 Well, my name is Daniel Swain, I'm out of the Atlanta area, as I was saying. My agency is JDS Web Design, and here's how you can get in contact with me, my Twitter account, my Facebook, and Instagram, and that's my email. I'm going to go through this presentation relatively quick, because generally speaking there's a lot of questions, and so I'm going to try to go through it within about seven to ten minutes, and then have the last seven to ten minutes for questions, since this is a lightning session, it's only going to be twenty minutes. So how did you get your second client? One of the things that I always do is there's a lot of different techniques on how to get your clients. Some of the things that I'm not going to talk about is I'm not going to discuss job boards. I'm not going to talk too much about code calling, and I'm not going to talk too much about what I call walk-ups or drive-bys, where you go with somebody's conducting business and try to get business for yourself. These are techniques that people use and are successful, but the reason why I'm not is because generally speaking it takes a process, and so I'm going to mention some techniques that really don't take as much work, because like a walk-up, if you try to do a business or try to get your second client using the walk-up, like you go to somebody who might need your services, usually it's a soft approach to try to get to a position where you can make the hard call or hard approach. So it's a different technique. I'm going to give you guys some techniques that really are things that are at your possession right now and ways in which you can get second clients and really, really simple things, and they're probably techniques that you probably just haven't thought or haven't explored. So what are those three techniques that I'm going to talk about? Well the first one is your family and friends. And tell us to people all the time, whenever you're going into a business, make sure you're reaching your inner circle. Mom, dad, sister, brother, kids, cousins, anyone, if you're a part of an organization, if you go to a faith-based church and people know you there, let them know. If it's something that you're really interested in, let them know. A lot of times people will say to me as, man, they don't know anybody that need my services, and that's just not so true. I always give this story, about nine months ago, I was at Louisville's Word Camp, and I was talking to a young lady, and at the time I had told her I'd been in business for 10 years, and she was just now starting out as a web designer. And so she was looking to find clients. And one of the things I said was you need to let people in your inner circle know that that's what you're doing. And she just kept saying, well, you know, nobody really knows anybody that would be looking for her. And I said, well, I'm going to follow back up with you, but definitely go out and let people know that this is what you do. And a week later, I called her, and of course she was like, well, I'm really having them still struggling. I said, just let people know, especially if you're in your inner circle. So about three or four days later, I get this phone call, and it's somebody that's super excited. And so I'm trying to figure out what's going on first. And secondly, when I realized it was her, the story is that she finally told her mother that she was a web designer. And her mother kind of says, okay, that sounds nice. And the following day, her mother, who had been playing bridge for 30 years, discussed her partner, who she's been partner with for 30 years. Said, hey, my son is looking for somebody to build a website. And she said, well, my daughter builds websites. And so they exchange each person's information and that led to a potential job for her. And it was simply because she let her inner circle know that this is what she's doing. Her inner circle kind of became her voice, because it's people that they trust. And so they was able to say, well, if I come across somebody who might need your services, this is a good way to expand and to get your second client. Another thing that I think people don't realize and think about is your existing clients. Let your existing clients know that you are looking for work. Your existing clients are really your mouthpiece. And if you've done a great job and you should do a great job with your clients, they don't mind referring you. They don't mind giving you referrals. They don't mind even going to Yolster, I mean, the Yelp or something like that and saying, hey, this guy did a great job for me. This person did a great job. They hit everything and they went above and beyond. But it's just a matter of you reaching out to your clients and letting them know they're asking for those referrals. So don't be afraid to do it. Your clients can become your biggest source. And your clients are not my clients. So it's a great technique that people don't realize that these are things that you control and not anyone else. And a lot of times clients are looking. They don't realize that you're still out there looking for clients. And they might have a different business venture that they need the same services, but they don't realize that you might have time and available to do those services. So don't be afraid to reach out to your clients. And the third one, and it's the one that I think a