Episode Details

In this solo episode, I walk through seven ways to land clients for your AI services business — starting with the method that personally got me seven qualified leads in about two hours of total effort. I cover everything from hosting a local AI meetup to knocking on doors to LinkedIn outreach to building agency partnerships, and I break down exactly what to say and do at each step. Every method ties back to one simple foot-in-the-door offer that converts cold strangers into paying clients. By the end, you'll know where to start, what to prioritize first, and how to stack these methods to build a real pipeline fast.

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Timestamps

00:00 – Intro
00:00 – Method 1: Host a local AI for small business meetup
02:24 – The follow-up that makes the meetup worth it
02:50 – Method 2: Door knocking local service businesses
04:47 – Method 3: LinkedIn outreach without being spammy
06:30 – Method 4: Free audits for people in your network
07:10 – Documenting wins and building early testimonials
08:10 – Method 5: Partnering with agencies, coaches, and consultants
09:35 – Method 6: Hosting AI office hours at a co-working space
11:56 – Method 7: Posting your wins on LinkedIn
13:30 – Where to start: the three methods to do first
 
Key Points
 
Hosting a local AI for small business meetup is the single best method to start with. Find a free venue (library, co-working space, or a realtor's office), set up an Eventbrite or Luma page, give a 20-minute talk on basic AI tools, and capture every name, phone number, and email at the door. The magic is in the follow-up within 24 hours.
 
The foot-in-the-door offer that powers every method on this list is a free 15-minute mini AI assessment. You're not selling anything upfront — you're prescribing one simple AI tool specific to their business. That assessment is what converts conversations into paying clients.
 
Door knocking local service businesses is the lowest-hanging fruit if you want a client today. One person went into 30 businesses, got five appointments, and landed two paying clients. If you do 10 walk-ins a week consistently, you will get clients.
 
Partnering with marketing agencies, coaches, and consultants is the highest long-term value method on the list. These partners already have your future clients as their clients, and most of them have no good answer when those clients ask about AI. You become their go-to AI resource and offer a cut of any work they send your way. One good partner can send you 50 to 100 leads over the course of a year.
 
Hosting AI office hours at a co-working space gives you free marketing and free exposure while positioning you as the local AI expert. You show up for two hours, answer member questions for free, and document every single question — those become your social media content and your client pipeline.
 
Every free audit, every question you answer, every text message that says "wow, I didn't know that" is an early win and an early testimonial. Screenshot all of it. These are your case studies for landing the next client and building toward charging $999 for a full paid assessment.
 
LinkedIn is the best platform for landing AI services clients. Post three to five times a week mixing wins, answers to common questions, and real education. Stay top of mind so that when someone needs an AI expert, you're the first person they call.
 
Luma - Event registration platform for hosting and promoting your AI meetup - https://lu.ma
 
Eventbrite - Free event pages to get attendees registered and confirmed - https://www.eventbrite