Attracting customers and generating predictable income is a challenge, especially for small businesses with fierce competition. You need to convince potential buyers that your offerings are the best on the market.
How do you do that?
One proven method is to create a detailed framework known as a client getting system. A system outlines exactly what to do at each stage of the customer acquisition funnel to maximize the chances of conversion.
In this article, we’ll explain what a client getting system is, what a client management system is and how both work. We’ll also cover the best practices and tools you can use to convert prospects into customers with ease.
What is a client getting system?
A client getting system is the strategic approach businesses use to attract and convert new clients. It can be as simple or complex as you need it to be, but at the very least, it should include basic activities that target customers at each stage of their lifecycle.
Most of the time, new sales prospects don’t immediately become clients. Instead, they journey through what’s known as the client acquisition funnel. The funnel represents all the steps a customer takes, from becoming aware of a product and company to finally making a purchase.
A client getting system is like a sister to the client acquisition funnel. The acquisition funnel describes the process prospects take to become clients, while the client getting system describes the actions you’ll take to improve this process.
In other words, it’s a framework that a business uses to drive potential customers through each stage of the funnel. It includes everything to attract and acquire clients, like small business marketing techniques, sales strategies, customer service initiatives and other tactics.
Your client getting system might look completely different from another system you’ve seen and that’s OK. Funnels can be unique to each business; you might prefer a highly detailed or simpler system.
Keeping that in mind, let’s look at the benefits of having a strong client getting system, no matter how complex.
What is a client management system?
A client getting system differs from a client management system, which is the process of organizing and managing client information and interactions. Both help you improve client relationship management: your client getting system helps you start relationships and make a good first impression; your client management system helps you nurture and develop those relationships.
Client management systems are usually run using client management software, also known as customer relationship management tools or CRMs. client management software enables you to track all the interactions you and your colleagues have with clients, customers, leads, prospects and partners – as well as any other people or businesses you have a relationship with.
In some cases, the terms “Client management system” and “client management software” are interchangeable.
Once you’ve captured a client with your client getting system, you can use your client management system to do the following:
Monitor which products and services your client purchases
Analyze h they react to your transactional and marketing messaging
Track conversations they have with your sales, success and support professionals
Many CRMs have features that help you run both you client getting system and client management system, but more on that later.
Why is having an effective client getting system important?
A client getting system aims to attract prospective clients, convert them into customers and retain them for as long as possible. Such a system is crucial for both small and large businesses as it forms the foundation for generating revenue.
Here are some ways a client getting system can improve client acquisition:
Improved efficiency. A structured approach saves time and focuses resources on the most promising prospects. For instance, it could streamline your marketing efforts by targeting the right audience, improving your chances of success.
Higher conversion rates. A client getting system helps you generate personalized marketing campaigns and sales techniques to address client concerns at each customer journey stage. The process improves your chances of converting your prospects so you can maximize revenue generation.
Improved tracking and analytics. A comprehensive client getting system includes tools to track and analyze your performance (more on this below). These tools can help you measure key metrics like customer acquisition cost and sales efficiency, so you can identify areas for improvement and optimize your strategies.
Boosted scalability and growth. A well-designed client getting system makes it easier to scale your efforts as your business grows. A good system in place means you’ll be able to reuse successful strategies and adapt to changes to attract more potential clients consistently.
Essentially, a client getting system gives you the structure and tools to convert prospects more easily. The next question is, how does it do this?
How does a client getting system work?
The customer acquisition funnel has five stages, starting from your first encounter with a prospect.
At each stage, you need a different approach to move them through the sales funnel more effectively. A client getting system helps you do this.
It provides a framework of targeted strategies for each funnel stage. Providing your prospects with the information and support they need when they need it means you increase the chances of them moving to the next stage and eventually becoming a customer.
Below, we’ll explain, step-by-step, the key strategies you can use to streamline your client getting system.
1. Awareness
In the awareness stage of the customer acquisition funnel, your prospects become aware of your brand. They’ve encountered a problem that your product or service could solve. Your aim is to make them aware of who you are and why your products are the perfect solution.
The typical way to do this is through targeted marketing campaigns and advertisements.
