How to Get Your First GoHighLevel Client

I analyzed 120 comments from the biggest thread on “how people got their first GoHighLevel SaaS & Agency clients” so you don’t have to.

…here’s how you can get your first client.

The original question — Jonah Cockshaw:

Can we make this a mega thread of all the weird and wonderful ways you’ve ever gotten new clients for your SaaS / agency services?

Where to start

Here’s what most of ya’ll are doing…

Learn GHL → build a website → create an offer → post about GHL → send cold DMs → hope someone buys.

SHOULD be doing

Find people → identify a problem → help them with the problem → become known/trusted → create an opportunity to work together.

Stop selling GHL

“Hey, I sell HighLevel.” ←- very few successful GHL agencies are doing this - fixing a specific business problem - improving someone's marketing - answering a question - building an automation - improving lead follow-up - helping launch something - auditing a system - talking to business owners - providing a service - solving a problem they encountered in real life

solving very specific CRM/automation problems, showing screenshots or Looms, and using a simple:

problem → setup → result

Why you should care about this

A business owner generally doesn't wake up thinking:

“I need a HighLevel agency.”

They think:

“We're losing leads.”

“Nobody follows up with our estimates.”

“Our receptionist isn't answering the phone.”

“People aren't booking appointments.”

“Our leads aren't being nurtured.”

“Our reviews suck.”

“Our Facebook leads aren't converting.”

GHL is the mechanism. It isn't necessarily the product.

For YOU, this changes YOUR offer.

Instead of:

“I build HighLevel automations.”

Try:

“I help HVAC companies automatically follow up with every missed call and web lead until they book.”

grade your GHL

Facebook group strategy

1. Find a group. 2. Post your offer. 3. Drop a link. 4. Say “DM me.” 5. Repeat in 30 groups.

DON”T DO THIS^^^^^

⭐️groups work because they force you to focus on contributing value rather than promoting. - answer questions without promoting - share experiences - help people without asking for something - get on calls to help people - allow people to discover your expertise naturally

This is what you end up creating, you need to stop thinking about it as getting the lead from the person you respond to

Don't use Facebook groups as an advertising channel.

Use them as a public demonstration of competence.

Imagine you're targeting dentists.

Instead of posting:

“I help dentists automate their businesses. DM me!”

Spend 30 days answering questions like:

“How are you currently following up with missed calls?”

“Here's why your Google lead form isn't converting.”

“Here's a simple appointment reminder sequence I'd use.”

“Here's how I'd handle someone who submits a form but doesn't book.”

Now your profile becomes a portfolio of expertise.

From the original thread — Jorden Williams:

Content - youtube, webinars and free education and recycling that value on different channels Very effective super niche questions pertaining to your customer base - does two things: serves as value to your internal community and customer base and also will be a lead magnet for people like them looking for solutions to anniche problem Like “how to build your own voice AI RAG system”. I give that to my community for value and will pop up on feed on people like my community Your community’s reaction gives it its initial bump in traffic which is good for algo, and YouTube takes it from there

Your comments become evergreen content that indexes on search

Someone searches the group six months later for:

“How do I follow up with missed calls?”

They see your answer.

That's an asset you didn't have to pay for other than time.

You are building a library for people to scroll through and spend time doing the selling FOR YOU

Become the person who answers the questions the best

The people who consistently:

answer → help → explain → demonstrate

eventually become the people others ask:

“Can you do this for me?”

easier sales conversation.

Use this transition:

Question → Helpful Answer → Trust → Conversation → Client

rather than:

Cold Pitch → Objection → Follow-up → Pitch → Rejection

Specific content beats generic GHL content

creating content around very niche questions pertaining to your customer base.

Don't create:

“10 Amazing HighLevel Features You Need to Know!”

Create:

“How I would automatically text a roofing lead 60 seconds after they request an estimate.”

Or:

“How to automatically follow up with a missed call at a dental office.”

Or:

“The 5-text sequence I'd use when a med spa lead doesn't book.”

Or:

“How I'd recover leads that requested a quote but disappeared.”

Why?

Because generic GHL content attracts GHL people.

Specific problem content attracts potential buyers.