lot of us struggle with is our community. Whether you're in a meetup, whether you're even this weekend, make sure you're reaching out to people. Then people know what you do, where you are at in your journey. You never know because a lot of times someone might be doing the same thing as you. And what I hear a lot of times is people say, well, they're my competitors, so why would they help me? Well, they might be at a different stage of the journey. You might be relatively new. And at a stage where you take projects that say $2,000, where their base cost might be $7,000. But they're still run across clients who have the $2,000. So they need to refer those clients to someone. Why not refer them to you for you to do the services as you go through your journey? I remember the other day I was speaking to a young lady. And she was very excited and she was really busy. And I was like, wow, what's going on in your business? And she said that she had went to a meetup and she was talking to somebody who was an SEO expert. And so she just asked them, do you build websites? And he was like, no, I really don't. So what do you do when someone needs a website? And he was like, well, I just tell him that they need to have a better built website. And she was like, well, would you mind referring those clients to me? And he was like, sure. And that conversation in the community turned into her having, I think she said she had about four or five projects over the next two months, just from that conversation. It was somebody in our community that ran across potential job opportunities. And that person said, hey, that's fine. Here's something that you need before I can start building out your SEO program. You need to have a website presence. And that person didn't know anyone to contact or trust anyone. And they were saying, oh, by the way, I wouldn't mind referring you because this person builds really good websites. And so don't be afraid to look inside the community because community can help you. A lot of times a lot of us have niches. So we only do certain designs. You might not fall outside of that niche. Your niche might be something totally different. And we run across a potential prospect and we're like, well, we don't really do that work, but I can refer you to someone. I can give you someone's information. So take advantage of your community. If you do not have a meetup or organization in your area, start one. You don't need to be, people think that I need to be where I've been doing it for 30 years before I can start a meetup. No, what you're doing is starting something in your community so you can share with one another. And that's what the community's all about, sharing. So those are the three areas that I really wanna talk about with regards to how to get your second client. Again, I would be, I was in Birmingham and I was told or instructed that anytime you use images, you gotta make sure you give credit. So those images that you guys saw on my slide, they came from Unsplash and those were the people. But this is my information again and I'd be more than happy to answer any questions that you guys might have with regards to the three techniques as well as even if you have a concern or question about the three techniques that I decided that. I don't know if that's why those other techniques can get you business. I don't think there's as simple as your family, your clients and the community that you should be invested in. And this is the ending session and this is Lightning Talk. I did that in about seven minutes. So, Mike. I think that that's a two-folded question and a lot of people always ask me that. The first fold of that question is if in your portfolio you do not have work, I think it's okay to create work at a minimum or no cost to build up your portfolio. But I think at the same time that you do that, you have to let people know what that value and what that cost is. You don't want to build something free for somebody and not let them know that this is a $5,000 website because what they will do is go to their friends and say, my brother built this website for me. He can probably do the same thing. You want them to say, my brother built this $5,000 website for me. He can do the same for you. The second side of that equation is I think it's okay to go to family and friends and I'm assuming that you're talking about at a reduced or free cost. I think it's okay to do that. But I wouldn't do it if I didn't need it to build up my portfolio. Meaning I wouldn't just create a free website because you're not, unless you just want to because I'm assuming that you're in the business to make money and you always got to keep that in the back of your mind. So when someone says, hey, I'm looking for a website, I thought it would be $300. You got to kind of say, I have to pay my mortgage. I got, if you have a family, I got a significant other. I've got, if you have kids, I've got kids. I got to feed them. I got to clothe them. I got to pay my electric bill. So you got to kind of treat it like it's a business. And while it's okay to go to them for referrals, you also got to let them know that this is what your job is or this is what your second income is or this is what you are trying to do. Because if you don't, then it becomes a hobby. It becomes a hobby. You start building websites, which is great, but you're just paying for building