Running a business isn’t easy.
Nearly every business goes through patches when they need new customers…fast.
Sure, you’re going to be thinking about long-term opportunities during these and other times. But in certain instances you need something to come through quick.
Even if you have cash reserves, you still want to get some new cash flow coming in. Nobody likes spending their reserves.
Here are a few ways to do when you need customers fast that won’t necessarily be scammy or turn potential customers away.
1. Contact Past Customers
If you’ve been in business for awhile then you’ll have a good sized list of past customers. One of the best things you can do when you’re in a pinch is to call or email them just to see if they’re looking for anything relating to your services right now or in the near future.
You can also ask if they know anybody that might need your service.
There is a previous relationship so it’s not a complete cold call. And you can start out the call or email just asking how the person is and how the service was the first time around.
This is something you can do regularly anyway. It depends on the nature of your business, but every year or every couple years it’s something you can do.
2. Contact Past Inquiries
You can also reach out to past inquiries. An example would be someone that reached out to you. Maybe via your website. You responded. Maybe there was a back and forth and then it went quiet. Or maybe they said they weren’t ready to make the decision at that time.
Reach out and just keep it short and simple. Acknowledge that they reached out in the past and that you’re just checking in to see if there was any interest.
3. Job Ads
The final one is to scour job boards. The cool thing about today’s world is there are plenty of online job boards including ones on LinkedIn. You can often search for keywords that relate to your specific service or product.
Look for listings that see a company asking for a candidate that is required to do the kind of service you do. Analyze the company. If it’s a potential good fit, reach out and present your services as an option.
If you don’t want to reply directly to the ad, look for the person in charge of hiring. Usually an HR Director or something similar. Present your services as an option to them.
Some companies may be intrigued by outsourcing versus hiring a person. Some may be in a hurry to get something done and you could help in the short-term while they continue to look for the right candidate.
Conclusion
If you’re in need of new customers fast, these are pretty good options. You should get some bites from the first two. And the last one is companies showing demand for services right now. It comes down to a numbers game. Start emailing and calling and if you do enough you should drum up some business.