For example, when searching for a solution, prospects will see your campaigns, ads and content. If the ads are successful, they’ll enter your acquisition funnel and move to the next stage.
To streamline the awareness stage, your client getting system should include tactics to make your brand and products more visible.
The best way to do this is to have a strong online presence, which means you need an optimized website with clear messaging.
Let’s look at some other strategies to reach clients in the awareness stage:
Use content marketing. Provide valuable content that targets your audience’s interests and pain points to bring in readers and establish yourself as an authority. Examples include blog posts, videos and sales podcasts you distribute across your website and social media channels. Content marketing automation can help you manage this alongside other responsibilities.
Utilize social media marketing. Reach a wider audience and boost brand visibility with social media. You could share engaging posts, respond to comments and use targeted advertising options to reach key interest groups.
Optimize for search engines. Increase your chances of appearing at the top of search engine results when customers search for related keywords through search engine optimization (SEO).
Invest in paid advertising. Use Google Ads and social media platforms to target potential customers based on their interests, search behavior and demographics. Using compelling campaigns, you can highlight the benefits of your offerings and drive prospects to specific landing pages.
Establish yourself as a thought leader. Share actionable, credible advice in the right places to grow your thought leadership in your industry. You could do this by writing guest posts for industry websites, having experts write guest posts for yours or appearing on podcasts.
Implementing these strategies as part of your client getting system allows you to begin generating familiarity with your brand. Next, it’s time to nurture your prospects and generate true interest in your offerings.
2. Interest
In the interest stage, customers are aware of your company and begin to show interest in purchasing your products.
For example, they may have engaged with your website content, subscribed to your newsletter or clicked on one of your ads. These actions show they’re interested. Your next goal is to encourage them to consider making a purchase.
Here are some tactics to nurture prospects in the interest stage:
Engage your prospects directly. Contact potential customers, answer their questions, address their concerns and provide more value with informative content.
Employ lead management methods. To nurture prospects, you must capture their contact information with proven lead management strategies. One useful method is offering valuable resources like white papers, templates or webinars to get email addresses.
Nurture prospects with marketing campaigns. Once you have a database of leads, it’s time to create a powerful email marketing campaign. Segment your list based on interests and preferences and send relevant content (or promotions). Finally, provide a compelling call-to-action (CTA) that drives customers to the next stage of the sales pipeline.
Use retargeting strategies to keep prospects interested. Retargeting re-engages customers who are interested in your offerings but haven’t taken further action. For example, if a prospect downloaded your e-book and then stopped engaging, you could send them a promotional email offering a free product trial to draw them back in.
Remember, your main goal at this point is to engage and nurture your prospects. In doing this, you’ll lead them to the next stage, which is where they really start to consider your offering.
3. Consideration
At this stage, your customer has shown signs that they’re comparing different offerings to see which is best for them. They’ll likely look into pricing, features and reviews to make an informed decision.
To help them decide and make your brand stand out, you must provide all the information they need and clearly demonstrate your edge over competitors. You might include product guides, comparison charts, case studies and interactive tools so your prospects can better evaluate their needs.
Some things that will get customers to love your product include:
Detailed product information. Prospects at this stage want to find detailed and technical information about your products or services. To make their lives easier, ensure this information is readily available and easily understood. For example, you could have product pages with specifications, features and pricing details.
Case studies, testimonials and reviews. Case studies and reviews from satisfied customers act as social proof of how effective your offerings are. An extensive list of positive testimonials can be a powerful way to influence a prospect’s decision in your favor.
Free trials or product demonstrations. Free trials and sales demos allow potential customers to better understand your products. For example, before buying customer relationship management (CRM) software, a customer might want a hands-on experience to ensure that it fits their organizational needs.
Personal consultations or Q&A sessions. One-on-one consultations are an effective way to answer a prospect’s questions and concerns. They also enable you to demonstrate your product in a way that meets the prospect’s specific needs.
Special offers. Often, pricing is the deciding factor that influences a customer’s purchase. If a prospect is on the fence about your product, you could offer a limited-time discount to create a sense of urgency and sway their decision.
Providing ample information and support to prospects demonstrates the value of your offerings and encourages them to choose you.