those websites or whatever, logo builder, content writer, SEO, whatever, whatever area that you're dealing with. Now I'm from Atlanta. Yes. Yes. And university, when you reach out to them to build a relationship with them, that might be a sense of potential business. Community colleges, small business centers. It is. The universities would be a small business development center. It is. In North Carolina, most other states also have tourism development departments. Yes. And they get one even in opportunity tax. So they have hundreds of businesses that are important in the development industry that are either meeting websites or upgrading websites. They'll be connected then as a potential remote source. And I want to say, look where the flow is and know how to create a little flow yourself. Look at how you are doing that, where you can get business and then your cost-pract position is a lot less. Excellent points. I didn't hear a question, but that's excellent. I was, you know, just a harbor also on that, is that one of the first things that I did when I started my agency was I joined our chambers of commerce. And I joined it because I realized that I needed to be in front of people who needed websites. And so it was a great way and a great opportunity for me to talk to small business owners and kind of get a good feel. And the interesting thing that I realized about that was because we were all members of the chamber of commerce, it was such an easier conversation, as opposed to me reaching out on social media, trying to make a hard sell, you know, those guys were a lot more comfortable with saying, you build websites, it sounds great, my website's kind of crappy, which I'm not looking at it. And then I would, and in the following week, we would have a conversation about potentially doing a redesign. I've found it just as successful with people who do the same thing. Here's the thing that a lot of people don't realize is we've got a saying in WordPress that the pie is always growing. So everybody's got their own slice. We can both say, hey, we build websites. But that's really not true in the sense that your niche could be I build websites at this price point or I build websites in this industry or I build websites in this geographical area. You could have just different niches and my lane could be totally different. And so she could come to both of us and say, hey, I need a website and this is my criteria. And what we'll find out is a lot of what she's looking for might be areas of expertise that you do. That's not saying that I couldn't do the same job, but what you're looking for is what he does on a regular basis or vice versa. What she's looking for is what I do on a regular basis. So that's why I say a lot of us feel like, man, I'm going into community and I'm sharing, but I'm really doing it with my competitor. What I found is that's so untrue. The truth of the matter is the community will help you. And I mean, I've dealt with meetups in Louisville and Pittsburgh and the Atlanta area here. And it's the same thing all around is that, oh, this is what you do. Well, I build websites too, but I don't build those type of websites. Here is the type of websites I build. Oh, here's the logos that you do. Well, I do logos too, but I don't do those type of logos. Here's the type of logos I do. And so you see a lot of cross, because the worst thing that you wanna do is take on a client that you have no idea how to do that project, because that just becomes a three month nightmare. And so if you can turn around and say, yeah, build websites, but I think this person is more suited to what your needs is. You'll find a lot more success that way. So if you're in the community, don't feel like just because you say, hey, I build websites that somebody else won't reach out and help you. Because a lot of times when we say, well, what type of websites? And if you don't know, if you're just new to it, that's okay too. Because a lot of times when we're looking for, I don't like to call them junior developers or designers, but essentially that's what they are. Somebody really new to it. And so a lot of times we'll say, okay, here's a thousand dollar project that my price point is well above, but it's a good job, a good start, a good second contract or a good second client for you. It's driven by two things. The first thing that it's driven by is the ability to get the content that's needed. The second thing that it's driven by is making sure that we realize exactly why my client needs a website. A lot of times people say I need a website and then you start asking questions and you come to find out that they really don't need a website or they really have no need for a website. So if I can, on average, I usually can figure out that pain point within a couple weeks. And if I can get the content within a couple of weeks, you're still looking at about a 60 day period. People can build websites within a week or within a day, but usually those are 10 place and they just move and contact out and put content in. Yeah, they're not really, they're really not solving a problem. Well, they are solving a problem, but that problem is they just, the person needs a presence online. And that's okay. There's a lot of people out there that make good money doing that, but they don't, but they do. But in my opinion, that's something that you have to do seven