Strategic Switch: How to build trust with potential clients

Welcome to Strategic Switch!

I got this question from a designer recently that really stuck with me:

“How can people and businesses trust someone who they have never heard of, or never seen? I am not good with social media. I am a total introvert and I am very shy. I worry about who will see my post and what they’re gonna say.”

This question is so specific, yet it emphasizes something really important:

You’re always going to be “too expensive”, no matter what you charge, if people don’t trust you first.

A prospect who doesn’t trust you will think $300 is too much. A prospect who trusts you will gladly pay $5,000.

The price isn’t the problem.

It’s that most designers are failing to complete what I call:

Going from Zero To One.

Zero to One is the phase where you build the uncomfortable skills of positioning yourself, reaching out to potential clients, and building trust by initiating conversations that demonstrate your value before anyone even sees your portfolio.

Most designers want to skip straight to “Here’s my work, please hire me.”

But Strategic Brand Designers understand: Trust comes first. Sales come second.

In today’s newsletter, I’ll show you exactly how to build that trust with complete strangers (even if you don’t want to post on social media) and convert them into clients who say “yes” without hesitation.

The first step to building trust with a potential client is to figure out how you establish the first point of contact!

If you’re choosing to not go the social media way, that means sending that first email/DM.

And these are the 3 reasons you’re failing to do this well:

Reason #1: You aren’t clear on who to book calls with

You’re confused and don’t have clarity or confidence on:

• Who your ideal customer is

• What are their specific problems

• How exactly can you help them solve those problems

Without this clarity, two things happen:

1. First, you’ll struggle to identify prospects and confidently reach out to them.

2. Second, prime leads in your network just won’t know they NEED to reach out to you, even though you can solve their exact problems.

   
   

And sure, you might not be 100% certain about your offer, when you’re just starting out.

But you must have a strong hypothesis of your ideal customer to start taking action.

Reason #2: You operate in “reactive” mode, not “proactive” mode

The second pattern I see with “generic” designers:

• You wait for leads to come to you

• Or you take passive action, networking events, posting on social media, joining communities

• But you don’t send DMs, educate prospects, or follow up with people who show interest

You’re just reacting to whatever happens. But you’re NOT proactively creating opportunities.

This strategy is not it!

People are busy. People are overwhelmed. They might not realize yet that they need your help. They might be scared to reach out. There could be 100s of other reasons!

As a business owner, it’s on YOU to take charge, reach out, and start to make this thing happen.

Reason #3: You’re proactive but don’t have a messaging strategy

If you know who you’re serving and you’re reaching out to people, but you’re still not booking calls, it’s clearly a messaging problem.

If you’re new to selling, you might fall into this trap:

• Maybe you’re afraid of being “salesy”

• Maybe you just don’t know how to start conversations in a way that positions you as a business owner instead of just a friend or acquaintance

The positive is that messaging is the easiest to solve!

You’re already doing the hard work. Now you only need a slight tilt in your trajectory. The moment you fix this, you’ll start seeing immediate changes in your response rates.

(more on this in the framework section)

Before we jump into the solution, let’s go back to the question I received:

“How can people and businesses trust someone who they have never heard of, or never seen?”

I want to question this question.

Why start with trying to talk to people who don’t know you?

Strategic Brand Designers don’t jump into trying to build trust with complete strangers.

They start smarter:

Your network is a goldmine, why ignore it?

Before you worry about convincing strangers to trust you, ask yourself: Who already knows and trusts you?

See, there are two types of leads:

• Warm leads – people who already know you, trust you, and have seen your expertise

• Cold leads – people who don’t know you

If you’re just starting out, don’t jump directly into the lion’s den aka cold leads.

Warm outreach could be significantly more effective (and less scary).

People already have a relationship with you. They know your character. You have some level of trust built. And you’ve demonstrated authority in conversations or through your work.

Why wouldn’t you leverage this network to get a head-start on your journey?

It’s like searching for your keys all over the house when they’re sitting right there on the kitchen counter. You already have access to the people you need. You just need to approach them strategically.

“But Abi, I don’t want to be salesy to my people”

Well, then don’t be.

Think about it this way:

You’re not trying to sell anything. You’re only helping people solve important problems that are genuinely affecting their lives and businesses.

So, ask yourself:

• Does anyone in your network have problems that your skills can solve?

• Will they benefit significantly from solving these problems?

If the answers are yes (and I’m sure they are), you’ll find more qualified leads than you need right in your existing community. You just need to approach them with genuine curiosity and a service mindset instead of the place of “will you please buy from me?”.

And this is applicable for cold leads, too!

Say you’ve gained experience and testimonials from your warm network, you can apply this same trust-building approach to cold prospects.

