The 5 Conversation Engines
A simple way to understand the five ways to start client conversations
Most advice about demand focuses on tactics.
Post more.
Send more emails.
Build a funnel.
Run ads.
Ask for referrals.
That advice makes sense for businesses with unlimited capacity, like software or course businesses, where one more customer barely increases the workload.
But if you are a solo consultant, a fractional, or a micro-agency owner, your business operates very differently.
You do not need hundreds of customers.
You might only need ten to twenty new clients per year.
Or a handful at any given time.
The real difference is trust.
Selling a $500 course and a $ 5,000-per-month consulting engagement are not the same problem. People do not just buy your ideas. They trust you to help them get results.
That level of trust is built through real conversations.
One person. One situation. One problem at a time.
For most consultants and fractionals, the best leading indicator of new clients is simple.
How many good conversations are you having with the right people?
More quality conversations usually means more people who want to work with you, assuming you are focused, capable, and clear about what you do.
Once you look at demand this way, things get simpler.
There are only five ways those conversations begin.
These are the five conversation engines.
Each one explains how a conversation starts, who starts it, and why.
The goal is not to use all of them.
The goal is to maximize good conversations, then choose the engine or engines that best fit your business model, your energy, and your capacity.
Let’s walk through them.
1. Direct Outreach
Who initiates: You
How conversations start: You intentionally reach out.
This is the most direct engine. You decide who to contact, and you start the conversation.
Includes:
LinkedIn messages
Cold or warm email
Event follow-ups
Account-based outreach
Short videos or Looms
Direct mail
Cold calls
Direct outreach is often the fastest way to get early conversations.
It is also the hardest place to build trust.
When someone does not know you, like you, or trust you, they are unlikely to buy from you. Especially for high-trust service work.
That means the goal is not to convert someone in messages. It is to start a normal, low-pressure conversation when there is already some context.
In practice, this looks very unsexy.
“Thanks for the comment on my post.”
Then you respond to what they said.
You ask a follow-up.
You see where it goes.
Only later, if it feels natural, things like this come up:
“Want to jump on a call sometime to compare notes?”
“Happy to talk shop if it’s useful.”
If the answer is no, you move on. No pressure. No weird follow-ups.
Constraints:
Linear effort
Founder dependent
Trust is hard to build cold
If you stop reaching out, the engine stops.
And if you rush to sell before trust exists, it stalls.
Direct outreach also breaks down when you target the wrong people. Focus matters more than clever messages.
What improves it:
Leading with value before selling, when possible
Clear reasons to reach out tied to their world
Intro offers like workshops, audits, or invites
Direct outreach works best when it feels patient and human. Most of the time, it is the start of a relationship, not the moment of sale.
2. Referrals
Who initiates: Someone else
How conversations start: Trust is transferred.
Here, the conversation starts because someone else already trusts you and passes that trust along.
Includes:
Client referrals
Peer referrals
Partner referrals
Agency handoffs
Alumni networks
Preferred provider lists
Affiliates or resellers
Partners are not a different engine. They are simply repeat referrers with more structure.
This engine feels easy when it works and confusing when it does not.
The most common problem is vagueness.
Most people ask something vague like, “Let me know if you hear of anyone.” That requires the other person to:
Know what you do,
Scan their network,
Decide who fits,
Compose an intro.
That’s extra work that most people won’t do.
Constraints:
Unpredictable unless designed
Requires being remembered
Referrals slow down when:
People forget what you work on
They are unsure what a “good referral” looks like for you
There is no clear moment to think of you
What improves it:
Clear language like “send me X when Y happens”
Simple structure around who refers and when
Occasional light check-ins to stay top of mind
The core idea is to make it easy to say yes.
One way to think about it is like a mindset, not a heavy system:
You identify a small set of people who regularly see the problems you solve. You stay in light contact and are explicit about when an intro is useful.
For example:
“If you’re talking to a founder who’s struggling with X, feel free to loop me in.”
That close, specific phrasing turns vague goodwill into something people can act on without doing extra work.
People want to help. They just need clarity and an easy way to remember you.