or eight times a month. Or as I rather do a project, one or two projects every three to four months and not have to worry about these $600, $500, taking a template, swapping out content. You have a question? No? I won't bite. I would probably, and I'm assuming when you say you have a wide variety, I'm assuming that you're marketing yourself as I'm a web designer and I can build anybody's website. I would probably tell you to narrow your niche because the problem with that is there's so many different elements that goes into each type of website that it's almost impossible for you to know all of those different elements. I mean, you can get in the situation where someone is a therapist and they want a website and they want the ability for someone outside to schedule a meeting. You could get into a situation where someone has a bowling alley and they just want the ability for people to know their pricing and have a really great gallery. And also have the ability for somebody to go and register and reserve an alley. And that's a different type of plug-in or feature and functionality. You could have a situation where somebody's a college and they want the ability for a parent to be able to reach out and speak to a professor or not even a college, but just an educational situation where somebody can reach out to a teacher, see a blog, it's a different element. So if somebody walked up to me and said, hey, I just want to build websites for everybody, I would sit them down on a cup of coffee and say, let's think about this. Because literally there's hundreds of different functionalities that you would have to master and it would just be impossible. I would say to you, I would say to them, find what is a passion of yours and create those type of websites. So if your passion is education, then figure out how to do a really great educational website. Because there's a market for that. See the thing about it that people don't realize is yeah, there's three billion websites. You don't need to build all three billion of them. You can just do 10,000 and make a lifetime and a great living. It's a small sliver of that pie. That's why I said the pie's always growing. We just need to figure out what our lane is. That's all we gotta do. Now I wouldn't discourage you, but I would say if I'm you, what's your passion? And only you know what your passion is. Because your passion is when you go in front of somebody else and you're like, you need a website or you're looking for a website, you're already passionate about it. You're gonna be just as passionate as that person who's like, yeah, this guy knows his stuff. Because you're gonna be talking about all your therapists. This is what I would recommend, this, this, this, this. And that person's gonna be saying, yeah, that's a pain point of mine. Yeah, I got people calling me or emailing me and they won't schedule this time and this person won't the same time and this always causing a conflict. You've already decided. I know the plug and it can solve that. So you get that job. Now, if you build a website for everybody, you're gonna have to do research to figure that out. Do you have a question? Well, I'm Daniel. You wanna know how to get your second client? Okay. Well, have you told your family and friends what you do for a living? Well, when I say family and friends, I really talk about, and that's just your family, but any organization or anyone that you have a regular contact with and you don't let them know what you do for them to hire you. The reason why you let them know what you do is in case somebody in their circle needs your service. They can refer you to them. The second thing is your existing clients. Have you let them know that you're still available? Okay. And third thing, are you part of any community? And are you actively letting people in the community know what you do and that you're available for jobs? Okay. Well, we'll stay in contact. And I'll stay on top of you to make sure that you're doing it. Okay. And that's how you'll get your next client. You know, and I really wasn't picking on you, Davis, but... Okay. Well, I was gonna apologize if you did. One of the things that I tell people all the time is I integrate those techniques in my everyday practice. When I go to a lot of meetups, I speak at a lot of word camps, I speak at a lot of events, I get to know people. If you put anything on Twitter this weekend and put the hashtag on it, I liked it. If I met you out there, regardless of through whoever, I introduced myself. I'm constantly growing my community. And if I sat down and talked to you for any second, I'm asking, what do you do? This is what I do. And how can we help each other to grow? Because there is, I've yet to meet a web designer who does exactly what I try to do. I don't think he insists. But now I meet a lot of people or potential clients who are looking for web designers, and I can't do it, but if you can do it, you better believe I'm gonna say, well, I just found somebody who can do it. Here's their information. As a matter of fact, give them a call, let them know Daniel sent you. And they might never, Daniel who, okay, yeah, but I don't mind doing that. Because your success is my success in a sense that if you're successful, hopefully you'll continue to contribute to the community which will make me successful. Any other questions? Well, thanks, guys.