For self-employed people who are building a small business on a budget, finding prospects you can then turn into customers is a huge concern. If the prospect pool dries up, so does your potential for new customers. So the question is where do you go to find new prospects to continuously feed your "potential clients" pool?

FIRST, WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

One of the best ways is to first know exactly who you're trying to find. This may seem obvious, but if the description of your ideal client is very broad and sounds more like "anyone/everyone" then your marketing and prospect-finding will be a bit of a challenge. Your message to your ideal client must resonate very strongly with a specific group of people for you to attract prospects.

FIVE WAYS TO FIND THEM

1) Show up in what they read: If there's a trade magazine or newsletter in your field, call them up and offer to write an article for free. It's free publicity, free exposure and free marketing. You can, of course, also place an ad in the publication as well. You can also place ads in other people's Ezines, by the way. A great resource for doing so is www.directoryofezines.com. Many of the people on my list showed up after I placed an ad in someone-else's Ezine.

2) Show up at their networking meetings: If you're target a specific group of people, it's more than likely that they show up at different networking meetings and you'd want to be there too (either as a speaker or as a guest). Try doing a Google search for "networking meetings CITY" for your city and you'll probably find some groups where you can show up and meet more of your prospects.

3) Show up at their seminars/workshops: If there are workshops or seminars that your ideal client attends, it may be a good idea to show up there too. If they are congregating in large numbers at a workshop or seminar, that could be a goldmine for business prospects. Of course, you can volunteer to become a speaker at these types of events as well - which would be even more powerful as you gain instant credibility with an audience full of your prospects.

4) Network with someone who has a big list of these people: So for example, a photographer could network with a wedding planner or bridal boutique and instantly gain access to an entire list of soon-to-be brides and grooms who want photography for their wedding. The question to ask is "Who already has a list of my ideal client but is not in my field?"

5) Is there an online forum or group where these people connect: Try going to "Google groups" or just Google "online groups" or "online forums" to see if online groups exist for your ideal prospect. If they do, join those groups and participate in conversations. By the way, don't show up and start pushing your products and services. That'll turn people off. Show up as a problem solver, build relationships, display your expertise and people would naturally want to know more about you.