Securing that all important first client
Early in the year, we made the decision to launch a digital marketing agency. Orfi Media.
We decided on our brand, ethos and style. We created a website. We established ourselves as a viable option for people looking for our services.
Everything was ready for us to begin our journey. But we didn’t have any leads.
None of the Orfi Media team are salespeople. We’re not naive, we didn’t just assume people would give us business. But we decided we’d cross that bridge when we came to it.
And now here we are, two months in. It’s been a steep learning curve for us, and we’ve learnt more lessons than we’ve signed contracts.
But with a couple of months of experience under our collective belts, we thought we’d share our thoughts with you guys on the best way to get ahead – and what to avoid.
_PICK YOUR FIGHTS
You’ve decided the concept for your new company. You’re going to lead a digital marketing revolution. Everywhere you look you see weak and ineffective marketing, copy and design.
Where do you start?
Our first mistake was to think that we could help anybody and everybody. If we perceived that they could improve, we dropped them an email to tell them just that.
Plenty didn’t respond. Of those that did, most had little intention of working with us.
But because we were so excited, we had team discussions, put together pitches and drove around the country for meetings that a little bit of realism would have shown us would lead nowhere.
And then we realised the error of our ways. Now we only approach companies that we can truly see ourselves working with.
_PLAN BEFORE YOU PITCH
When you’re bursting with ideas and creativity, the temptation is to throw everything at a pitch, to show your potential partner your enthusiasm and passion.
Stop. Take a breath. A thorough plan will help you to put your thoughts down in a clear, concise and coherent manner.
We rushed into our first pitches, trusting that the quality of the content would shine through regardless of how it was edited and presented. Needless to say, we didn’t hear back.
Now we have a well thought through and executed template, and we have an in-depth team meeting before we start crafting any pitch.
(Take a look at our pitch template below 👇)
Download the free template
_CHASE WHAT EXCITES YOU
We know, we know – we’ve just advised that you pick your fights and only chase the projects and partners you think you can land.
Equally, if not more important is that you’re passionate about your work.
Regardless of your struggles to land that first contract, you need to keep that belief in your value. That means not underselling yourself and not chasing contracts anywhere you think you can take them.
Courage, patience and a strong understanding of your business model are key.
If you have faith in yourself and your business – and you have the talent to provide value – it’s only a matter of time before you start to get the recognition you deserve.
Orfi Media is now working with our first partners – but we’re looking for more. If you need help maximising your digital marketing output, drop us a line at hello@orfimedia.com and we’ll get back to your asap!