4. Conversion
The conversion stage, also known as the decision or action stage, is where a prospect decides to purchase. They’ve done their research and they’re ready to purchase your offering.
The trick here is to make the conversion as easy as possible. The last thing you want is for a prospect to change their mind because the buying process is too confusing or difficult.
Therefore, your client getting system should include tactics that streamline the buying process and encourage more prospects to convert. Here are some key ideas you could use:
Provide clear CTAs. Clear and compelling CTAs on your website, emails and ads show potential customers what to do next. They could guide customers towards purchasing, subscribing to your service or scheduling a consultation.
Simplify the checkout process. The checkout process should be straightforward and user-friendly. Try to reduce unnecessary steps and ensure forms are simple and easy to fill out to prevent customers from abandoning the process halfway through.
Provide secure payment methods. Offer your customers several secure payment methods. Being seen as flexible and safe builds trust and confidence and makes it easier for new customers to sign up.
Give your prospects assurances. Assurances like money-back guarantees, warranties and excellent after-sales service can make your prospects more confident in their decision.
Often, you may have to negotiate charges and deliverables with potential clients before they agree to sign up, especially if you’re a freelancer or small business. Make sure you know ahead of time what your targets are and how flexible you’re willing to be on price and additional offers.
Putting these strategies in place, you should be able to improve the customer experience and boost your conversion rates significantly.
After conversion, the focus shifts to keeping clients returning and making repeat purchases.
5. Retention (and advocacy)
The retention stage of the client acquisition funnel is all about keeping existing clients happy and nurturing long-term client relationships. The ultimate aim is to encourage repeat business, increase customer lifetime value and generate positive referrals.
Retention is crucial for business success as, in many cases, it’s cheaper than the marketing, sales and support efforts that go into attracting and nurturing new customers. It also tends to be easier to sell to someone who already trusts you.
Key customer management strategies include providing exceptional onboarding, ongoing customer service, loyalty programs and special offers for long-term clients.
Here are some key ways to improve customer retention:
Provide next-level customer service. Give your customers personalized customer service and ensure that you answer inquiries and complaints promptly. Continually educate your clients about new products and services, as well as techniques they can use to get the most out of them.
Don’t stop providing value after the sale. Giving your customers excellent after-sales service is crucial to keep them coming back. Things like simple thank-you emails, detailed onboarding tutorials and referral vouchers will ensure your customers that you won’t forget them as soon as they’ve purchased.
Start a loyalty or referral program. Loyalty and referral programs are great ways to reward your customers for their continued custom. You could give them discounts or access to exclusive products at key milestones and offer larger rewards for successful sales referrals.
Note: While not traditionally included, some businesses add a sixth stage: advocacy. Happy and loyal customers can become advocates for your brand, recommending your products or services to their network and potentially bringing in new prospects.
4 top tips for a powerful client getting system
Here are some fundamental sales and marketing practices that can support you in attracting, converting and keeping more customers, no matter what you sell.
1. Conduct market research and understand your ideal clients
Market research is essential as it uncovers critical insights about the market, your customers and your competitors. It helps you discover potential clients, understand their needs and learn sales trends. Using this knowledge, you can craft the most effective marketing strategies to attract and retain clients.
Imagine you’re an agency business owner specializing in digital marketing for small businesses. Market research shows that your clients struggle to get their websites to appear in Google’s search results.
Based on this, you can tailor your marketing material to address this specific pain point and offer SEO optimization services.
Likewise, through market research, you might realize that most of your prospective clients are active on LinkedIn and industry-specific forums. Then, you can focus your marketing and sales efforts on the marketing channels with the best chances of reaching them.
Understanding your market and ideal clients means you can take a more targeted, personalized approach to your acquisition strategy. So you’ll be more likely to attract and convert the clients best matched to your services.
2. Create a compelling value proposition
A value proposition tells your potential customers why they should choose you over your competitors. It should briefly outline your brand’s unique value and offerings and how it sets you apart.
To continue with the marketing agency example, imagine your primary clients are small e-commerce websites. You realize that many of your clients’ reps struggle to generate sales from social media, so you create the following value proposition:
“Boost your e-commerce sales with our proven social media strategies. We specialize in creating engaging campaigns that resonate with your target audience and convert them into loyal customers, letting you focus on what matters most – selling.”
