My first big deal: From zero clients & zero referrals

Written by Andrew Clark

It was a Monday morning, and I was sitting in my new office with my very own business. I left my senior position at Macquarie Bank after six years to start my own broking business. But there was one problem: I had zero clients and zero referrals.

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I quickly realised that I couldn't sit around waiting for the phone to ring or for emails to come in. I needed to take action, so I decided to head to an industrial area to knock on doors. I chose Ingleburn for no particular reason and went door to door handing out business cards and talking to anyone who would give me more than 10 seconds of their time.

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But my cold-calling efforts were met with disappointment. 97 out of 100 people told me where to go, some politely, some not so much. A few even told me to "F off."

I kept at it for two weeks, and despite the setbacks, I refused to give up. In my third week, I decided to take a break and went to a local café to contemplate what I had done.

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I had left a good job at Macquarie Bank where my boss liked me, and I had a steady pay packet. And now, I had nothing.

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Just then, the phone rang. It was a guy asking me if I ‘do finance’. He was selling small earthmoving machines and had a client who was having trouble getting finance. I said yes and asked him to give me his customer's details, and I would call them immediately.

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I asked him how he got my number, and he told me that he was at a mate's BBQ on the weekend, and they were talking about work. He mentioned that he had a good opportunity, but the customer could not seem to find finance for the machine. His mate still had my card and told him to try me. The best part? He even felt bad because he had told me to "F off" the week before when I knocked on his office door.

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I ended up speaking with that client, doing that deal, and speaking with his accountant. I sent him a copy of all the documents he needed to help with his client's tax, and that accountant referred me to another deal. That client referred one of his mates, which led to another accountant, and another equipment supplier who also became a referrer.

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10 years later from that one phone call, I built a successful business with a thriving network of referrals. It wasn't easy, and I had to go through many rejections, but it taught me the value of perseverance and the power of building meaningful connections.

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If you're starting your own business or struggling to get clients, don't be afraid to knock on doors, go out of your comfort zone and make those phone calls. You never know where it might lead you.