Ditch the revolving door + increase customer retention.
Looking at marketing tactics for new lead generation isn’t always the answer. Instead, do more with the clients you have and watch your business grow.
A lead generation strategy isn’t the only way to scale your business.
Even though I run a 6-figure business, I don’t actually take on a ton of new clients all the time. We may get 1-2 new clients each month, but often the calendar is filled with existing or past clients booking new projects.
This has been especially helpful over the last 18 months as I prepared for maternity leave, took that time off, and returned to work with a part-time schedule (read more about that here). Honestly? I haven’t had the chance to focus on marketing for my business until the last few weeks because I was so dedicated to our clients and the team. Now that I’m happy with our current spot, I’ve been able to focus my attention back on marketing. However, if I needed to bring in a bunch of new clients all the time, that would have been exhausting to add to my list!
Despite the lack of marketing and part-time hours, the business still grew over 2022. Setting yourself up for taking a step back (whatever the reason) is just one of the reasons why you need to focus on increasing your customer retention… Let’s get into the rest.
- You don’t need to spend time and money on marketing to get new leads. That means more time to do stuff that really moves the needle. For me, moving the needle meant digging into the operations of my business: Hiring the right people and learning how to delegate to the team, working 1:1 with clients to create more impact… That kind of thing!
- The work with your existing clients gets more and more efficient as you work together longer. When shit gets easier, so does making money. Plus, you’ll both be happier when you get into a solid flow. Some of our clients have been with me for 2+ years, which means that they hardly need any revisions at this point. But you don’t need to wait that long to find this sense of ease within your client workflows. I’ve noticed that things tend to really click—meaning it’s streamlined, minimal (or no) revisions, etc. around the 3-6 month mark.
- You’re more likely to get referrals + good testimonials. Happy clients lead to more happy clients. Not needing a more in depth lead gen strategy? Yes please! For those of you who hate marketing, this is an easy way to avoid showing up on Instagram if you want. 😂
- It creates more opportunities for growth. Often clients you have a long term relationship with are willing to let you strategically experiment because they trust you. You get the chance to create an even bigger impact for them, and that’s on the job experience you can leverage down the line or with other clients.
- It feels good to keep clients around for the long haul. At least I think so. I love all our clients (because I only work with people who truly align). The idea of having to say bye to them all the time is sad… No thank you! I’ll keep you in my world by coming up with ways to serve you better.
A clarification here: Increasing client retention does not mean that you need to get everyone on retainer. My business has gone through phases where I do or don’t accept retainer clients, but retention is still a goal. You could look at opportunities to book future projects before the current one wraps up, or reach out to past clients to get them back on your calendar.
You get to decide what this looks like for you.
Stop focusing on lead generation strategy. Here’s how to keep clients long term.
Here are the 3 things I did to maximize customer retention.
- Restructure client agreements.
A couple years ago, I took a good look at the work I was doing with clients and decided to create standard packages and eliminate retainers.This seems counterintuitive… Wouldn’t retainers increase retention? Yes, but in my case, the original retainers I had kept me from playing bigger. Juggling retainers while growing other areas of my business was too much, so I moved everyone into a project-based format, essentially creating a queue or lineup to work through. This helped me better manage my time, appropriately budget for each scope, and get systems in place.
But business has phases, just like everything in life. Eventually, after refining our systems and hiring more help, I welcomed clients into retainer agreements again. Now, me and the team are able to effectively and efficiently manage these clients in addition to projects with new and existing clients.
- Improved systems for client experience.
To give your clients the white-glove experience, things need to feel easy. They don’t want to have to worry about the details or do a bunch of homework for you. They want to know that you have everything covered—you’re an expert they’re relying on to execute.
Even better if these systems and processes also make things easier for you. After developing my unique method of providing deliverables, I automated my method by using Dubsado. Now, things are easier for my clients AND me and my team behind the scenes.
- Consult on the bigger picture.
