That First Client: Find and Attract Your First Ideal Client

by Jill Celeste MA, Deborah Kevin (Editor)

You’ve hung out your shingle “open for business,” but hear crickets. Where are your clients?

You’re an intelligent, confident woman—running a business shouldn’t be so difficult! Doubts creep in, and you begin to wonder, “Did I make a mistake?”

No! You didn’t--you just need a practical and easily implemented marketing strategy—and someone to guide you, to cheer you on, to stop you from quitting.

That’s where That First Client comes in. In this book, Jill Celeste will teach you how to identify your ideal client, contact sales prospects, ask for referrals, create a follow-up process, and use networking, speaking, and social media to attract clients. And all without overwhelm!

Filled with practical exercises and tried-and-true marketing methods, That First Client is the answer to your question: How do I get that first client? With this book in hand, you’re about to find out.

104 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2016

Reviews

[Katie LeBarron · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great marketing book, I was impressed how this didn't feel like a marketing book, like it was trying to sell me something. It felt like talking with your mentor to strategize business success. While it gave the typical suggestions one might expect for marketing, there are more details to help direct the reader to success. It was an easy read, and if I have to nitpick, the testimonials were a bit much, but, I feel good about reading this book and implementing the suggestions. If you are new to marketing and looking for a starting point, this would definitely be a great start.

[David W. Cofer · Rating 5 out of 5]

“That First Client (2nd Edition),” by Jill Celeste may be a small book at 84 pages, but it packs a punch in those few pages.

Written in a conversational style, it reads as if Jill is sitting next to you, explaining how to get your first, or next, client. She provides step by step instructions for building your business with effective marketing tips.

The book is perfect for those who dislike marketing or feel uncomfortable asking others for their business, referrals, or testimonies. Jill provides instructions for acquiring your best professional photo, soliciting client testimonials, building your website and writing your blog, creating business cards, promoting your business on social media, writing newsletters, making stress-free presentations, and effective networking.

All you need to know to use marketing techniques to get your message out to the world is in this book. If you want great tips and proven methods to tell the world about your product or service, this book is for you.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for the new entrepreneur. Has easy to read small segmented bullets that provide easy to follow advice. My favorite quote from the book courtesy of Emily Dickinson is "one step at a time is all it takes to get you there.". This is so true no matter what you are doing. Great little book of advice.

[Nicole Meltzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read. Easy to implement. This is a book that needs to be on every entrepreneur's bookshelf, regardless of how long they have been in business.

[Lora Shipman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a MUST read! Knowing Jill Celeste personally, as well as being mentored by her, gives me the unique opportunity to experience her passion for helping people and wanting everyone to succeed. Jill makes learning key concepts to building your business not only an enjoyable, fun experience but an effective one. Don’t put this book down! Do yourself and your business a favor and start learning from Jill today. – Lora Shipman, social media strategist and podcaster, The Lora Shipman Show.

[Felicia D'haiti · Rating 5 out of 5]

In That First Client, Jill has provided a solid foundation for not only creating a clear picture of who your ideal client is but how to attract that client in an authentic, heartfelt way. It is an amazing resource with all the essentials for any entrepreneur, whether you are just starting out, or refining and shifting your marketing systems. What I love most about this version of That First Client are the supportive and reflective questions throughout that help me to personalize my own marketing systems so that it feels natural and genuine.
– Felicia D’Haiti, Feng Shui and Soul Coach Practitioner/Trainer, Soul Transformations Feng Shui and Coaching

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started out in business I was hungry and took on every client. Not all were ideal. This book will help you understand not only who your ideal clients are, but how to get your message out to the right people. It’s a must read for bourgeoning entrepreneurs. Jill explains everything in an easy-to-read format

[Korra II Allison Baskerville · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOTE: This review is strictly of the second edition. I’ve never read the original so I don’t know how they compare.

That First Client feels like a book that was just asking to be read, tested, and reviewed by me. I took a wiki I run independent in November 2020, despite not knowing anything about running an independent wiki. One of the first issues my team and I encountered was: How the hell do we get readers off the old site and on the new one? The old site had better SEO, but we have community outreach.

So you may be asking, how is this relevant to the review? One of the tips in the book is to send out notifications, constantly. Stating that you might have to send out 20 notifications before somebody will take the opportunity. I know this is solid advice because, for months after taking my wiki independent, I had to hammer home to the community as a whole that the wiki was independent. Every other word out of my mouth was the link. Eventually, it worked. I’ve also begun to notice tactics mentioned in this book being used by online retailers who send me emails.

For years, I’ve received junk mail and emails that I never had any intention of responding to, but the people sending them knew better. They knew if they kept sending them out, sooner or later I or somebody else would bite.

I requested this book as a review copy specifically to put it to the test and it’s really opened my eyes to a lot of marketing tactics and improved my overall productivity.

The book has a very informal, powerpoint presentation style to it. Often times while reading this book, I kept thinking it felt like I was reading the written form of a powerpoint presentation by the author. Which to me is far more useful than actually going to a talk and trying to remember everything the speaker is saying. In written form, I can refer back to this at a later date as often as needed, which makes it far more useful for my purposes.

This book is laden with examples, which I really appreciate as oftentimes people will tell you how to do something, but leave you unsure of how to take the first step. At the time I’m writing this, I’m still new to reviewing books. But even going back to 2018 when I first began editing wikis, one of the things I struggled with both times was not knowing where to start. I didn’t want to subconsciously copy somebody else’s formatting, but at the same time, I had no idea where to begin. This book doesn’t just give you a list of tips and say, go figure it out. It feels like you’re being guided every step of the way.

If you’re opening a business, have opened a business, trying to grow your brand, or get your name out there: I think this book will be of use to you.

NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval. 

[Austin Allred · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book through a goodreads giveaway for an honest review.
This book was really well written and you can tell the author really knows her subject.
I learned a lot about marketing, and it made me think of questions I will further look into.
The only problem I had, which was more with the editing of the book not the subject. The book was using female pronouns throughout, which is fine the author is reaching out to female entrepreneurs it makes total sense, but half way through the book it switched to male pronouns in inappropriate places, sometimes mid sentence. Just seems like an editing issue. I may have had an early edition and it may already have been caught.

“Next, as soon as you sit down with your coffee date, remind her that you are eager to learn more about His ideal clients—“

“Thank her for his time”

For example.

Other than that, I think people could learn from this author.

[Dr. Leanna Floyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! From the beginning of "That First Client", I was hooked and the information the author provided throughout the book was like gifting me with little gems of tips and advice that were definitely game changers in regards to helping me navigate acquiring and maintaining that first client. The author’s organization and delivery of the information were easy to understand and follow making this THE go-to-guide for individuals looking to bring their business to the next level. Additionally, I felt like the author was cheering me along throughout the guide, rooting for me to succeed. This book is an outstanding resource that provides practical step-by-step guidance with tried-and-true marketing strategies making it a must-read book for any entrepreneur looking to increase success.

[Elissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came at the perfect time for me as I have started my recent side hustle as a Color Street Independent stylist.  Although the company shares a lot of information on sales, this book helped me see how to personalize my business.  It also helped inspire me, and focus on how to organize and start my own business in the near future! – Elissa Butson, Independent Color Street Stylist and blogger, Gingerfunksblog.com