Generate a Steady Flow of New Clients: 3 Mindsets and 3 Habits to Practice

I’ve been observing a lot these past few months. And I’ve been asking a lot of questions. Especially regarding lead generation and business growth during these tumultuous times. There seems to be two camps of entrepreneurs. One camp is experiencing extraordinary growth and business couldn’t be better as a result of the pandemic. There is also another group of business owners that are struggling to keep a steady flow of new clients in their business.

Which camp are you in?

Always curious by nature, I’ve started wondering why is one business owner thriving while another one is struggling? Is it that one is just better at what they do? Do they know more people? Is their business serving a need that people have right now? Are they more charismatic? I’m positive that in some cases the answer to these questions could be a resounding yes. But I’m not convinced that generating a constant flow of clients is always about skill and personality.  

What if having a steady stream of new clients has more to do with our mindset and habits than how much we know, or how well we are liked?

I think now, more than ever, we could all use a reset as we move into a new, and hopefully so much better, year. The year 2020 has not been easy on anyone, so let’s take a deep breath and make some changes that will jump-start a new flow of clients in 2021!

3 Mindsets to Shift to Keep a Steady Flow of Clients

A new mindset requires us to change the way we think, what we believe, and ultimately how we perceive the world around us. Here are 3 mindsets I have found that will stop the flow of new clients.

Scarcity Mindset

The other day I listened to a two-minute video clip from Chris Kenney, an extremely successful sales coach. His friends had asked him, “What is it that has had your business thrive during the pandemic?” His response was that he didn’t believe for one minute that people aren’t buying. Have you caught yourself saying or thinking anything like this…

• People just aren’t buying during this pandemic
• People will not spend that kind of money for X
• There is too much competition and not enough prospects

I’m guilty too. I have had “scarcity” thoughts. Actually a lot, more recently. But I also know that this mindset doesn’t serve me or you in any way whatsoever. As you know, money is energy. And when we stop the flow of energy within ourselves, we stop the flow of money.

One of the habits I have found that has been most hurtful to blocking my abundance mindset is comparing myself to others. I always manage to find 100 other business owners like myself that are doing “so much better” than me. Whatever I go looking for, of course I am going to find.

More helpful habits to practice are belief, faith, and gratitude. These will shift you to a place of abundance.

Imposter Syndrome

In my group coaching program, my coach recently asked the group, “What stops you from fully embracing your CEO mindset?” I was shocked by the number of women who stated their number one block was a lack of confidence in their abilities. And then I talked to one of my besties last night and she confirmed that imposter syndrome was wreaking havoc on her professional life. It is such a phenomenon, especially with women.

Why are there so many beautiful, talented, and highly qualified business owners falling prey to this beast? Personally, I think it has a lot to do with social media and the rapidly changing entrepreneurial climate. It’s hard to know what is real and what is not. Social media glorifies the successes of so many entrepreneurs. Although it happens, it’s rare to see the struggles one goes through as a business owner. After all, who wants to buy from someone who has or is struggling?

Want to kick imposter syndrome’s butt? Start with acknowledging all the success you’ve had. Follow that up with a list of everything you have learned and currently know. Stop comparing yourself to others who “supposedly” know more. Embrace a healthy dose of learning and growing. Absolutely refuse to believe you are anything short of unique and amazing!

Fixed Mindset

Yesterday I was trapped in a fixed mindset. I knew it. I acknowledged it. You see, I had just spent hours putting together presentation slides and notes, and recording a video presentation in Canva, only to find out that the software did not allow me to download the recorded presentation as an MP4 video. I was mad. I was shocked. And I was fixated on making it work. But guess what? Nothing I did was going to allow me to do what I wanted to do.  

I had to develop a growth mindset and shift gears. I needed to come up with my plan B, despite my disappointment. Has this ever happened to you when it comes to getting new clients? On the Screw the 9 to 5 blog, there is a great article and graphic that describes perfectly the differences between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset.

Start thinking about how you can apply a growth mindset to creating a steady flow of new clients…

• Ask other people what they are doing to generate leads and get new clients
• Try some new strategies you’ve never tried before
• Read a new book, listen to a podcast or watch a video on lead generation
• Don’t even entertain the idea of “giving up” – it’s not an option

3 Habits to Practice to Generate a Continuous Flow of Clients

Habits, on the other hand, are more about the daily actions we are taking in our lives. They are often driven by our mindset, and result in changes to our existing circumstances. These 3 habits will work wonders for generating a continuous flow of clients in your business.

Consistency

You’ve heard the quote “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” This is not the type of consistency that I am referring to here. This is at the extreme end of the consistency continuum. At the other end, is trying something once, failing and jumping ship immediately. Or getting all gung ho about a new idea and getting started, only to start chasing the next bright, shiny object.

Somewhere in the middle of these two extremes is a happy medium of “consistency.” This consistency can be applied to your marketing efforts, your lead generation systems, and your sales calls. Create a process for getting new clients that works for you, and then work the system. Consistently.  

I’ve seen too many clients expect instantaneous results, only to get frustrated and want to try something new. I am totally in favor of trying new strategies as long as the old strategies have been tried consistently for several months. If you have a process, and sometimes you do it and sometimes you don’t, how can you measure its success? Or if you have a system, and you leave out steps, this lack of consistency doesn’t allow for a true representation of its workability.

Commit to consistency in your business. Measure your efforts. And change course if you need to.

Self-Care

The fastest way to burnout and blocking your energetic flow is through a lack of self-care. When your energy isn’t flowing, you are stuck. Being “stuck” blocks your creativity, your vibrant personality, your flow of abundance, and ultimately NEW CLIENTS!

I know it might seem contradictory to tell you to get away from your office and engage in radical self-care, especially if you’re working hard to generate new business. But I know from experience that sometimes working too hard keeps you from learning instead, to work smart.

Self-care could look like a daily mindset practice, regular trips to the gym, watching a TV series that makes you laugh, or creating 3-day weekends to play and socialize with friends and family. Lately, my spouse and I have been totally engaged with the Netflix series “Schitt’s Creek.” It is such a comical relief for both of us. Not to mention a reminder that things could always be worse.

If you are spending time creating consistent processes in your business and working hard to carry them out, it is totally fine to step away and let those processes work for you. I have gotten more clients when I stepped away from my business, than actively engaging or frantically searching for my next new client.

Community

The year 2020 has been a year of being cooped up in the house. As a world, we have battled anxiety, depression, grief, and isolation. Never before have we experienced such gratitude for “community.” Our friends, our family, dining or shopping patrons, really almost anyone in the human race.

Today, during a team meeting, I caught up with my social media VA. My heart went out to her when she told me she has only been out of her house 2-3 times since March. Her country is on a strict lockdown and her only resource for community is people she connects with online.

Because we all have such a strong appreciation for connecting with other human beings, building a real community of people is practically the only guaranteed way of getting new clients. And unfortunately, you have to build that community of people online.  

People are craving live and genuine human interaction. 

Gone are the days that we can let our marketing software send out automated messages and hope they secure us a new client. Our prospects want personalized communication. They want to know we care about them as human beings. We need to connect face-to-face in Zoom meetings, talk to each other on the phone, or interact in a Live training scenario.

You must create a community to keep a steady flow of clients for your business.

I’m curious. How is business going for you this year? What has worked for you to maintain a steady flow of new clients? Please share. I’m sure we can all learn from each other.

And if you’re looking for a team (a community) of heart-centered professionals to support you with your marketing activities, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Amazing OBM. We’d love to chat and help you plan for an amazing 2021!