How I faced the mean streets of LA and came back with a fistful of clients for a few dollars more.

Sadly, my enthusiasm (as so often happens during Jupiter transits) was backed by the flimsiest of currency: ten astrology students, a handful of clients, and a job at a psychic hotline (see related story).  As the shock of what I'd done began to wear off, I became cognizant of my folly and frantically hurled myself onto the streets of LA to peddle my wares.  Astrologically speaking.

My first clients had been my highly paid, civil servant co-workers.  Then I decided I'd like to try my hand at teaching, and my teacher generously provided three beginning students who were my seed corn.  To attract clients and more students, I had taken out a simple classified "line" ad in a local free entertainment paper called the Pasadena Weekly; over the next two years this single ad would bring me 14 new clients -- many of whom became students, and one of whom became my husband!

But these were glories yet to come.  For now, I was 30 years old and unemployed, with only the smallest trickle of income. 

So I had the Pasadena Weekly ad, and that was doing good things for me, but it was going slowly.  I parted with some of my precious start up capital (my retirement fund payout) and had some nice brochures designed, which I dutifully left by the fistful at the local metaphysical bookstore every couple of weeks.  This unpaid (unless you count the cost of the brochures, of course) advertising generated 7 new clients over two years.

I entered into a barter arrangement with one of my students.  In exchange for office/class space I agreed to read anyone he sent me for free.  This sent a few clients my way, a couple of whom came back for many more readings.

I noted a local Learning Annex-type company called Classes Unlimited in my neighborhood and sent them a proposal for a general interest astrology lecture.  They bought it.  I did several two-hour workshops for them, got a percentage of the tuition as payment, and ended up with 9 new clients in the bargain.

I tried an ad in  the yellow pages one year, but it cost a fortune and brought me only 2 new clients (plus a lot of junk mail and numerous deranged phone calls).  Also, a few kindly souls over the years have retained my services as a special gift for their friends or other loved ones.  Generally speaking, these are one-shot deals--the person doesn't usually become a repeat client--and they are sometimes a hard sell, just there to humor the person who paid for the reading.  Over the years I've learned to discourage gift readings that I suspect are being given to persuade the person to "buy into" astrology.  They're not fun for anyone involved.

Over the years, paid advertising has generated 24% of all my business from first-time clients.  The Pasadena Weekly ad was the most successful of these paid ads, probably because it appeared (surprise) weekly (keeping one fresh in the mind of one's public), had a big circulation (35,000 each week), and was free to the consumer.  I've also been running a classified line ad in The Mountain Astrologer on and off over the years, and so far have gotten 9 new clients from it.  The key to success with paid ads seems to be: weekly is best, persistence pays off (most people say they've seen the ad several times before they ever called for information), and bigger is not necessarily better (I've occasionally ventured into display advertising, but it cost a lot more and didn't bring any more clients than line ads).

Gradually I began to receive referrals from satisfied clients.  When I was starting out, an astrologer told me I would get at least two referrals from every new client.  It's never happened.  At first this is probably because I was a sucky astrologer.  These days I'm not a sucky astrologer, but I am a less than brilliant "networker"--I'm not one of those "people persons" who people fall all over themselves to do business with, I don't play the guru role well, and frankly I always feel that anything I have to talk someone into is not going to be very much fun.  I realize I'll never get rich doing astrology with this attitude, but then I'm not in astrology to get rich.  I sort of feel I'd rather rely on other avenues for income, put my energy into doing astrology well, and trust that it will grow to the level of prosperity that's appropriate for me.

But beyond my own limitations as a salesperson, I think some clients feel a little uncomfortable "sharing" their astrologer; they don't want to admit they see one, or maybe they have some residual Plutonian issues and are sort of afraid you'll talk about them with the people they send to you.  That said, referrals from clients generate 24% of all my new business--tied with paid advertising. New clients from referral are manna from heaven: they are predisposed to like you, because your wonderful and generous client has been praising you to the skies.  Every time one of my clients sends me a new referral, I send them a little coupon for 10% off my regular fee on their next reading, and a little "thank you" card.

I moved to San Diego in 1993 and have generally found it a lot more difficult to attract new clients in this area than when I lived in LA--probably because there are just so damn many people in LA, even compared to a goodish size place like San Diego, but also, no doubt, because I've been a lot less motivated.  I've spent the past six years adjusting to marriage and putting out various fires (deaths in the family, economic insecurity and what-not) and there have been times I've had nothing else to give to astrology.  In between, I have published my quarterly newsletter faithfully to remind my clients that I exist, and I continue to run my TMA ad.  The overwhelming percentage of my underwhelming business now comes from repeat clients--bliss.

In late 1993 I submitted an article to The Mountain Astrologer magazine, which they kindly included in their March 1994 issue.  This article, about meeting and marrying my husband, generated an absolute bonanza of new clients.  This single article in TMA, along with a column I wrote for a local newspaper for five years, together generated 12% of my current client base.  Conclusion: Get published in TMA if you possibly can!

And if you can't, start a web page or two.
 

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