2020 is in the rear view mirror and for a lot of businesses, it was a tough year. From lockdowns to closures, it seems that a lot of businesses knuckled down and waited for this all to blow over. But there are a certain few who went against the norm and doubled down during the pandemic. A certain few who took this as an opportunity as their competitors went into a ‘hibernation’. There were some brands who consistently grew profitably in 2020 and are now leaps ahead of their industries.
Bill J Clarke is at the front of lead generation for businesses in the UK and his agency Mustard Fox Marketing has helped clients to stay profitable and hit growth targets. His clients include accountants, consultants, coaches, as well as 7-figure brick & mortar businesses so it’s fair to say that he can help businesses across all sectors he comes across. He uses Facebook and Google advertising to ensure that his clients can present their irresistible offers to their target market and bring in new business for his clients like a modern day snake charmer. One of his clients is currently seeing a 20x return on their advertising investment – almost unheard of results in the industry.
But it wasn’t always like this. At the start of his entrepreneurship journey, Bill was unsure how to generate clients consistently. In his first month, he signed 2 clients but put it down to beginners luck as he then spent the next 6 months hopping from strategy to strategy, trying desperately to find one that delivered on every guru’s promise.
(Hint: keep reading if you want to learn why you should never listen to a guru’s advice on their strategies)
As mentioned earlier, Bill tried pretty much every way to generate leads as was out there. He invested in courses, coaching, webinars and spent hoursif not days of his life listening to what ‘gurus’ had to say on the matter. It took a lot of time and money for him to realise that it’s not that strategy that matters, but the execution. As long as you have platform where you can connect with your ideal client, a way to add value to them as well as how to present applicable offers to them, then all you need to do is start!
Bill uses something called the 85% rule. If you have a strategy that is 85% ready to go, then start it. He found that waiting until everything was polished, tidy and 100% ready then he wasted time and also incurred the opportunity cost of all the potential clients he could have been helping during the day of focusing on a perfect strategy. What he learned was that there isn’t one magic strategy to build your business. He understood that having a steady income of new leads to his business was going to be the deciding factor to whether he would still be in business years down the line – spoiler alert, he is and his business is looking stronger than ever.
Whether you’re a coach, consultant, or business owner trying to grow during tough times, the one thing you need to focus on is this stream of new leads coming into your business month after month. Your first thoughts may be to spend the next few weeks developing a complex marketing plan, investing in a business coach, purchasing new software but the truth is, you don’t need any of that. Remember ths 85% rule. Once you know which platform your ideal clients use, how you can add value and start relationships with them, as well as how to present your exciting offers, you’re golden. Start now, stay consistent, reap the rewards.
If you’re looking to connect with Bill, you can find his Instagram @billclarke.97 or search Bill J Clarke on Facebook.