EPISODE 64 OF WHAT WOULD THEY DO? THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE PODCAST FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS
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If your business slows down every time leads dry up, this episode might feel a little too accurate.
In this episode, I challenge service providers to rethink their entire growth model and ask one uncomfortable question:
“If you couldn’t generate a single new lead for 90 days… what would happen?”
This episode dives into why most service-based businesses are built around acquisition instead of longevity, and how that creates a cycle of stress, inconsistency, and constant starting over.
If you’re tired of the feast-or-famine rollercoaster, this is your cue to fix what’s actually broken.
What we cover:
The difference between acquisition and longevity (and why it matters)
Why more marketing won’t fix a broken retention strategy
How to identify gaps in your customer journey
What a continuation strategy actually looks like
How to create offers that naturally lead to the next step
Soundbites:
“If for the next 90 days you are not allowed to generate a single new lead. What would that do to your business? Would your business still keep growing? Would you still be able to pay your monthly bills or would you go into panic mode because you have literally no idea where that next project is coming from.”
“Shifting from acquisition only to longevity is what’s going to future-proof your business.We need to come to that sweet spot where yes, we are getting in new leads, we’re visible, we’re getting in front of new audiences strategically, but we can also rely on those existing customer relationships to bring in a certain percentage of our income every month.”
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Episode Transcript:
Nadine Nethery (00:00)
Hello, hello and welcome to today’s episode. This one is specifically for service providers in 2026. I’d say it applies to about 90 % of you and it’s going to be super interesting because it’s going to touch on something that can totally be avoided. So the underlying listener question for today’s episode is this one. My business seems to come to a grinding hold every few months when my leads dry up.
have I unintentionally built a business that only works when chasing new leads? the reality here is that if you took new leads off the table, most service based businesses wouldn’t know what to do next.
That’s ultimately because they have built their business around acquisition rather than longevity of the existing client relationships. And we all know it’s 2026. I started out exclusively as a service provider. So working with clients one-on-one and it’s definitely felt harder for a lot of service-based business owners to make a living. People’s budgets are tight.
There’s definitely an element of uncertainty out there and people just a bit more cautious with their dollars. So if you feel it, definitely know that you are not alone, but there is something you can do. Subtle shifts in the way you run your business. That means you’re not constantly having to chase new leads, but you can also rely on the existing client relationships in your business to pay those bills.
And that ultimately takes a lot of the pressure off. So let’s start with a little experiment here. let’s assume for the next 90 days, you are not allowed to generate a single new lead via paid ads, via speaking tours, via podcast guesting, via getting in front of other people’s audiences. You are just allowed to source.
from the people already in your world. Would your business grow? Would it flatline? Or would you quietly go into panic mode? So often here, the first initial gut reaction is, well, I’ll just send more emails to my list and I’m gonna do a hard sell on my one-on-one offers. Or you would go, well, I’m just gonna discount.
my one-on-one services here and hope someone is so desperate that they are going to sign up. Or you’d go, well, I’ll just relaunch an offer that hasn’t really been selling. I’m going to repackage it and sell it as something brand new. So notice here how quickly we default to pushing harder. I would call it that. So trying harder, selling harder, squeezing the customer dollar harder, instead of looking at
what’s already not working in our business, More noise doesn’t equal better retention and more repeat purchases.
so let’s get to the core of this underlying problem here. How well do you actually know your current customers? So the people who have bought from you, do you know why they came to you in the first place? You probably have a suspicion, but have you actually asked them like what made them buy from you rather than anyone else?
And do you know what they need as that logical next step? What comes after the initial problem you helped them solve? How can you fit into that picture? So really go deep and take a step back, examine your existing clients, how you currently support them.
where there might be gaps and how you can help fill those gaps beyond that first purchase. Also look at where people usually drop off. So if you’ve never had a repeat client, well, there’s a problem. How can you keep supporting people? Is it a membership? Is it a retainer support package to help them get the most out of that initial delivery deliverable?
