with that. Everyone isn't cut out for the work that is involved.
Finding clients is both necessary and sufficient for having a consultancy. If you can do that, you can hire technical talent to execute.
Good luck.
How would you find a local client? Cold email? Networking events?
Knock on the door.
I think that is something that if you have done it before, it is easy but as someone who has never done this have no clue.
I mean I have a lot of local businesses that I frequent, but I deal with employees only. I can ask my server what problems they are facing but not really sure. Every business I know already has a website, social media page, etc.
I had luck meeting various business owners via networking events organized by Chamber of Commerce once. Maybe that's what I need to focus on.
I mean I have a lot of local businesses that I frequent, but I deal with employees only. I can ask my server what problems they are facing but not really sure. Every business I know already has a website, social media page, etc.
I had luck meeting various business owners via networking events organized by Chamber of Commerce once. Maybe that's what I need to focus on.
Knocking on doors mostly results in rejection. It is common for people to prefer a failing business to facing that reality.
Maybe the chamber has an event next Tuesday morning. There’s a hundred sixty six other hours in the week.
Knock on doors and go to the Chamber.
Maybe the chamber has an event next Tuesday morning. There’s a hundred sixty six other hours in the week.
Knock on doors and go to the Chamber.
Thanks for the input, sounds like the cold hard truth .
How big of a company is it? If it's just you and your friend / brother / partner, try to use the network you already have: family, friends, colleagues and so on. This isn't a joke, every time I go back to my hometown, someone has to ask me to build a website or app for them. You'll be paid pennies at first probably, but you build a network and the word spreads out.
If you're bigger than that just hire sales people. That's how it works anyway.
And the 3rd way of proving your worth is doing open source work. I've seen plenty of companies start like that.
If you're bigger than that just hire sales people. That's how it works anyway.
And the 3rd way of proving your worth is doing open source work. I've seen plenty of companies start like that.
The company is pretty small, a two man team. Yeah I guess talking to friends and family might be viable but it would lead to penny projects. Making something for free or pennies is a real time drainer if you know what I mean.
I’m currently in the same spot, 2 very experienced guys looking to start our own thing without networking. I tried ads on every platform, got no returns. Seems like working in our own network is the only way to go.
New consultants typically will get the worst projects because they have the worst clients. Good projects come from good clients and their existing consultants work hard to make them happy.
Generally you will get calls from three classes of people. Amateurs, grifters, and established players who will use your low due to desperation price to beat down the established contractor they are going to hire regardless.
Some amateurs can turn into good clients eventually after five or ten years of relationship building. Basically you have to be in it long enough to grow your business alongside theirs.
Grifters will have lots of experience but somehow failed to establish strong business relationships with the people they worked with. The reason is the people they worked with didn’t make money.
Generally you will get calls from three classes of people. Amateurs, grifters, and established players who will use your low due to desperation price to beat down the established contractor they are going to hire regardless.
Some amateurs can turn into good clients eventually after five or ten years of relationship building. Basically you have to be in it long enough to grow your business alongside theirs.
Grifters will have lots of experience but somehow failed to establish strong business relationships with the people they worked with. The reason is the people they worked with didn’t make money.
Jason Swenk has a decent podcast where he frequently discusses client development and lead generation for Digital Agencies > https://jasonswenk.com/3-tips-generate-leads/
So lead generation would be something to look into in more detail?
Job Number One: Go Out and Get Checks…
Ogilvy wrote about the hunt for clients. Essentially, he started with a very selective direct mail campaign.
Ogilvy wrote about the hunt for clients. Essentially, he started with a very selective direct mail campaign.
You litterly have to knock on the doors,as others already mentioned. For most people just the thought of doing so makes them want to quit. Also, it needs to be an iterative process: knock on the door,learn some mistakes, improve,do more knocking. Eventually, you start getting better at it, start seeing where it's better to walk away immediately, because of all the red flags,etc. This is the stuff very few are willing to do. The rest will try Upwork/Fiverr/insert_new-_platform_name.
I would have said Upwork a few years back but now I think the market is very competetive there.