This unique selling proposition is effective because it:
Addresses a key pain point (struggling to generate sales from social media)
Offers a clear solution from the outlook (engaging campaigns)
States what sets your agency apart (that you specialize in e-commerce)
Mentions key benefits of your service (increases sales and enables the client to focus on other business aspects)
3. Create a comprehensive content plan
A content marketing plan guides your content creation efforts, ensuring that your messaging remains consistent, relevant and aligned with your business goals. A well-executed plan will increase brand awareness, improve lead generation and establish your brand as an authority in your field.
The goal is to have a steady stream of valuable content that resonates with your target audience and brings in new clients.
Some examples of content you might want to include are:
Blog posts
Detailed “ultimate guide” articles
YouTube videos and tutorials
FAQs
Webinars
Infographics
Social media posts
Email newsletters
Continuing the example of a marketing agency, you might develop a series of blog posts about different aspects of SEO marketing. The content would aim to educate your prospects about the value of search engine optimization, guiding them to take further action with clear CTAs.
4. Analyze and improve your sales approach
To be successful in sales, you need to constantly analyze customer data to optimize your results. The process of constant refinement allows you to identify which strategies work and which ones need improvement so you can stay competitive in your market.
Here are some methods you can use:
Perform sales metrics analysis. Track and analyze key sales metrics like conversion rate, sales cycle length, cost per lead and customer acquisition cost. These metrics will show you how your sales approach works and identify areas you can optimize to save on costs.
Seek and act on customer feedback. Ask for feedback and follow up on it to ensure that you understand your clients and can better meet their needs and expectations. Regularly seek feedback from successfully converted customers and those who didn’t choose your products and try to understand why they made their decision.
A/B split testing. Create two different versions of a sales or email strategy to see which performs best. This split test helps you collect evidence that you can use to continually refine your approach.
Analyze your competitors. Competitor analysis helps you understand your competitors' strategies and whether they’re successful. Analyzing what your competitors do may provide insights you can use for your own sales process.
Continually analyzing your sales approach for weaknesses allows you to adapt to changing market conditions and customer preferences, making it easier to refine your approach and maximize your chances of acquiring new clients.
6 tools to optimize your client getting system
It’s possible to manage a small business with spreadsheets and handwritten notes, but it’s not easy. Nowadays, there are dozens of software applications you can use to boost efficiency, improve decision-making, enhance personalization and streamline your business operations.
Here are some key tools to get the most out of your client getting system:
CRM software. Also known as client management software, CRM systems support you in managing and analyzing client data and interactions. The best client management software solutions have several applications for activities like contact management, task automation, client communication and project management.
Email marketing software. Email marketing software allows you to create, send and optimize email campaigns and is crucial for keeping in contact with customers and promoting your offerings. They usually have marketing automation features that take most of the manual work out of creating and sending campaigns.
Social media management tools. Social media management apps make it easier for you to create and schedule posts, monitor your brand, get notifications and engage with your audience more effectively.
Content management systems (CMS). A CMS is like a central hub for your content creation efforts. They help you create and manage digital content on your website and blog, helping you attract and retain new clients.
Analytics tools. Tools like Google Analytics enable your sales team to track website visits, page views and user behavior in real time. This information helps you understand your audience and tailor your sales strategies accordingly.
SEO tools. Apps like Google Keyword Planner or Semrush can help you optimize your online content, ensuring it appears at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs).
Pipedrive functions as an all-in-one sales and client management tool where you can manage leads and deals, track customer communications and automate your sales processes. It has customizable features, comprehensive sales reporting, workflow automation, powerful add-ons like LeadBooster and hundreds of integrations, acting as a flexible tool that can easily streamline your client getting system.
Final thoughts
Creating an effective client getting system is a nuanced process requiring a lot of upfront groundwork. It’s worth it, though, as that upfront work can save you a lot of time and effort long term.
Understanding each key element means you can create a system that doesn’t just attract potential clients but turns them into brand advocates. Those brand advocates will help you attract even more clients, further increasing the effectiveness of your client getting system and growing your business.