The one thing that Strategic Brand Designers get is that it’s all a numbers game.

They understand the math.

Generic Designer: Gets one rejection and thinks, “Maybe I’m not good enough. Maybe I should lower my prices.”

Strategic Brand Designer:“Perfect! That’s rejection #3 out of the 15 I need to get through before I find my next client.”

If you reach out to 50 people, you might get 5 responses, book 2 calls, and land 1 client. That’s completely normal.

Strategic Brand Designers don’t tie their self-worth to response rates. They understand that most people will say no, and that’s completely normal.

But one “no” doesn’t mean no one trusts you.

Even though it is a numbers game, there are ways to ensure you can make every number count.

Which essentially means, following a framework that helps you reach out to the right people, build trust, and race your way from Zero To One, in the fastest and simplest manner.

Step 1: Start with your warm network

Start by identifying two types of people:

• Prospects → People who themselves have the specific problem you solve. Think former colleagues, former clients, people in your industry, entrepreneurs in your network who fit your ideal client profile.

• Strategic Partners → People who don’t have the problem themselves but know plenty of people who do. These might be other designers, business coaches, or well-connected professionals in adjacent industries.

Don’t overthink this. Just start with the 20 people who would be most likely to respond to a message from you today.

Step 2: Send them a value-first message

The key is starting with genuinely appreciating them, then adapting your message based on what you’re asking for.

Do not use the below templates blindly.

They are just examples, and since you’re going to start with people who already know you, you want to draft these messages as per your style, and comfort. My goal is simply to help you get started with something, so that you’re not staring at the blinking cursor.

For prospects (people who might hire you):

“Hey [Name], hope you’re doing well! I’ve been thinking about how brilliant you are at [something they’re good at] and honestly, you’re one of the smartest people I know when it comes to [their area of expertise].

I was actually looking at [their business/website] and noticed something that could be holding you back from [a problem they might care about, ex: attracting premium clients]. Mind if I share a few insights? I think there’s a missed opportunity here that could make a big difference.”

For strategic partners (people who might refer you):

"Hey [Name], hope things are going well! I’ve been thinking about how well you understand [their ideal client type] and all the incredible work you do with them.

I’m working on something new that I think could help [type of client], and honestly, no one knows this market better than you do. Would you be up for a quick 15-minute call this week? I’d love to walk you through what I’m building and get your thoughts on how I can make it better.”

Step 3: Use Loom to show there’s a human behind the message

This is where most designers miss a huge opportunity.

While everyone else is sending generic text messages, you can use a simple video tool called Loom to immediately stand out and demonstrate your expertise and build trust.

This is especially useful for those of you who don’t want to post on social media platforms.

Recording a personal message for someone to watch 1:1 makes it less intimidating, while practicing being comfortable on camera.

So you’re slowly moving out of your comfort zone, without having to jump into the scary zone.

You can use this as your first message if you want to make a great impression with someone you really want to work with. But for others, this is what you’ll use to “share your insights” after they respond to your initial message.

You want to show:

• Your face (to build a personal connection)

• Their website/brand (to show you actually did research and so you can point out what needs improvement)

• Specific insights about their business (to demonstrate your expertise and genuinely help them out!)

You could start with:

“Hey [Name], thanks so much for your reply to my message! I’m recording this quick video because I wanted to show you exactly what I meant about your brand positioning…”

This single strategy transforms you from “random person in their DMs” to “helpful expert who took time to understand their business.”

Step 4: Follow up (because people are busy)

Don’t assume they’ll respond immediately. Follow up after 3-4 days:

“Hey [Name], just wanted to bump this up in case it got buried. No pressure at all, but I’m still happy to share those insights whenever you have a moment.”

Most designers give up after one message.

Strategic Brand Designers know that money is in the follow ups.

Persistence (done kindly) is what will separate you from the noise.

The beautiful part about this approach:

Even if they don’t hire you immediately, you’ve:

• Demonstrated your expertise

• Built a genuine relationship

• Positioned yourself as the go-to person when they ARE ready

I know a designer who landed a 4-figure project three months after sending someone a helpful video. The client said: “I’ve been thinking about what you shared for months. When we finally had budget, you were the obvious choice.”

That’s the power of building trust first.

Complete these 4 steps and I am sure you’ll find it’s much easier to build trust with both, people who know who you are, AND with strangers, too.

Even if you don’t land a client immediately, it’s still a massive win because you’ve broken through the hardest part: going from zero conversations to having real prospects who know your value.

Create that list of 20 prospects and give this approach a try.

I guarantee you’ll be surprised by the response.

Chat soon,

Abi 😊

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