WHAT WOULD I DO TODAY IF I HAD TO GET A NEW CUSTOMER BEFORE 6 P.M.?

This is probably the part that surprises people the most.

If I need a customer today, I wouldn’t start by trying to convince someone who has never heard of me. I’d start with people who already have some kind of relationship with my business.

Think about all the contacts you’ve built over the past few months. People who bought from you, someone who requested a quote, a former customer who was happy with your service, someone who asked about your services but never moved forward, a person who once said, “I’ll call you when I need this,” or even someone who follows you on social media and already knows what you do.

All of these people are much closer to becoming customers than someone discovering your business for the first time today.

Imagine you own a small photography business in Philadelphia. A few months ago, you photographed a family session for a couple. They loved the photos and probably even shared them with family and friends.

If I need a customer today, what makes more sense: paying for an ad so 5,000 strangers see my business, or reaching out to that couple, asking how they’re doing and reminding them that I’m available for new sessions?

I’m not going to send a desperate message saying, “Do you want to buy something?”

I’m going to reopen a conversation where trust already exists.

I would do something very simple that many small business owners don’t do consistently: I’d open my contacts, WhatsApp messages and emails and look for opportunities.

I don’t need to find 100 people. Ten or fifteen good contacts are enough to get started.

I’d look especially for people who have already shown interest. Someone who asked for information, requested a quote, asked about availability or mentioned a need that my business can solve.

And here’s an important question: How many people have shown interest in your business over the past six months and simply disappeared from your radar?

Maybe they never said no. The conversation just stopped.

That’s different.

When someone says, “I can’t right now,” the conversation may be over. But when someone asked questions, showed interest and then the conversation simply went quiet, there may still be an opportunity.

That’s where I’d start.

This is one of the biggest differences between starting a conversation and chasing a sale.

If I contact a former customer after several months and my first message is, “We have a promotion. Do you want to buy?” I’m probably not going to get very far.

But if I reconnect with the relationship before talking about the product or service, the conversation changes.

For example:

“Hi, Maria. It’s been a while since we talked. How have you been? I was looking through some of the sessions we did and thought of you guys. I hope everything is going great.”

I’m not trying to close a sale in the first sentence. I’m starting a conversation.

If Maria responds and says everything is going well, I can naturally continue:

“I’m glad to hear that. By the way, I’m scheduling some family sessions over the next few weeks and thought you might be interested in doing another one. If you’d like, I can tell you about the options I have.”

That’s very different.

I’m not pushing a sale.

I’m creating an opportunity for the customer to make a decision.

There’s another thing I’d do that same day: ask for a referral.

If you have happy customers, you already have something many advertising campaigns spend months trying to create: trust.

But asking for a referral doesn’t mean simply saying, “Refer me.”

You need to make it easy.

Imagine you own a Latin restaurant in Philadelphia and a regular customer has just complimented your food and service.

That could be a natural moment to say:

“I’m really glad you enjoyed it. If you know anyone who loves this kind of food, we’d be happy to have them come in too.”

It’s simple. It doesn’t feel aggressive, and it leaves the door open.

The same approach can work for a lawyer, photographer, cleaning professional, personal trainer, retail store or consultant.

The question is simple: if my best customers are happy with my business, why am I not giving them an easy opportunity to talk about it?

By this point, I would have reached out to former customers, people who had shown interest and a few people who might be able to refer someone.

Now I’d do something else.

I’d find five people or businesses where there is a genuine reason for a conversation and reach out to them personally.

I wouldn’t send the same generic message to twenty people.

If you’re a designer and you know a Philadelphia restaurant just opened a new location, you can reach out because you have a real reason to.

If you’re a photographer and you know a local company is preparing an event, you can contact them because your service may be relevant.

If you run a catering business and see that an organization is planning an event, you can start a conversation.

The key is having a reason.

Instead of:

“Hi, we offer catering services. Do you need catering?”

You could say:

“Hi, I saw you’re preparing the September event. I’ve worked with other businesses on similar events and thought our services might be useful for you. If you’re still looking at options, I’d be happy to show you what we do.”

The difference is that you’re not trying to sell to everyone. You’re talking to someone who may actually have a reason to need what you offer.

This is probably the most important action of the entire day.

Before finishing, I’d review who responded, who showed interest and which conversations are worth continuing.

Because getting a contact isn’t the same as getting a customer.

And starting a conversation doesn’t necessarily mean closing a sale immediately.

Sales require follow-up.

If someone asked for information this morning and you replied, but they haven’t written back, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve lost interest.

Maybe they’re working. Maybe they need to discuss it with their partner. Maybe they received three quotes and are comparing them. Maybe they simply forgot.

A simple follow-up can put your business back in front of them.

“Hi, Ana. I just wanted to check whether you had a chance to review the information I sent this morning. If you have any questions, I’m here and happy to help.”

You don’t need to pressure people.

You need to be present when the customer is ready to make a decision.

This is an important part of the exercise.

Let’s say it’s 6 p.m. and I haven’t closed a single sale.

Was the day a failure?

Not necessarily.

Maybe I reopened three conversations that had gone quiet. Maybe a former customer told me they need my services next month. Maybe someone referred me to another person. Maybe I have two quotes pending and a new conversation underway.

That means I’ve created opportunities.

And this is one of the things I like most about this exercise: it forces me to stop thinking only about “getting customers” and start thinking about creating conversations that can become customers.

Because sales don’t appear out of nowhere.

They usually start with something much smaller.

A message.

A phone call.

A question.

A referral.

A conversation you had left unfinished.

Imagine that tomorrow you have to get a new customer before 6 p.m.

You have no advertising budget. You can’t sit around waiting for someone to discover your business by chance. You can only use the resources you already have.

Who would you call? Who would you message? Which former customer would you reconnect with? Who could you ask for a referral? Which unfinished conversation would you restart?

Do the exercise.

Open your phone and find ten names.

Don’t think about selling to them yet. Think about why it would make sense to talk to them again.

Because maybe you don’t need to reach thousands of new people.

Maybe you need to talk to the right people again.

If I had to get a new customer before 6 p.m. tomorrow, I wouldn’t start with a complicated strategy. I’d start by making better use of what I already have: my contacts, former customers, unfinished conversations, referrals and opportunities I haven’t followed up on.

The same exercise can help you discover something important about your business: where your real sales opportunities are and what you’re doing — or not doing — with them.