A business strategy that is underrated by beginners like me is the offering of free services and the use of cold emails/contacting for customer acquisition.

Perhaps, the right word is not "underrated" but that beginners do not know how to effectively use this method.

Getting new clients is tough after leaving a paid employment especially if you did not establish an agreement with your former boss for some of his low-budget clients.

I adopted a strategy I was a recipient of.

It was in 2013, I had just started working in a firm and I didn't know my way around town.

My mother had bought Ankara materials for me to sow but I didn't know whom to go to.

One day, I went for some errands about town and on my way back, I was sitting in a tricycle that will take me to my place.

A lady got in and sat next to me. She smiled and greeted me. I smiled back and responded.

Then she proceeded to give me her business card, stating that she is a tailor, and she just opened her shop at New-haven Market.

To say I was dumbfounded is an understatement.

How did she know I was looking for a tailor?

I have never met her.

Was this just a pure coincidence or was it just her scattering her bread upon many waters?

Well, I thanked her and put the card in my bag. I got home, packed all the Ankara materials to her shop the next day.

I paid over 15k for simple corporate gowns that year.

This tailor ended up training me when I decided to learn how to sow.

I understood the power of presenting yourself to anyone that fits your customer persona.

In her case, she made female clothes mostly for young people and when she saw me, I fit in to her ideal customer and she didn't hesitate to reach out.

For those of us in the service industry, it's difficult to convince people about your work output unless they see what you have previously done for others.

That's where referrals come to play.

But how do you go about getting referrals when no one will trust you enough to handle their project?

So, I started blogging to share my ideas.

I went on Instagram to harvest emails and started cold emailing.

Cold emailing, in simple terms, is the act of sending emails to individuals who have never heard about you in hopes that you can establish a relationship that can be profitable financially.

Just like I was there, and the tailor got to me, you never know who needs your services and it's just wondering where to start or whom to go to.

Every time I sent emails, people are unsubscribing, and it felt like I wasn't making any progress.

The cold emails couldn't yield anything until one day...

My sister sent me an email. She was gathering real-life experience for her Virtual Assistant portfolio. This was part of the requirements in the Online Course she was taking.

I replied to the email, filling the form and requesting for a digital work she could do.

That email changed my mindset.

I quickly restructured the email to suit my own services and sent out another cold email.

For the first time, I received 2 responses with an actual survey plan and a design request.

I was ecstatic.

I tried other platforms with same content in the email, to expand my reach and I was amazed.

So, this digital thing can work for Architects too?

Mind you, in the course of offering a pro-bono service, I ended up upscaling to paid services, as well as getting cool referrals on Google My business.

Upon physical meeting, like she did to me, I have questions that helps me determine if I should give you my card or not.

So, is there something you can offer for free in your business to help you break into the market?

Package and present it. You may never know who has been waiting for you.

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