Example resource I built

Physical prospecting

plastic cards + NFC chips + Badgy

put the prospect's own face/logo/information on the card, while placing your information on the back.

Then you hand them directly to business owners/employees.

putting their pictures on it makes them less likely to throw it away.

Make your marketing useful to the prospect.

Don't give someone:

“Here's my business card.”

Give them:

“I made something for your business.” solves a problem

it creates a natural reason to talk.

From the original thread — Melissa Dee:

I saw a post where someone left a chocolate foot at different businesses and then they put an note on it saying "just trying to get my foot in the door". 🤣

Use your GHL skills to create something before asking for the sale

Audits are a perfect example. - websites - ads - social media - systems - email marketing - basically anything you can evaluate.

Not abou t the “free audit.”

Step 1 — Identify a problem

Step 2 — Explain why the problem matters

Step 3 — Show them what could be improved

Step 4 — Demonstrate that you know how to fix it

Step 5 — Offer to implement it

We are creating a sales conversation disguised as diagnosis.

you don't need to be an elite salesperson.

You need to be able to look at a business and say:

“Here's what's happening.”

“Here's why it's costing you money.”

“Here's what I'd change.”

It will create a conversation for you

audit doesn't need to be impressive

audits don't need to be wildly complex or fancy.

A Loom + Google Doc is enough.

suggested structure was essentially:

What I see → Problems → Impact → Recommendation

YOU could make

“3-Minute Lead Follow-Up Audit for ABC Roofing”

Problem #1

You have a contact form but there is no immediate SMS response.

Impact

A lead can submit the form and then hear nothing while they're contacting your competitors.

Recommendation

Send an immediate confirmation SMS and route the lead into a 7-day follow-up sequence.

Implementation

“I can build this for you.”

Find people who already have the problem

One person got a client after receiving a flyer in the mail from a local junk hauler. He called and asked if the owner had considered Facebook ads.

Another was getting tires installed across the street from a personal training gym, walked in, started talking marketing, and got the client.

From the original thread — Mackensie Liberman:

My very first client I received a flyer in the mail for a local junk hauler. I called him up and asked if he ever thought about doing Facebook ads. Another client, I was across the street getting new tires put on my car. I walked across the street, went into their personal training gym, started talking shop and marketing and he became a client. My second and longest running client is a little local Mexican restaurant. I went in and dropped off a proposal, followed up a few times and met with the owner. Closed him for $300/month plus free food. I’ve been running his ads and chatbot since 2017. 😊 The most successful campaign for him has been a birthday ad. It was running continuously for 5 years without me even touching it until facebook screwed with their algorithm pushing advantage plus crap and the ads started being shown to people outside of the area. When there’s a will to get clients, including the will to do whatever it takes and be okay with being rejected, you’ll get clients!

Another commenter literally met a potential client at a farmers market.

Another got a client because a business owner was trying to get something printed at Staples that Staples couldn't provide.

THIS is not the lesson

“Go to Staples.”

It's:

Pay attention to commercial problems happening around you.

Example audit tool I built

Your existing life is a lead-generation channel

One person had been training for 20 years and naturally knew lots of established business owners. A conversation about what someone did for a living eventually turned into an insurance client, then a software relationship, then a CRM opportunity, which led to more clients.

Another person got a client while getting a Brazilian wax.

Another got clients through their local community.

Another got their first client from someone they hadn't spoken to in ten years.

Beginner mistake:

“I don't have a network.”

You probably do.

You have: - former coworkers - family friends - gym members - vendors - contractors - business owners - parents at activities - old clients - friends - people you went to school with - people you meet regularly

You don't need to pitch them

Just start conversations

Referral strategy

One of the best comments says that most clients came from:

From the original thread — Audrey Rose:

my first few clients came in through friends who I already knew. I created trust and dependability with them and they have referred me their friends and their friends referred me to their friends and so on. The majority of my clients have come from referrals and partnerships with other businesses. I’ve found creating affiliate partnerships and referral bonuses was a great way for me to get started when I did. I also found some from Facebook groups simply for sharing or answering questions.

referrals + partnerships with other businesses.

They specifically mention affiliate partnerships and referral bonuses.

You don't necessarily need existing clients to benefit from referrals.

You can partner with businesses that serve the same audience but provide a different service.

