Jan 22 • 🏠 General discussion
I just landed my first two clients - here's what I learned!
Hi everyone, Tania here...
Kerry's encouraged me to share some good news with the team since I’ve learned a few things through launching my mentorship program, so in case you find any of this helpful, I’m happy to share.
Background: I soft-launched my mentorship program for artists by listing my services (currently 2 program options) on my website on the last week of December… and last week I booked two new clients!
*the crowd goes wild* 🎉
One is a paying client, and the other is an art student looking for mentorship through her college art program. I’ve been wanting to redirect my community-service efforts specifically to the arts, so this feels like a win, even if it’s not a paid gig.
The paying client found me through IG - he started following me in December and expressed interest in mentorship when I hinted my program would be dropping soon - so I tried to keep him warm until the soft-launch when he could shop my services in my storefront. And it worked.
Here’s what I learned in the process of converting him from follower to paying client:
✅ Some potential “clients” will feign interest in you/your product in order to suck your energy dry
➡️ ...being wary of this, I engaged in conversation with this client by exercising boundaries around my response times and frequency of communication. I maintained a friendly-yet-professional tone when chatting. Not all followers are potential clients, knowing who’s “worth” chatting with calls for following your gut - I’ve been burned before, but in this case, investing my time in chatting/building connection and conversation within healthy professional boundaries ended up being worth it.
✅ He expressed concerns about the cost of my program
➡️ ...and instead of lowering my pricepoint for him, I gently encouraged him to invest in himself, if he wanted to. There was no attempt to hard sell, I didn’t defend my pricing. My rates are not negotiable just because they’re inaccessible to some people. I wanted him to know that other clients are paying this rate - I wasn’t desperate to secure him as a client and he knew I was able to fill his potential spot with someone else.
✅ My program launched at a lower rate and prices will be going up in February
➡️ ...I've reminded him (and my followers) that my prices are set to rise soon and the current rates are for the January-launch-special only. This helped me position my current rate as a “deal”, which might've changed his perspective on the affordability of my services.
✅ I'm creating reels and IG stories as supporting material for my program which makes my social media page a source of free inspiration and tips for artists so that my followers find my content interesting, engaging and valuable.
➡️ I shared a roundup of Things I Learned as a Full Time Artist (for example) that further positioned me as an expert in my field so artists get an idea of the kind of sharings/perspectives they can expect from me during mentorship. People who are interested in my services WANT to believe I have value to offer, so I’ve given them proof, right off the bat, by trickling out some teasers.
✅ I discovered my client had “done his research” on me
➡️ ...a reminder that all the content I’ve ever shared online is being viewed by potential clients - share accordingly, edit/delete/revise ruthlessly! I’ve intentionally shared content that shows me in a professional (yet approachable) light… and it’s working! The TV interviews, podcasts and magazine articles I’ve published on my website as Press (that at first, felt braggadocious to share) are *actually* important for building credibility. So: post your wins. Share your Press.
✅ My rates have value to those who can afford my services - but my services are *not necessarily* accessible to the masses.
➡️ And that’s ok. I’m not for everyone…I’m not milk chocolate. It’s ok to be an acquired flavor; it’s ok to offer a service that some find inaccessible.
➡️ It’s my responsibility to cater to the clientele I need in order to grow my business. (Besides, for everyone who’s expressed that my rates are too high for them right now, I’ve had someone else mention how my rates are really reasonable, maybe even too low...proof that value is a matter of perception…you get to choose your clientele).
Thanks for reading, friends…I don’t know if *my* learnings are applicable to you and your projects, but if there’s anything to take away from my experience, please know that I launched this mentorship program without having it fully fleshed out (I’m winging a lot of it as I go)...but IF I CAN DO IT, SO CAN YOU :)
…and extra thanks, of course, goes to Kerry for his guidance, patience and encouragement in helping me get to this point so far. Much appreciated! 🙏🏼
If anyone else has a win to share...load 'em up! I may not be at every coffee chat, but I'm still following along and I'm rooting for everyone!
*T
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I just landed my first two clients - here's what I learned!
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