“Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit.”

George Carlin

Yesterday we touched on the ideas to consider if you want fast-paying clients that continue to enjoy paying you for more. Of course, that only works if you deliver outstanding results. Successful businesses thrive from referrals. If your work or product is subpar, warnings spread fast.

Work harder to produce in ways that wow your clients and you won’t need to worry about wanting to quit for lack of funds.

Provided what you’re offering is good enough for people to boast about on your behalf, here are some ideas to convert a prospect to a paying client quickly with easy justification:

• Offer a range of packages at different price points
• Provide an inexpensive introductory product or service
• Bill the client for out-of-pocket expenses up front
• Offer a discount for pre-payment
• Offer a discount for early payment
• Schedule an initial meeting where you provide a lot of valuable, creativity and free insight prior to suggesting formalizing your ideas and offering more (for a fee – reduced to move now)
• Spend time researching your prospect prior to a meeting to set yourself apart
• Get an introduction from someone you both respect who knows you can help
• Be the best provider in your niche
• Have a group of excellent, vetted providers you’ve worked with to refer a prospect to if you’re not the best for their needs
• Be clear about costs and what will be provided for the negotiated fee
• Bill consistently and regularly
• Add value beyond what was ordered
• Thank the client for their confidence, support and referral business

Come back tomorrow for some unusual ideas for finding prospects.