You’ve launched your personal brand business but as we both know, launching a business and staying in business have one major difference between them:

Paying clients.

If you’re wondering how to land more paying clients, or more importantly, the right kind of paying client, you’re not alone. It’s a struggle we all face, but it can be done! Here is an example of a short email I use (to this day) to generate paid projects and consultations:

The “True Detective” Email:

Hi, I heard about ____. I found that you also ____. I’m writing because I do ____ for ____. Unlike others, I have ____. Here’s a [sample / article]. Should we talk?

SUBJECT: Grace’s story was a tearjerker!

Hello Marji,

I came across your blog a few times this year because I do a lot of work with nonprofits. I read Grace’s story this morning — it was so inspiring!

I’m writing because I work with nonprofit organizations to create marketing materials that truly get noticed and increase donations.

I helped Leif Hetland and Global Mission Awareness increase awareness of their Hurricane Haiyan relief campaign to bring aid to the villages devastated in the storm.

I was also involved in helping our local ASPCA (my wife and I have two little dogs!) in New Jersey with projects that were awarded a prestigious grant through the ASPCA.

Here’s a link to samples of my work: [URL].

Should we schedule a quick call to see how I may be able to help you?

Not so bad, right?

I’m not sure that any of us “enjoy” the process of prospecting for clients, but it gets more fun when you see actual results. The best path isn’t cold-calling, or spamming people, or “dialing for dollars” … it’s making a genuine, personalized connection.

This script will work for personal brands in various industries — coaches, consultants, copywriters, designers, trainers, etc. I’ve even used them to write for my own clients to help them generate business.

Adapt and utilize these to your needs. Keep it short, sweet, and strategic. Do not write more than necessary! Finally, if there’s one “guiding principle” I recommend, it’s this: don’t automate what should be human.

Research your potential clients (I call it the “True Detective” for a reason), share your unique selling proposition, and for goodness sake: hit “Send!”

Want more templates?

There are a few more inside my guide, From Click to Client: 3 Emails That Take the Pain Out of Prospecting.

• The True Detective, which I’ve already given you here
• The Industry Fanboy, which shows you how to target niched clients
• The Local Guy or Gal, which helps you pitch local businesses

If you’ve been following me for any amount of time you know that I’m a very streamlined guy: I hate fluff — I just want the top 20% of stuff that yields 80% of the results. That’s what you get with this affordable yet effective guide.

Why waste any more precious time and creative energy trying to figure out what to say, or how to open up client negotiations?

Grab My “Click-to-Client” templates »

(It’s the cost of a muffin and a latte at Starbucks, but this will probably yield you more income.)