If you have a product or service but you’re not using the internet to get more customers…
You’re leaving (a lot of) money on the table.
Having spent the last 7 years running paid ads to get customers for my own business as well as other people’s businesses…
I realise it doesn’t have to be a complicated process.
And no, you can do it (getting more customers) without spending on ads.
In fact, what I’m going to share can even be applied offline.
It’s just that when you do it online, you get to reach more people easier.
And if you run paid ads for your product, you can increase the scale and speed of getting more customers.
But let’s not complicate things for now and go back to the basics.
In order to start getting more customers for your business online…
You just need 3 things in place.
Without them, you might find it hard to scale as you grow.
Simply put, you need 3 Ps:
1) A product to sell
2) A platform to sell
3) A process for the sale to happen
Let me elaborate more to give you a clearer idea.
A product to sell
A product can also mean a service.
Many aspiring entrepreneurs sometimes overthink and overcomplicate on what they should sell.
Yes, you may have different services/products to offer.
But the 80/20 rule is always present.
Among all your products, only 20% of them are bringing in 80% of your total sales.
So you just need to know what is the one product that is always doing well.
Fine-tune that one offer, make it better and push it out to get customers.
Once you get customers in, you can always cross-sell other products in future.
My point is you just need that one product to start.
So even if you have nothing to sell now, just know that you don’t have to overcomplicate things.
Come up with one product first.
Just yesterday, someone asked me,
“I want to start an art jamming business, do you have any tips for me?”
My question back to the person was,
“What’s your product and its price?”
If you’re at the stage where you’re unsure what and how to price your product…
Here’s the fastest way to do your research:
Go to Meta Ads Library
Type in the product you’re thinking of offering.
See what people in your niche are doing.
You will get to see their product offering, pricing, details.
From there, it should give you a better idea on how to structure your product.
Once you have a product to sell, you’re ready for the next step.
A platform to sell
A platform simply means where you’re going to showcase and sell your product.
Is it going to be on Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook, Youtube, or across all?
But let’s be realistic here.
It’s tough to spread your content all throughout the various social media platforms at the start.
Remember, we’re not creating content now.
We are using a platform to sell and showcase what we offer.
I rather you be consistent on that one platform before thinking about going into others.
I read this article where there’s this home-based ice cream maker (in Singapore) who has backlogged orders which he can completely fulfil only by 2025.
So which platform does he sell his ice cream?
On Instagram – specifically Instagram stories.
Right now, his account is made private and he has about 5000 followers.
He has closed off orders online but he does something called the “Fastest Fingers First” (FFF) every day through his IG stories.
Each time he posts a story for his FFF, it gets snapped up in 30 seconds.
I’ve tried countless times to bid for his FFF but never got a chance to try his ice cream yet.
Let’s do some Maths here.
Assuming he does FFF everyday and sells about 10 tubs of ice cream.
His ice cream is priced between $25-$45, so let’s take an average of $30 per tub.
10 tubs per today = $300.
If he does it daily, that’s close to $10k worth of sales.
This is on top of his backlogged orders.
I could be wrong in terms of numbers but I don’t think it’s far off.
My point is, he sells 1 product – ice cream.
He uses 1 platform – Instagram.
It’s as simple as that.
Of course, he had good coverage from the media which was how it caught my attention.
But everybody starts somewhere.
He started small, surely.
But the first step is always the hardest right?
He has since quit his full-time job to focus on his home-based ice cream business.
For me, I personally use Instagram for my social posts as well (even though I do run ads for my products).
For me, it’s the easiest to post something fast (especially IG stories).
The platform you choose to post your content is not important.
What’s important is how consistent you are in posting RELEVANT content.
Information about your product/service…
The results you achieve for your customers…
Testimonials/reviews from satisfied customers…
Do that consistently and see your personal brand (and customers) grow over time.
Once you know the platform to use, you need to fine-tune your sales process.
A process for the sale to happen
From the point of someone being interested in what you offer, to the point collecting payment and fulfilling the product/service… This is a process only you know best.
I run an eCommerce store – the process for the sale to happen is simple.
They see my ad, they land on my product page, they checkout and pay using credit card.
If you provide a service, what’s your process?
Do you fix a face-to-face appointment or a Zoom call to present your service?
What’s the next step after presenting?
Knowing the process is important because it gives you clarity on bringing a lead to the next step of your sales process.
A typical process for a real estate salesperson would be:
Ads or content -> physical or Zoom appointment (fact find + build rapport) -> bring them for viewings (if serving buyers) -> close deal and earn the commission.
A typical process for an enrichment centre would be:
Ads or content -> fix a trial lesson via Whatsapp text -> talk to the parents after the trial and ask if they would like to sign up for regular classes
For the ice cream seller as mentioned above, his process probably would be:
Content (IG stories) -> Whatsapp customer for delivery address -> deliver ice cream & collect payment
Once you know the process, your aim would be to move your prospects along the process so you get paid.
How the 3 Ps can also work offline
I know this financial planner guy who doesn’t have any online presence.
But he does have a lot of friends and quite a strong network.
He approached me for some ads advice but I told him he doesn’t need to run ads to get more customers.
Using his strength (which is his network), he can easily get more sales using the 3 Ps.
Product:
That would be his suite of financial products (from insurance to investment plans)
Platform:
As he doesn’t have any sort of business Facebook page yet, his platform could simply be his personal Facebook page.
But even if he doesn’t have a personal Facebook page…
He can simply text his friends and ask them out for coffee.
The coffee meetup could be a platform itself where he shares more about his services.
Of course, he would have to make the agenda clear before the meet up.
Because it’s already his “warm” audience, it’s much easier.
You don’t have to beat around the bush.
It could be something like:
“Hey, it’s been a while since we met up.
I’m going around reviewing some of my friend’s financial/insurance portfolio…
I wonder if I could have the opportunity to do that for you and see if I could be of value?
We could do that over coffee and if nothing works out, it’ll be a great chance to really catch up too :)”
The point is to set the agenda clear so nobody gets a shock during coffee.
Process:
Text a friend -> share agenda and ask for coffee meet up -> present ideas/solution -> close deal
Putting it all together
The 3 Ps is a simple process that doesn’t require complexity.
However, it requires consistency.
The consistency to post about your product, your story, your journey in helping customers.
Remember, all we need is 1 product, 1 platform, and 1 process to start getting more customers.
