What do I do when I can’t get design clients?
I remember the days when I was first getting started and how hard it was.
Good thing for me was I didn’t even really know how hard it was going to be, or I’d probably have given up!
So I can sympathize when new designers are trying to break through and start making strides in their business.
It’s no joke – it’s hard work.
REALLY hard work.
But it can be done.
Here’s the reality:
The hard stuff weeds out the pretenders.
The wannabes.
The part-timers.
The ones who persist, learn, review, revise, and repeat are the ones who will eventually win.
Because the 80/20 rule is a reality in this space just as it is anywhere else:
20% of people who start the work to become a funnel designer are going to be successful because they’re willing to do whatever it takes to get to the next step.
80% are going to either quit or struggle when things get hard.
The bottom line is this:
It’s a lot of hard work.
I came across a question this morning in one of the Facebook groups I’m a part of and it was one of these people who was teetering on discouragement and disillusionment.
Here’s what I told her.
Funnel builders are a dime a dozen
Here’s a hard reality: funnel builders and designers are a commodity these days.
That doesn’t mean they’re all good, but all you have to do is watch the threads in the main ClickFunnels group whenever someone asks for a funnel design recommendation – it’s immediately mobbed by numerous people who are most likely really low-ball offers.
Get out of the red ocean
So then the question is – what gets you out of the “red” ocean and into the “blue” ocean? You have to figure out how you deliver value to target market. (You do have a target market/dream customer profile, right?)
Differentiate yourself – market yourself HARD – show the results you’re creating. Do more free work if you’re stuff isn’t turning into paid customers. Derek Halpern made a name for himself years ago by doing free website audits for big-time influencers.
Focus on creating results
The people to whom you’re pitching design services will pay you immediately if they understand that you are able to deliver results for them.
THAT – that alone – is what separates successful funnel builders from everyone else – the ability to deliver results.
You have to present value – and it’s not always design-related. So for example, what results have you achieved by building out your funnels? They don’t have to be client funnels – they can be your own.
10x everything you’re doing
You have to go 10x harder than the lowball offers you’re competing against. Those of us who’ve been successful doing this kind of work will rarely if ever show up in those threads because we’re not chasing business.
So keep working at it. There is no magic pill to make you successful. It takes time to break through. Sometimes more than you expect, but DO NOT GIVE UP.
Look at everything you’ve been doing from a marketing perspective and find out what works and what hasn’t worked.
Then go 10x harder on the stuff that does work.
Once you go all in and REALLY commit to sticking to it through the hard times, your customer issues will “magically” take care of themselves.