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Offer Free Strategy Sessions
Client Engagement
This week, let’s focusing on the importance of reconnecting with existing clients and offering free strategy sessions. Adopting this practice has already yielded fantastic results for me.
Habit of the week:
Offer Free Strategy Sessions
Reach out to your clients and offer them a free 30-minute strategy session. Initiating these sessions opens doors to new opportunities and strengthens your client relationships.
Why it matters:
Free strategy sessions provide a powerful touchpoint with clients. They offer a chance to discuss anything from website improvements to marketing strategies tailored to each client's needs.
These sessions are always free, yet their impact can be enormous. After an overwhelming response last year, I had to more than double my planned meeting time and locked in over $13,000 in business.
Quick Start Guide:
- Listen to this episode of Josh Hall's podcast: Josh's Web Designer Pro podcast is filled with great episodes like this one. His guest, Lisa Williams, has amazing tips on how to craft your offer.
- Block Out Time: Start by blocking out two days dedicated solely to these meetings in your calendar. Make sure you have a plan for overflow.
- Advertise Early: Encourage clients to book their sessions early, as slots fill up quickly. This ensures you manage your time effectively and clients get the help they need without delay.
- Prepare a Bonus: Prepare a free audit before each session as a bonus. This adds value and gives you insights into the client's current situation, making the session even more impactful. Send them the day before your meeting.
Cami's Tips
- Know your limits: After 4-5 meetings, I'm toast. Don't book too many meetings in one day.
- Track Your Success: Track all sessions and the resulting business or improvements in a spreadsheet. This will help you measure the success of your efforts.
- Frequency: Consider offering these sessions quarterly or every six months to maintain regular client touchpoints.
- Be Flexible: Be ready to discuss any aspect of your client's business. The more open the session, the more valuable it is to them. Review their websites before your meeting and have a plan to steer the conversation in the direction you want to go.
- Listen first: Hold your fire and ask them what they'd like to discuss before you share your thoughts.
Routine Checkpoint:
Remember, adjust your schedule and session format based on what works best (3-6 month intervals), aiming to make this a regular part of your service offering.
After your initial round of strategy sessions, reflect on their success and client feedback.
What's Your Take?
Have you benefited from offering client strategy sessions in the past? What was your experience like, and what did you learn? Please share your stories in our Facebook group.
WebCami Cafe is a Facebook group created to connect web designers, old and new, to share tips on starting, running, and maintaining a successful web design business. Join Today!
about the author
Cami MacNamara is a web designer and owner of WebCami LLC, a Seattle-based agency since 2002. She created Web Designer Habits to help solopreneurs build smarter systems, stay productive, and run a business that works for them.