This is huge for YOU.

Suppose you want to work with chiropractors.

You partner with: - chiropractic coaches - website designers - SEO companies - photographers - accountants - business coaches - signage companies - medical billing companies

They already have relationships with chiropractors.

You don't need to find 100 chiropractors.

You could find 5 people who already serve 100 chiropractors.

“Be their customer first”

hiring businesses and eventually turning them into clients.

they hired a painter to do work at their shop and eventually sold him the CRM + GMB SEO.

This gives you an interesting prospecting method:

Buy from the people you want to sell to. Want HVAC clients?

Call an HVAC company when you need HVAC work.

Want landscapers?

Hire a landscaper.

Want photographers?

Book a photographer.

Want a cleaning company?

Hire a cleaning company.

You're their customer.

You can ask:

“How are you currently following up with people who request an estimate?”

Don't underestimate speaking

**Teach → demonstrate expertise → audience trusts you → audience wants more help

From the original thread — Enoch Leffingwell:

Most of my early clients I got through speaking at events. I had a heart attack when I was 12 years old. I was 210 pounds short and morbidly obese. I lost 50lbs in 3 months and never put it on again. Folks started asking me how I did it and as I shared my story people started inviting me to speak at age 17, then people wanted to learn how they could lose weight also. I find speaking to audience has been a big way for me to get new clients. They hear me talk and want to extend their learning environment with me beyond the short speech or interview.

Jonah Cockshaw replied:

wow, that's an awesome story... scary... but awesome! Are you still doing these speaking gigs now? Is it still a source of client opportunities? Or has it shifted over the years? Obviously this story is entirely unique to you, but I can't help but feel like basically everyone will have a story they can share and lean on. Whether it stands out because it's 'extreme,' or people resonate because of how 'normal' and 'down to earth' it is. Whether you're speaking on stage or on social media, you can leverage your story and your background to build rapport and resonate with folks. Thank you for sharing!

Enoch Leffingwell replied:

yeah most definitely. Speaking is still a large client acquisition method for my business. These days I've been helping holistic health educators to monetize their health knowledge with a signature speech. One of my most recent clients just gave her first talk at a fire department about reversing type 2 diabetes and she got 3 new clients for her health mentorship program through speaking. Russell Brunson built his SaaS company by using speaking to sell a course and along with the course providing 6mo free of software. He made hundreds of millions doing that offer. I'm using a similar method for signing up new GHL clients also.

you don't necessarily need to speak at a giant conference. If you still need the platform basics, start with my free GoHighLevel for beginners course.

For a beginner, think: - local chamber - networking group - industry association - business meetup - Facebook group Zoom - local business workshop - lunch-and-learn - partner webinar

A topic like:

“5 Ways Local Businesses Are Losing Leads Without Realizing It”

is far more compelling than:

“Introduction to GoHighLevel.”

Free work isn't necessarily a bad thing

There are several examples of people doing work for free.

important distinction.

Bad free work:

“I'll build your entire CRM for free because I need experience.”

Smart free work:

“I'll audit your lead follow-up and show you exactly what I'd change.”

Or:

“I'll build this one automation for you.”

Or:

“I'll set up your missed-call text-back.”

Or:

“I'll build the demo system for your gym.”

Then you say:

“If this works, let's talk about implementing the rest.”

“Weird” stuff works because it creates conversation

• plastic cards
• NFC
• chocolate feet
• biscuits mailed to prospects
• Brazilian wax conversations
• farmers markets
• Staples
• jiu jitsu
• local restaurants
• networking
• answering random Facebook questions

They're all different.

but….

They create an excuse to have a conversation. Most beginners think client acquisition means:

“How do I convince this person to buy?”

The better question is:

“How do I create a natural reason for this person and me to talk?”

Once you're talking, you can discover problems.

My tools I use for lead gen

Automation addiction

raw leads → triple dialer → automated outreach → AI inbound sales agent → AI closes → payment → onboarding → setup.

On paper, this sounds incredible. For a grounded look at the platform economics, read my cost analysis of GoHighLevel versus its competitors.

But there's an interesting contrast with almost every other successful story in the thread.

The overwhelming majority rely on:

human interaction + trust + expertise + relationships.