I’m not just a copywriter, even though copy is the bread and butter of what my business provides. I’m a brand and marketing strategist, so I also guide clients with intentional recommendations. I offer them next steps at the end of every project, whether that’s booking another project with us, getting set up with a retainer that fits their needs, or giving them tools to go it alone for a while, etc.
However this looks for you, you’ll need to own whatever it is that you dig deeper on. For a while, I struggled with this. I was consulting for clients for a while, but still just called myself a copywriter. I had a ton of limiting beliefs around adding more to my title, despite how long I’ve been doing this for.
When I truly started to own this consulting role, I was able to increase client retention a crazy amount. In the first few years of my business, there were a lot of clients coming in and out because I was just known for website copy. But as I stepped into this role, they started trusting me more. Now my clients stick around for the long haul.
Want to make more money? Become obsessed with your current clients.
You don’t need to have a revolving door of clients. When you don’t have to constantly onboard and offboard, things get easier for everyone. You really get to know them—they feel super supported by you. Basically, everything gets better when you dig in deeper with the clients you have.
I’m obsessed with my clients, and it shows when they say nice things about me and the team like…
“Working with Jill exceeded every expectation I had!! She is SO creative and attentive to the needs of the project! It honestly gave me so much ease to know that Jill had my back and it allowed me to confidently take a step back, let her take the lead, and gave me time back to spend on other pieces on my business. I keep re-reading her copy because it truly feels so much like me, even better than I could even write myself! If you are thinking about hiring Jill – DO IT!!! You will never ever regret it!!”
Caitlen Schmidt, CSchmidt Fitness https://cschmidt.fit/
“Jill knows how to solve ANY business problem, big or small. She asks the right questions, digs deep, and connects the dots so you don’t have to on your own! Because let’s face it – solving our own biz problems can feel like we’re chasing our own tail. Jill helped me create a comprehensive plan to improve one of my signature offers (a private membership). Specifically, Jill helped me brainstorm improvements for this private membership, along with developing a plan to improve both acquisition and retention. While I couldn’t figure out how to go from step A… to step B… to step Z, Jill could see the path. Working with Jill by your side, I promise, you can accomplish anything you’re struggling with in your business. Whether it’s offer creation, acquisition, retention, UX, messaging, Jill’s got you covered. Hire Jill next time you need a business strategist who’s ridic smart, generous, and gives a damn about your business.”
Kira Hug https://kirahug.com/
“Writing this is really hard… Since starting to work with Jill 18 months ago, I’ve barely had to write a thing (and it’s pretty freaking great!).
When Jill and I started working together, I thought I only needed a copywriter to help with my website, and maybe a couple emails. Since our initial project, I’ve had Jill write a sales page, multiple email sequences, launch content, and all of my digital product shop collateral. I always tell my friends that Jill “does Charlotte” better than I do— everything she writes sounds like me (but better) and follows on from the epic strategy she came up with for my messaging in the beginning.
My business has grown so much since our initial project, and I’ve launched multiple new products. All that wouldn’t have been possible without Jill’s help. If you want to work with a copywriter who gives a shit about you and your bottom line, hire Jill. You won’t regret it… but fair warning: It’s addictive.”
Charlotte Isaac https://charlotteisaac.com/
See what I mean? Giving people 150% pays off.
This can work for you, too.
Part of the process of making money is looking at your business strategically and deciding where to focus next. For me, that means treating the people in my world really well. I’m super into all of our clients and I try to make sure they know that. They’re good people and I’m lucky to work with them.
If you want to know more about HOW I juggle all the things—managing an average of 5-10 clients at a time plus 2-4 team members working on every project—all while only working 15 hours each week, check out this free download. The 6-Figure Schedule is a behind the scenes look at how my business brings in 5-figure months with just part-time hours.
And if you’re ready to dive deep into business growth strategies like this, you may be a good fit for my mastermind. Learn more here.
