If there were an annual awards ceremony for wanky industry words, “hustle” would definitely be a contender.
Work hard, hustle harder
Hustle is life
Eat, sleep, hustle, repeat
I’m gonna go ahead and bet that you’ve likely heard at least one variation of these phrases before, especially over the last 12 months, and it’s likely been sprouted by ‘motivational coaches’ and/or a plethora of entrepreneurial Instagram know-it-alls.
But what the hell does it mean? Is it you, standing in a dodgy alley, wearing a trench coat, while you peddle your wares?
What is hustling?
You see, besides being one of the top contenders for ‘wankiest word of the year’ award, hustling is actually all about hard work.
It’s about working ON your business not just IN your business.
It’s about building a magnetic brand not just for your clients but for YOU.
And it’s about connecting and engaging your audience, marketing and promoting your business and elevating your business and brand.
Essentially, hustling is all the things you should be doing for your biz … but that you’re probably not.
It’s not sleazy or pushy or seedy. It’s just you, using your skills and building your biz.
You know you should hustle when:
- Business is so quiet you can hear crickets chirping from a block away.
- Forking out your hard-earned moolah for Google ads seems like a good idea … even though you have no idea how to make ‘em work (don’t worry, none of us do).
- You need new clients. Like, yesterday.
- You want more work from your existing clients.
- You’re ready for the big leagues.
If you’ve felt a flutter of recognition with any of these statements, then lady, you’re going to love what I have up my sleeve for you.
Harnessing my hustling knowledge and wisdom, I have put together some tips that’ll introduce you to the fine art of hustling and give you 10 things you can do today to find new clients.
LET’S DO IT….
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Blog. Yeah I know blogging can seem tedious, when you have cash to make, but blogging is essential. Why? to warm up your audience, show them how frikken clever you are & convince them you have the solutions to their problems. So, write a blog post about a problem your ideal client is currently deal with and give them a solution!
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Set up a sales funnel. I touched on warming up your audience in the first point but a sales funnel is the perfect process to warm up your peeps so that they have no choice but to buy from you. You can download my free Sales Funnels for Designers eGuide here.
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Send out an email newsletter. Remind your followers that you exist! Show them some of your most recent work & also include some testimonials in there, then finish off with a call to action to view your price list or book in a project with you.
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Update your folio on your website. Its time for refresh. Show the world how amazing your work is.
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Follow up leads. Yep if you don’t have an automated follow up process in place it is time to follow up some enquiries you never heard back from.
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Create a referral program for existing clients. Let your loyal, awesome clients know that if they refer new peeps to you they will get a discount on their next project with you. Easy.
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Start a private facebook group. I often talk about herding cattle when it comes to your tribe haha. But a private facebook group is a great way to connect with your followers and warm them up daily. Show them who you really are and let them see how clever you are.
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Schedule a bunch of social media posts. Create new content for your social media, show off new work, give business tips, include testimonials and of course, a splash of your personality. #cakememesforlife
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Create a sense of urgency & exclusivity. So in your newsletter and social media posts create a sense of urgency, let your followers know you have ONLY 5 spots for next month! Then as you sell them, update them… now only 3 spots! Urgency works.
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Join a bunch of Facebook groups where your ideal client hangs out. If you really know who your ideal client is (which I hope you do) you should be able to go on a treasure hunt and find a bunch of groups that your ideal client hangs out in & join them. Don’t spruik yourself in there, just watch & listen. You will start seeing problems that your ideal client has and you will be able to create solutions (blogs, products etc) for them. This is GOLD.
