How to handle a valuable client as a solopreneur

Do it like the grown ups in Sales over there

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“Hey, we might have an opportunity we want to explore with you. Do you have time for a call?”

The first time I handled an advisory client request, I panicked. I didn’t really know what was expected of me or what to charge.

With experience and advice from many other professionals, I started to develop my own method for handling my pipeline of prospects.

I’m talking here specifically about how you, as a solopreneur, should handle an individual prospect (someone who might become your paying customer with time), and not an entire pipeline or how to generate demand:

1. The first meeting

2. Keep it simple: Alignment throughout the process.

   1. Slack

   2. A digital Sales room

   3. Stay on it

3. Keep it simple: Legal Documents & Your Conditions

4. Know when to let it go

5. Your payment: A glowing recommendation
   

The first meeting

A note on scheduling: If you want to advise anyone, have an app like calendly, or use the google calendar integration that allows someone else to pick a spot on your calendar. I have elevated stress hormones every time I see someone suggest spots by email by writing them out.
There is no excuse to not use a tool like that. You will need it anyways for future session bookings.

Typically, the process starts when the first meeting is over, which means I have a rough 30-minute impression of what the problem is and whether they could theoretically become a worthy prospect or valuable connection.

Before that, I don’t invest too much time in research. Because they reached out, they probably have a story for the problem in mind they want to share. For this first meeting, you simply need to:

• Listen closely make high-level notes (we’ll get back to that)

• Don’t be a smart ass, and give as much value as you can with genuine advice. If they would never see you again at the end of this meeting and they still took something out of it, that’s the goal.
  Be generous and helpful.

• Don’t treat people based on their potential during the meeting; every small founder gets the same attention from me, just like a big scale-up CEO would. If I promise you 30 minutes of my time, you will get 30 minutes.

• Do not push for a sale of yourself in the first call. Companies might ask you for your conditions in the first call and I have usually a link ready for that, but then shift the conversation back to their problem and how you can help right now.

  • This also helps you to not talk yourself into bad opportunities. By looking at things from the other person’s perspective, you immediately feel whether you can actually help them. I’m often just the wrong person and gladly recommend ahead.

Let’s say you had a productive first call, and you think there’s a higher chance than 20% that this company will work with you at some point in the near or far future: This is where you need to act like a grown-up and handle this like a sales pipeline:

Keep it simple: Alignment throughout the process.

Slack

If I get a real good feeling during the first call that someone might be a good fit I most of the time try to shift the conversation immediately to Slack by connecting them to mine.

This might sound weird, but if a client doesn’t use Slack or similar to communicate with me asynchronously during the mandate, there’s a high chance that I’m not interested in working with them.

• Be proactive about it “Do you use Slack? Yes? Let me send you a connection invite”. Slack beats Linkedin, and Linkedin beats Emails.
  Don’t ask for permission, just suggest it, most founders appreciate it. Even if the channel won’t be used for a week or sometimes months.

Set up a digital sales room

This step really depends now on how much of a valuable prospect you feel someone is. Especially if you delivered advice and recommendations for someone or/and they had a complex problem, it’s time to whip up your high-level notes you took and create a digital mini sales room:

A digital mini sales room is simply a Notion Page or something similar that you can share with your prospect containing simple information:

• "Your problem:” ← Describe in this section what you heard from them the problem is in your own words. Include also key numbers that you heard (I usually ask about key metrics from them about the business, be mindful of sharing too sensitive data in there though)

• “My suggestions:” ← Describe in there what you gave as advice so they can use it whenever.

• “How to stay in contact with me:” ← Standard section where you tell them how to contact you in case they have questions, also link rate sheets or anything you have that lists your conditions. I even publish mine on Substack for everyone to see under “Work with me.”

The reason why I use notion pages (and not a google doc for instance) for this is threefold:

• I can update it in the future without sending a new link. It’s easy for me to publish and easy for them to share further.

• A good digital sales room can be easily expanded if you win a client. You just add more stuff like agreed goals. You can be really creative there. I sometimes also keep the action points we agreed upon, especially when it involves multiple people.

• Notion is easy enough to use even for people who don’t use or have a notion account. Don’t set something up that requires complicated onboarding. It needs to be simple for your prospect and the people they share it with internally.

Stay on it

Play the long game without expecting to convert. Occasionally reaching out and asking how prospects are doing is a no brainer. I do it quarterly or even suggest a sync call. (No charge)

Going back to specifically what their original problem was keeps you on top of mind because you’re showing that you care.

I do this, especially for companies I’d love to work for, but where the timing is just off. In any case, people will appreciate you for that, and even if you never work with them, they might recommend you to others who will.

• Short note on automation, I do not automate that step in any way. I know who I want to work with, through simple post its on my wall.

I really try not to think too much about a single connection and what they can give me before I do anything. I’m giving, but I also have limits, of course.

Keep it simple: Legal & Your Conditions

Keep it simple, you’re not a bazaar item

With every advising client comes at some point the legal side of it, the more you charge and get paid the more likely.

• Price: I do not negotiate prices with my clients, and this was extremely hard at the beginning to stick with. I give them options, specifically if they want to pay me in equity vs. cash. I stick to my price and usually offer 50% up as equity. This will happen sooner or later, especially with smaller startups.
  Obviously, there might be exceptions, but I’m always aware that 500$ / h clients will give out recommendations to other 500$ / h clients. If you want those, great. If this is below what you want to build as a business, don’t do it.