How to Turn Business Prospects into Long-Term Clients

The Parallels Between Dating and Business

Receiving commitment from business prospects is much like receiving commitment from a partner when dating.

As someone who was thrust into the world of online dating after having been with my first partner for 22 years, I learned a lot and quickly.  I learned that it was crucial to have a solid profile and to be brutally honest about what you’re looking for and what you’re NOT looking for from the very beginning. The same holds true for attracting long-term clients—being clear about your goals, your values, and your non-negotiables ensures you’re on the same page from the start.

Your Photos Matter

The photos and your profile are what first draw in your prospects in online dating.

It’s the same thing in business.

The photos you share on your social media and website are critical as people will make quick judgments based on what you’re wearing, the vibration you give off in your photos, how well you appear to take care of yourself, etc. (If you need some updated photos, hit me up as my first business was as a portrait photographer!)

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Get Clear About Who You Help

People will also disqualify or qualify themselves for your offerings based on how clear you are about who you help and how.  Is what you help people with exactly what they’re looking for right now?

If it’s something they might need in the future, they could think of you later but probably won’t unless you’re consistently in front of them and you continue to pop up on their social media feed or in their email inbox.

Breaking Through the “Maybe Later” Barrier: Attracting Long-Term Clients

But how do we get past this stage of having them consider working with us in the future?

Engage Without Pressure

In dating, the way we break through this barrier is when the pursuer increases their efforts to make themselves more visible to you.

It starts with friendly, (but not too friendly) conversation.  The pursuer will want to say something witty or funny to get your attention and then express their interest in getting to know you better by asking more questions about you.

In business, it starts the same way, especially when looking to attract long-term clients. We can engage through DMs on social media to ask questions about what they’re working on, how they could use more support, etc. but there’s a fine line here.  You always want to lead through service and not by trying to make a sale right away.  People can smell others fishing for sales so easily now and may flee before you’ve even made a good connection. 

Building Comfort and Rapport

In dating, we can spot the pursuers who just want to be physical with us and not have a long term commitment from a mile away. This is like the business pursuer who only wants your money and will stop pursuing you once they get it.  No one wants that!

The beginning stages are about building rapport and comfort with the other person – whether it’s a potential partner or a long-term client.

Move to Voice Notes

After you get past this stage you can start asking where you can follow them online to learn more about them and their business and then can offer support in what they need support in.

In dating, the next step would be to make a bigger impression by sending a voice note.  This helps the one on the receiving end to feel more connected to them by hearing their voice and again seeing if what they say and how they say it is attractive or repelling to them.

Send Voice Notes in Business

Sending voice notes on social media while pursuing your business prospects is a great way to build rapport and comfort with them too. Whether you’re looking for long-term clients or simply seeing if you’re a good fit to collaborate, you will either attract or repel them—and that’s okay. We’re all looking for authentic connections, so it’s crucial to assess if they align with what you offer and if they would be a good fit for the long haul.

Get Them on the Phone or Video Call

In dating, the next step might be to schedule a phone call or video chat. After taking this step you’ll know if you want to meet them in person next or not.

It’s the same thing in business.

Getting the prospect on the phone or video chat is crucial so that you can ask those thoughtful questions and share how you can help them if what they’re asking for is a match to what you can help them with.

Overcoming the Fear of Rejection

Many people are afraid of this step, but why?  It could be due to fear of rejection, but rejection is just a way to know if this person is not a match for you or not.  Once we know this, then we can move on to someone else who can’t wait to work with us, so it’s actually a good thing!

Take Things In-Person

In dating, if your phone call or video chat went great, the next step would be to agree to meet in person for a date.  You will want to make sure that you look your best and arrive on time for your date!

It’s the same thing in business. You might agree to meet for coffee or at an in-person networking event if they’re local to get to know them better.

After this stage, you’ll know if you want to schedule another meet up or not.

Exclusive Offers

In dating, if you are enjoying the dates and connection, the next step for the pursuer could be to ask you to be exclusive.

In business, this could look like making the offer to work with your client exclusively by meeting 1:1 in person or over Zoom to help them through a specific problem they’re facing.

The Long-Term Commitment

In dating, after agreeing to be exclusive, the next stage is long-term commitment.

In business, this could look like offering a long-term program so that you can help them more consistently and offer more long-lasting results for your client.  If you’re someone who only offers one-offs in your business, this would be equivalent to a one-night stand. If you give everything away on the first date for a low cost with little to no commitment, they’re likely not to come back.  However, if you present something as a slow build like a longer-term program they will feel more supported.

Referrals and Repeat Business

In dating, long-term commitment could result in marriage.

In business, you wouldn’t expect your client to commit to you forever and never to work with anyone else, but they may at the very least become a loyal referral for you, sending people your way who you could help as you’ve helped them.

I hope this helps to explain how you can pursue your business prospects and gain those longer-term commitments!

It’s the long game we’re after and not just the quickie.

Here’s a summary of bullet points to follow when pursuing your business prospects!

• Share beautiful branding images and headshots on social media and your website
• Be clear about who you help and how. Make this clear in every post you share.
• Stay in front of your prospects consistently on social media and in their email inbox
• Offer a lead magnet that could be the solution to a problem they are currently struggling with. This will get them onto your email newsletter and your sales funnel.
• Track prospects as they come in on an Excel sheet or CRM noting where they are in your sales funnel, dates you last reached out to them, etc.
• Send a DM to engage them and show interest in getting to know them better
• Support the posts they share online by liking, commenting on, and sharing their posts
• Send a voice note to engage them further and invite them to a phone call or video chat to get to know each other better- share how you can help them on the call
• Arrange to meet in person next if possible- share how you can help them
• Make an offer for a longer-term commitment to support them if they seem like a good fit
• Track their “yes” or “no” on an Excel sheet or CRM
• Celebrate every sale no matter how big or small and add them to your email newsletter
• Continue supporting them online even if they say no to your offer and long past being an active client of yours so they can see that you truly care and want to support them 
• Stay in touch through social media and email newsletters
• Ask for referrals and send them referrals too
• Rinse and repeat for new prospects!

Want more support in receiving more committed, long-term clients?   Book a free call with Julie here for more support!