Like most people, when I first started to try to win clients online I didn't have much success.

I'd usually start off trying to be helpful and to share as much valuable information as I could. But then when that didn't result in me getting any clients I would try to make offers and sales pitches instead.

Needless to say, that didn't work well either.

In the end, I had the good sense to pay attention to the things I was buying online myself. Particularly information and training.

And what I realised was that the people selling what I was buying weren't flip-flopping between adding value and promoting.

They were doing both at the same time.

Adding value + offering something more.

When I started doing something similar, my online sales grew significantly.

Adding value + offering something more means your first step is always to send your audience to valuable information.

That might be via an email, a blog post, an advert, a presentation.

But rather than just leaving it there and hoping the gods of reciprocation will kick in and result in them wanting to hire you, you make a related offer.

Let's say you were a graphic designer and maybe the valuable information you send them to is a tutorial you recorded on how to design and make an effective logo for your business.

At the end of that tutorial, you offer the “+”.

Maybe you offer to do it for them. Or you offer more in-depth step-by-step training. Or you offer templates they can use to speed things up. Or a software tool to help them do it.

The point is that the only people who will watch your tutorial on making an effective logo are people who want a logo. ie potential clients.

Some of them – perhaps the majority – will be happy with just the tutorial.

But some will want more details. Some will want someone to do it for them. Some will want examples, templates and tools to help them.

And the key is that if you offer the advanced training, the templates and tools or the “done for you” service right after you've given them valuable information then absolutely no one is going to get upset or complain.

If the information and training you give them is good, they'll be overjoyed with that. And they won't begrudge you offering something else (paid) afterwards. In fact, they'll realise it could be useful for some people.

If you just send valuable content, you'll have 100% happy people, but no sales.

If you just send sales pitches you'll get some clients, but you'll annoy everyone else (who might have become a client later had you taken a better approach).

But if you follow the value+ approach of giving them great information and training then at the end offering them a logical (paid) next step you'll have happy people plus paying clients.

Which, if not quite the holy grail, is a pretty darned near substitute :)