3. Public Presence
Who initiates: The prospect
How conversations start: They see your work over time and choose to reach out.
This is classic inbound.
Someone follows you. Reads your posts. Watches how you think. Then, when a problem becomes real, they decide to start the conversation.
Includes:
LinkedIn posting and commenting
Newsletters
Podcasts you host
Blogs and SEO
YouTube
Visible participation in communities
Free resources like templates or guides
This engine builds trust before the conversation starts.
People arrive warmer because they already have context.
Constraints:
Takes time
Requires memorability
Posting alone is not progress.
Clarity is what compounds.
If people cannot easily explain what you help with, they will not think of you when the moment matters. Frequency does not fix that.
One useful way to think about this comes from Erica Schneider’s MP3 framework:
Market the problem
Market the process
Market the proof
In simple terms, good public presence does three things over time:
It shows you understand the problem.
It shows how you think about solving it.
And it shows evidence that your approach works.
That is what makes someone feel like, “I should talk to this person.”
Important note: This engine often works best when combined with others.
For example:
You post on LinkedIn
The right people like or comment
You reach out to start a conversation
That is Public Presence feeding Direct Outreach.
The content builds familiarity. The conversation builds the relationship.
4. Borrowed Trust
Who initiates: A third party
How conversations start: Someone else lends you attention or credibility.
This engine works when another person or platform introduces you to their audience.
Includes:
Podcast guesting
Speaking
Guest workshops
Guest posts or newsletters
Collaborations
Co-marketing webinars
Media mentions
Influencer shout-outs
Borrowed trust shows up fast.
It also fades fast.
The most common mistake is treating this like a distribution channel instead of a relationship channel.
An appearance gives you attention and temporary credibility. It does not, on its own, create lasting trust.
Borrowed Trust rarely converts by itself. It works best when it feeds an engine that can hold attention over time.
Constraints:
Episodic
Requires follow-up
If nothing happens after the appearance, the trust disappears with it.
That is not a failure. It is how the engine works.
Common combination:
You appear on a podcast, webinar, or stage
You focus the conversation on one clear problem
You offer a simple next step
You continue the relationship through content or direct conversation
Borrowed Trust creates the opening.
Public Presence and Direct Outreach do the rest.
5. Active Demand Capture
Who initiates: The buyer
How conversations start: The buyer already has a need and goes looking.
This engine is different because it starts with intent.
Someone is already trying to solve a problem and is comparing options.
Includes:
Marketplaces
Job boards
Expert directories
RFPs
“Find an expert” listings
Vendor shortlists
App marketplaces with service partners
Here, the buyer is already prepared to make a choice.
What they have is intent.
What they do not have is trust.
That changes how the conversation works.
Constraints:
High competition
Price pressure
Platform dependence
None of that is personal. It is structural.
When buyers are comparing options side by side, nuance matters less than clarity and proof.
What improves it:
Clear differentiation
Strong proof and concrete examples
Fast, simple responses
Your job here is not to educate or build a relationship.
It is to win the comparison.
The shared truth
All five engines exist for one reason.
To start trust-building conversations and keep you in mind until timing changes.
They differ only in who starts the conversation and how trust is formed.
Regardless of the engine, the sequence is the same:
You start a real conversation.
Not a pitch. Not a funnel step. A human interaction.
You build trust and context.
So someone understands what you help with, who you help, and whether you’re credible.
You stay top of mind.
So when the problem becomes urgent, you are the obvious next step.
You convert when the timing is right.
The prospect asks for help, or is open when you do.
If you only need a few great clients at a time, you do not need all five engines.
You need one or two that fit your work, your energy, and your capacity.
Pick them on purpose.
Support them well.
Let the rest go.
That’s how you start valuable conversations that eventually turn into clients.
Cheers,
Garrett
P.S. When you’re ready, apply to join 10x Solo.
It’s a place to learn what’s working for other solos, meet people who get the same challenges you’re dealing with, and build a business that brings in steady work without stretching yourself thin.
Have questions? Ask me in a comment below.
It’s why just hiring reps for their networks isn’t really a scalable business model! You need to find a way to have a consistent GTM engine that leverages each of these types consistently!