How to Get Your First Paying Client in 24 Hours or Less

I hate web developers.

Not because we’re boring–we’re some of the most creative people I know.

And no…not because we’re not smart–it takes a fair amount of intelligence and skill to build something beautiful.

In fact, I don’t even hate web developers because many of us would prefer a Chipotle burrito and a four-hour Breaking Bad binge to a date. Wait…maybe I’m just talking about myself…

No. None of those reasons.

You know why I hate web developers? Because there are far too many of us.

When I first started my web design/development company in 2012, this was a big, BIG deal.

I started a few other businesses before, and had done quite well, including running a college test prep company.

But I thought web development would be different. I thought that the sheer volume of talented professionals out there would make it impossible for me to stand out.

I thought I wouldn’t be able to get any clients.

Thank god I thought wrong.

The truth was, I already knew how to overcome this, stand out in a crowded market, and quickly generate leads. I’d done this once before with my test prep business.

I was finally able to “crack the code” to get new leads using an unconventional strategy I developed called the Marsupial Method.

The Marsupial Method is a unique system that helps you get new clients FAST. I mean literally overnight–even if it’s your first day in business.

Many of us struggle with the initial push to get our names out there and to find paying customers for the first time–but we don’t have to.

Okay, now it’s time for me to show you exactly what to do.

#1 Link Up With Friends

I linked up with my friends working in graphic design and shared clients with them.

When a client came to them with a request for a logo or other media asset, they’d refer to me as their “in-house” development company, and I’d offer the client a sweet deal.

Then I would give a little money to my friend for the referral.

(By the way, once you link up with good, talented friends, you can leverage the relationships to make 5x more money.)

#2 Link Up With Strangers

I systematically reached out to people I didn’t know who needed the services I was offering, and who I knew served a cross-section of my ideal target market.

I asked them to partner up via cold emails. The results were really, really good. You just have to know the proper way to approach them.

If you want more tips on how to approach them, join me for our Live Training on Lead Gen For Your Digital Agency. It’s an hour loaded with content on how to consistently get those quality leads flowing into your agency.

Pro Tip: Check the date and time because this training is way more fun live!

Marsupial Method Cold Pitch Email Template

The email pitch is pretty simple, my notes are in [BRACKETS]. Feel free to steal this, it’s the basic skeleton I used over and over again to create partnerships worth thousands of dollars:

Subject: Teaming up to offer your customers an even better experience [THE BEST SUBJECT LINES STATE WHAT THE EMAIL IS ABOUT. NO NEED TO BE “CUTE.”]

Hi Mr. Smith,

My name is Daniel and I run XYZ web development company [GET RIGHT TO THE POINT]. I see that you work in social media consulting [INSERT RELATED FIELD]. That’s really cool, looks like you’re doing great work with XYZ project [SHOW YOU DID YOUR RESEARCH]. I’m sure that you get a lot of clients that don’t only need better social marketing–they need a better website. It would be really impressive for you to offer them an “in house” solution for their design and coding needs [FOCUS ON THEM AND THEIR CLIENTS. IT’S ALL ABOUT THEM].

I could provide this service for them, completely “private labeled” as part of your firm. It would offer a great overall experience for your customers [BENEFIT #1], and it’d also create a nice financial bonus for you [BENEFIT #2].

I’ve already prepared a short document with all the details laid out for how this would work [SHOWS FORESIGHT AND PREPARATION]. Does this sound like something you’d be interested in hearing more about? If so, I can send it right over [MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM – ALL THEY HAVE TO SAY IS “YES”].

Thanks,

Daniel

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Sidenote: It’s REALLY important to learn how to create better emails. Why don’t we ever hone this skill?

Learning powerful email scripts has made me thousands upon thousands of dollars over the years — and learning how to reach out to people is the reason I’m even posting on UGurus right now.

Ramit Sethi has a lot of excellent, free resources on email scripts. Well worth the 15-minute time investment to educate yourself.

I know. Really simple, right? The great thing about The Marsupial Method is that it can work with both products or services.

It’s all about providing value for another person and enhancing their business, then using that relationship to rapidly launch your own business.

You can get started on the Marsupial Method right now. Just ask yourself the following two questions:

1. What product or service are you working on and who are your customers?

2. Where are they already doing business?