Getting low-price or pro-bono (free) clients is a common approach to jump-starting a new business. You can get some folks on the schedule, do good work so you can feel good about yourself, acquire some solid testimonials, and maybe even get some referrals.
It’s not a bad idea at all.
Except that I’ve seen people struggle to enroll even pro-bono or low-priced clients. “No one wants even my free sessions!” Talk about demoralizing! Ugh!
This dynamic actually highlights something critical about enrolling clients.
Price is rarely the most important factor for folks.
It’s easy to point fingers at pricing, because it’s concrete, it’s common for business owners/practitioners to have issues around charging for their services, or charging enough, and it’s an easy fix- raising or lowering a price doesn’t take a lot of work.
Unfortunately, it ignores much more important pieces than price. Four of them, in fact.
1. Clarity of the offer.
Is your offer clear? Meaning is it clear as to who it’s for, what’s involved, and what kind of outcomes/intentions you are helping people work toward? Often “session” is not really an offer, it’s a process. But, as an example from one of our clients shows, “Finding strength and clarity to follow through in making difficult, significant decisions in your life.” are much more clear.
2. What time commitment is involved?
Within reason, time is a more significant commitment than money. I’m not saying money isn’t significant, because it is. But very often folks are pressed for time in tremendous ways. The thing that you help them with has to be a real priority for them to want to give the time to it that individual sessions require.
This touches back onto the clarity of the offer, so that hopefully you are speaking to a need, a challenge, a situation in people’s lives that is a real priority to them, that they are willing to give time to. Being clear about the time commitment involved, not minimizing it, but not making it vague that it seems larger than it is, can be so helpful.
3. What are your values?
In my industry of business development, there are quite a few unethical folks, who don’t mind using and teaching manipulative marketing tactics. I would never work with someone like that. Are your values clear and visible in your work, on your website, or otherwise? Things you stand for? Issues you won’t compromise on? That helps people know if they are aligned with you or not.
4. Working individually is very vulnerable.
Showing up with someone else, especially a stranger, to work with an issue that is both important to you and you feel stuck about is really vulnerable. Creating/providing safety for that potential client is such an important part of whether they approach you or not.
Shared values are one piece of safety. Other critical elements are empathy and witnessing without judgement, where you use language that lets them know you really get what they are facing, what they are going through, and that they’ve been trying. Also, that they aren’t broken, that nothing is inherently wrong with them, and that they can be cared-for.
Make these four elements visible to potential clients, and it will be much easier for them to show up.
When your offer is really clear as to who it’s for and what it is intended to help with, as well as the time commitment needed to be successful. Then, when you can make your shared values known, and use your best skills at empathy and witnessing for them to feel seen in their struggle without judgement, they’ll feel the safety to potentially come forward.
If you put all of these in place, you may find that yourself also enrolling paid clients. But, it can still be an excellent way to start some flow, and to gain testimonials and case studies as you begin to build your business.
Anything else you can think of? Any pushback on these?
With love,
Mark Silver, M.Div.
Heart of Business, Inc.
Every act of business can be an act of love.
