Your first client.
It’s going to come easy if it’s your sister-in-law, neighbor or former employee. But that first “you don’t know me” client is going to be the most challenging you ever land.
Why is this?
Think about the first time riding a bike.
The first time you went on a date with someone.
The first time you took calculus.
The first time you had to figure out how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey.
No matter how many books your read or how prepared you thought you were, it was still kind of hard. You made some mistakes. You fell down. You had to erase. You said some things you wish you could take back.
But you did it. You didn’t sit and ponder. In some cases, you had schedules and deadlines forcing you to just do it.
And if you’re reading this, it’s clear you survived.
Getting up the nerve to bid on new projects and talk with prospective new clients for the first time can feel exactly like this.
You Get Over the Fear of the Unknown
“Can I really do this? what if I fail? what if they say no? Or worse, what if they think I’m a crazy lady?”
You Get Experience
Everything gets easier with practice. What do you tell your first time soccer player? Keep practicing! Touch that ball 500 times a day was what one coach shared with my daughter. Pretty soon it feels natural having that ball on your feet. On every part of them actually. Top, bottom, sides, toes.
The first time you start you don’t know what it feels like to have a pushy client…
… a wishy-washy client…
… a client who never returns messages…
… a last-minute Lucy.
You don’t know what it feels like when they push back on price or ask for a service you don’t know or offer and ask for an unrealistic deadline or ask you to propose a plan for them.
Then, Word Gets Out
When you do good work, word gets out. And your next and your next and your next clients come from this reputation and network you are building.
Your first is going to be the hardest, I promise.
So How Do You Get Started?
Stop thinking and start doing. Get over that learning curve quickly.
Research prospects.
BID on jobs.
Write up your services and pricing.
Bid on jobs.
Ask others what they think.
Bid on jobs.
Create something for your portfolio.
Bid on jobs.
Make a deadline for yourself (do this by next Friday. There. I just gave you one!)
Do it in community. Where you can ask for support and feedback (like over in our How She Quits – How She Succeeds Community).
The freight train of your Virtual Professional business starts rolling along faster and faster with each new client you add.