And do you actually currently help your customers connect the dots to that next logical step if you have one? If you’re currently having a plan to keep people in your universe, but it’s not selling, what are you doing to help them connect the dots and consider that as the next logical step and how can you integrate that in your customer journey?
throughout the project so it doesn’t feel like that abrupt end or the hard sell into that next thing. So if you can’t grow without new leads, I totally think you have a continuation problem and it’s something that definitely needs fixing, particularly in 2026 where it takes a lot of effort to get people to trust you. So once you’ve earned that trust, it’s a lot easier.
to convince people to buy from you again because they’ve already taken that initial risk. They have reassured themselves that yes, they made the right decision and you’re totally reversing any risk with that next purchase because they trust you. You’ve delivered on a promise already and it’s very likely you’re going to do so again. So really shifting from acquisition only to longevity is what is going to future-proof your business.
Like we all know what can happen. We get soaked up in delivery mode and we totally forget to market our business. So at some point in our business, we need to come to that sweet spot where yes, we are getting in new leads, right? We’re visible. We’re getting in front of new audiences strategically. So they’re definitely the right fit, but we can also rely on those existing customer relationships to bring in a certain percentage of our
income every month.
What that involves is creating reasons to stay in your universe, return for more, or go even deeper in that next project, whatever the shape of your business, whatever your niche looks like.
and it’s all about Focusing on people who already said yes, rather than putting all eggs in that acquisition basket. And that’s not a one-off strategy here. I’m talking about shifting your attitude, your mindset as a business owner long-term.
So everything you do in your business, every client project you start has that long-term goal of client relationship longevity in mind.
And the good thing is that when your retention engine works, your growth is going to compound over time because as you bring in new leads, these leads are likely going to buy again and again. So ultimately mixing new leads with recurring revenue and regular repeat purchases from your existing audience is what’s going to grow your bottom line in the long run without having to stress
constantly about bringing in new people. And when that system, the retention engine is not in place and you’re constantly chasing new eyeballs, growing your list, you know, getting in front of new audiences because you’re in panic mode, that resets every time with every new customer, you have to start from scratch and it is so exhausting and totally avoidable.
So before I wrap up today’s episode, I would love to leave you with one little task from today to help you escape this feast and famine mode because it is so exhausting constantly having to stress about where that next project is coming from when really you could be tapping into those people who already loved what you were doing. So what I would love you to do is have a think about what comes.
next for your customers. So really take a look at your customer journey from first project to whatever that might look like, that ongoing relationship, that experience, longevity, and map that out. If you already have something in place, seemingly, but it’s not selling,
then potentially go back to the drawing board, have those conversations with your existing customers, honestly ask them, you know, what do need from me beyond this project? And then have a look how you can incorporate that into your business. And once you have the starting point and that continuation strategy, definitely have a look at what it takes for you to connect the dots throughout that first initial client projects. So
You don’t have to push a hard sell at every turn of the project. How can you subtly incorporate mentions of that next step into your customer journey so people are already sold before you hand over those initial deliverables? And that’s it. It is definitely challenging in 2026 to be a service provider, but I totally believe with a few
strategic tweaks in your offer suite and in your messaging and in your customer journey. You can be far more strategic around nurturing first time customers into long-term raving fans. And that just means you have this baseline, this beautiful baseline of repeat customers. And then every new lead you add into the business is a bonus. And that ultimately takes the load off, takes the pressure off. And
makes you fall back in love with your business if things have been somewhat scarce in 2025-2026. If that is something you would love some help with having a look at those dots and what they involve and how you can strategically weave those
organic mentions into your customer journey. I would absolutely love to chat to you and see how we can do that potentially as part of a Yours for a day session where we strategize together, have a look at your existing customer journey and help you connect those dots. yeah, hit up that contact form on my website if you want to chat, otherwise retention lab incubator is a great starting point as well. If you’re not ready to outsource, I work very closely with my incubator clients in the lab.
to audit their customer journeys, to have a look at their messaging, to help them strategize what that could look like, connecting the dots, the starting point, what offer could come next and how can you connect all those things that need to happen in between. So yeah, thank you so much for listening, for tuning in. I will be back in your AirPods next week and have a good one.
