As a young trainer, finding new trainees can sometimes feel like an uphill struggle. How to target the right people? How to stand out from the competition? How to market your training catalogue and your skills? Digiformag helps you find new prospects and launch your business with as little stress as possible.
Follow these three steps and maximize your chance of success!
Step 1: Really know your target
The first phase consists in really well defining your target. If you start by prospecting the population as a whole, you won’t get very many results.
Rather than sending out the equivalent of messages in bottles, ask yourself the following questions:
- Who is my training offer for?
- Who could be interested?
- What are their needs and expectations with regard to training?
Once you know your target and their behaviour better, you will be better able to reach them effectively. Only address people potentially interested in your offer, not just anyone.
Next, find out what their preferences are:
- Where do they search for information?
- What messages have the most impact on them?
- How do they interact with trainers and training companies?
Step 2: Make yourself visible
Now that you know where to look for your target, you need to make yourself visible to them and ensure your message corresponds to their needs.
There are several stages you need to take into account in this co-called ‘brand awareness’ phase.
2.1 Your website
When you launch a new offer of services, it must be visible on the web. What better way to achieve this than a dedicated website? This will enable you to inform your prospects about your offers and to show up on search results.
Your website must be a source of information about you but must also showcase content to stimulate interest about your offer.
To do this, you can create articles, videos, charts and diagrams to present your courses in an interesting way.
This content can then be shared on your social networks to enhance your visibility.
2.2 Social media
Social media is a key communication tool for freelancers. It must under no circumstances be neglected when you are looking for your first clients. Plus, it is free!
Here we will present LinkedIn, but bear in mind that other networks like Facebook and Twitter can also be useful.
LinkedIn is THE professional social network: a gold mine for expanding your network and finding future clients. This communication tool enables you to create a digital business card and promote your training offer.
Thanks to LinkedIn, you can also join professional communities and take part in training-related discussions.
Being active on this platform is another way of improving your visibility among peers and prospects.
Don’t forget that being present on social media and regularly publishing posts enables you to improve your search engine referencing.
Step 3: Implement your sales prospecting plan
Once you have completed the first two steps, you can start to use your network to find clients. The next question, therefore, is how to prospect for clients and build up a solid professional network?
3.1 LinkedIn
LinkedIn also enables you to prospect for clients. Here are a few best practices to help you maximize your chances:
- Personalize contact requests or private messages to each individual contact.
- Don’t send grouped private messages. They will be considered as spam and will actually undermine your approach.
3.2 Professional network and personal acquaintances
Another networking approach is to talk about your new project with past and present acquaintances in your personal and professional circles.
This method is often neglected but can be very fruitful. Don’t forget that those around you also have a professional network of their own. This can help raise awareness about you in a more personal way.
3.3 Coworking
If you are a freelance trainer, you could also consider working in a coworking space. These spaces bring together professionals from all walks of life and offer a many potential contacts.
3.4 Events and trade fairs
Consider attending events and trade fairs dedicated to training to create a direct link with contacts and potential clients.
Another possibility: afterwork events or meetings provide an opportunity for exchanges via informal discussions and enable you to broaden your network.
Searching for new clients can sometimes feel like a lot of work, but it is essential. Our final piece of advice? Don’t try to do all the above at once; you will exhaust yourself! Some strategies, like building up a professional network, must be implemented quickly, while others, like being present on social media, can only be achieved over time and some, like natural referencing, may take a long time indeed (allow 3 to 6 months to be well-referenced, but this may vary depending on the strategies implemented).
Define your targets, list your possibilities and select those which seem feasible in the short, medium and long term.
Don’t forget that when prospecting, quality is always more important than quantity.
