Here are 5 actionable tips that have allowed me to build a full-time 1-person company over the past 2 years…
In one of the most (rightfully) untrusted industries: marketing services.
1. Demonstrate your expertise in public every day.
- Case studies
- Work samples
- In-depth rants about your topic of expertise
For example, I often publish detailed case studies on Twitter. If the tweet gets traction, I can expect at least 1 or 2 leads in my DMs like clockwork.
If you work with clients, you can replicate this approach on any platform of your choice. Or if you sell products, use the same principle to attract qualified attention. Then, push clicks to your site.
2. Debunk false beliefs.
Don’t be a troll for the sake of it. But be polarizing if you have something novel and valid to say.
What are your hot takes – ideally ones substantiated with data? Publish them.
3. If someone wants to buy your offer but you have reason to believe it won’t help them achieve their goals – for any reason – then inform them you don’t think it’s a good decision to buy.
If you deal with clients, justify your reasoning and offer to refer them to someone else. (Or to proceed at their own risk.)
If you sell courses, use disqualifying blurbs of copy throughout your landing page. One example of this is a, “Who this course is NOT for,” section.
(Fun fact: I’ve signed two high-ticket clients in 2023 who I’d initially declined and referred to someone else. Then, months later, they came back asking to work with me. Because they’d addressed the issues I had originally flagged, I took them on. And no, this wasn’t a sleight of hand, long-game sales tactic. My hypothesis is that the eventual transaction was a natural byproduct of my leading with trust.)
4. Tell personal stories in your emails.
Your email list is the red hot kernel of your audience.
Your subscribers are likely more invested in you than your social media followers. And when someone is invested in another person, they usually want to know more about that person – as a human being.
So… Tell intimate stories in your emails to appease that yearning for connection. The more vulnerable I get in my emails, the more sales I tend to spark.
(If you want a shortcut to master this craft, check out 5-Day Email Sprint – and pay close attention to the lesson on Day 3 of 5…)
5. Align yourself with other trusted figures in your industry.
But don’t be transactional about it.
It’s a tough line to walk elegantly. But I recommend forming genuine relationships with people who are already trusted.
Be a useful, supportive resource to these folks and maybe, just maybe they’ll help you in the future.
Trust is what separates the wildly successful creators from the fly-by-night peddlers.
Focus on producing trust. The money will follow.
Warm regards,
Dylan Bridger