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©2016 Sändra Hoedemaker. All rights reserved.
Want to Find Another Client Fast?
Below are 12 places you can go to get your next personal chef client so you can fill
your open cook days with ease.
Hot Spot #1: Current Clients
There is no better group of people to ask for a referral than current clients.
Current clients have first-hand experience regarding your services. If you are
servicing them well, they are more likely than others to sing your praises. Their
recommendations will hold a lot of weight too, so don’t be afraid to ask them if
they know of anyone else who needs a chef.
Hot Spot #2: Past Clients
Often we forget to follow up with past clients. We also sometimes assume they
no longer need our services, but this may not be the case, so be sure to
occasionally check in with them. One easy way to do these follow-up calls is to
have a reason to call. For instance, maybe you are offering a specially-priced
dinner-for-two package for past and current clients only.
Hot Spot #3: People Who Have an Interest in Your Services but Never
Hired You
As you start getting yourself out into the community meeting and greeting people
and telling them what you do, you will begin meeting people who express interest
12 Client Hot Spots
How to Quickly Find Your Next Client
Reach Out to People Who Already Know What You Do

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©2016 Sändra Hoedemaker. All rights reserved.
in your services but who don’t hire you. Be sure to keep track of these people
and their contact information so you can stay in touch with them. Even though
they may not be ready to work with you now, they may be ready in the future.
Hot Spot #4: Professional Groups and Associations
You want to join one or two professional associations where your ideal clients or
people who are connected to your ideal clients hang out. One example of a
professional association that may be of interest to personal chefs is the Society
for Human Resource Management.
Mingling with human resource professionals can be a good way to uncover some
cooking demo/healthy eating and living presentation opportunities within a
corporate setting. Landing such an opportunity would give you exposure to many
corporate executives, managers, and salespeople who would benefit from a
personal chef service.
Hot Spot #5: Networking Groups
The right networking group will be filled with your potential ideal clients and
referral partners. Join 2 in your local area. BNI is one that many personal chefs
have joined and benefited from, but make sure the mix of people in the BNI group
you choose makes sense given who your ideal clients are. And be an active
member; otherwise, your networking efforts won’t pay off.
Hot Spot #6: LinkedIn Groups
Find groups on LinkedIn where your ideal clients participate and start joining the
discussions, asking questions, and sharing information that would be relevant to
the group while also showcasing your knowledge about food, cooking and health.
Join Groups and Associations

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©2016 Sändra Hoedemaker. All rights reserved.
Hot Spot #7: Alumni Groups
Get in touch with the Alumni Relations Director at your school and offer to cater
an upcoming local alumni event (for pay, of course). Or find out who the alumni
are in your area and see if you can interest them to get together for lunch at a
local restaurant to re-connect and get to know one another.
What’s great about connecting with alumni is that they are much more likely to
help and refer you than the general population because you already have a ready-
made connection to each other.
Hot Spot #8: Social Groups
If you don’t belong to any social groups, find one that focuses on an area of
interest to you and join. Once you develop friendships in your social group, you’ll
probably hear about cooking opportunities along the way. In addition, these
friends are more likely to refer others to you. Consider cooking something special
but manageable for one of your get-togethers so everyone can experience what
you do firsthand.
Groups and Associations
Build Relationships with Influencers

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©2016 Sändra Hoedemaker. All rights reserved.
Hot Spot #9: Get to Know People who Know Your Ideal Clients
These people are called influencers. They are in regular contact with your ideal
clients and have their contact information. They don’t offer a product or service
that competes with yours. Build relationships with these influencers, and they
may eventually introduce you to their contacts. One example of an influencer is a
nutritionist.
Hot Spot #10: Mingle with Other Personal Chefs
Sometimes personal chefs get business from other personal chefs. For instance,
personal chefs who are fully booked or who have a large catering event, will often
refer business to or hire other personal chefs they know and trust. Pull together a
list of the personal chefs in your area and reach out to them. You may also want
to consider joining a local personal chef association chapter.
Hot Spot #11: Create and Host Your Own Event
This is a great way to attract ideal clients into your world while showcasing your
skill and knowledge. Some examples of live events include cooking classes, mini
cooking demonstrations, a Q&A calls, or presentations about healthy food and
eating.
Attract Clients to You

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©2016 Sändra Hoedemaker. All rights reserved.
When you lead these types of events, the goal is to get participants to take a next
step with you. It is not to teach them everything you know. Instead, share just
enough valuable information of interest to your ideal clients to whet their
appetites so they are excited to take a next step with you.
Hot Spot #12: Reach Out Regularly to Your Email List
If you don’t have an email list, start building one now because your email list will
become a great place to tap into whenever you need another client in the future.
Once you have an email list be sure you keep in regular touch by sharing valuable,
free information; inviting your list to events of interest; and promoting your
services on occasion.
Sändra Hoedemaker, founder of Chef in Demand, helps
personal chefs keep their calendars fully booked with ideal
clients. Her clients learn how to choose their unique and
lucrative niche, brand themselves and their businesses, and
communicate their value so they can market effectively and
get more ideal clients with ease.
If you are a personal chef interested in building a
prosperous business with less struggle and more joy, book a
free, no obligation Get Clients Now Breakthrough Session
with Sändra today.