The automated system is essentially trying to scale the opposite direction.

And notably, when asked to report results, the person later says the project was delayed because of a medical issue and asks to check back later. The thread doesn't actually provide validated performance data.

Beginner lesson:

Don't build a 14-step AI sales machine before you've proven you can sell one thing to one person.

Manual → repeatable → automated → scalable.

Not:

Automated → complicated → expensive → hopefully works.

The “$9 offer → SaaS” model is interesting

selling a low-ticket product for roughly $9–17 and then converting those buyers into a $97–297/month SaaS offer.

Sell something easy to buy.

Then introduce the recurring solution. Use the GoHighLevel profit calculator to check the numbers before you price it.

For example:

$17: “Local Business Lead Follow-Up Playbook”

↓

$97: “Done-for-you lead follow-up setup”

↓

$297/month: “Managed CRM + automation”

That's a much easier customer journey than:

“Would you like to pay me $297/month for my GHL SaaS?”

Turn your expertise into a tiny product

• a checklist
• a template
• a workflow
• a mini audit
• a calculator
• a webinar
• a Loom
• a snapshot
• a small course
• a $9–$17 product

Then use it to identify people who have the exact problem you're solving.

because the product itself becomes a qualification mechanism.

If someone buys:

“Missed Call Recovery System for Roofers”

you know:

They are a roofer + they care about missed calls + they have some level of buying intent.

Personality can actually be a filter

alternating between genuinely helpful content and wildly inappropriate/funny comments that their target demographic would enjoy.

Their point isn't simply “be funny.”

Use your personality to repel people you don't want and attract people you do want.

Beginners often try to appear: - professional - corporate - polished - perfect - authoritative

DON’t end up sounding like every other person trying to sell and pitch you.

If your ideal clients like sarcasm, humor, bluntness, weirdness, etc., let some of that personality show.

You aren't trying to appeal to everybody. The same idea shows up in this story about how a GoHighLevel agency turned AI into a mission.

The most powerful pattern: “Don't ask for the sale”

Look at how many stories contain some version of:

I helped them.

I answered their question.

I talked to them.

I gave advice.

I did something for them.

I was already their customer.

I met them naturally.

I shared something useful.

I gave them an audit.

I spoke at an event.

The business owner eventually becomes the person saying:

“How can I work with you?”

The formula

ACCESS → RELEVANCE → VALUE → TRUST → CONVERSATION → OPPORTUNITY → CLIENT Let's break that down.

1. Access

Find yourself in proximity to the right people.

Facebook groups.

Gyms.

Networking.

Existing relationships.

Local businesses.

Partners.

Events.

Customers.

2. Relevance

Have a reason to talk to them.

You noticed a problem.

They asked a question.

They hired you.

You're in the same community.

You have something useful for them.

3. Value

Give them something useful.

Answer.

Audit.

Advice.

Loom.

Template.

Card.

Automation.

Workshop.

Introduction.

4. Trust

Do it consistently.

Don't immediately pitch.

Demonstrate competence.

Do what you said you'd do.

5. Conversation

Eventually the interaction becomes:

“Tell me more.”

“Can you help me with this?”

“What would that cost?”

6. Opportunity

Now there's a legitimate business problem to solve.

7. Client

You sell the solution.

Not the steps to take

Don't copy the questionable freelancing tactic

From the original thread — Ramzan Zahoor:

The very first client I got from a FREELANCE platform. How? I offered a job that was "little violation" of the platform to give that service. People usually didn't take risks, I took and after delivering some projects and building my profile/ some good reviews shifted to my original domain of work in which I was expert in. It was "Reverse Engineering" or "Cracking Software Licenses using Reverse Engineering". Controversial method? Yes. But it's the truth* It can work the same way with any Ethical Hacking tasks. Or reselling some premium subscription at the lowest price gigs. Once you have the enough reputation and experience how to deal actual clients, you shift to your domain. All the way earning profits by outsourcing at first.

Use a low-friction service to build reputation if necessary.

Not:

Break platform rules to get reviews.

Don't automate everything immediately

Don't copy the weirdness

The Brazilian-wax story is memorable.

It's not necessarily repeatable.

Be willing to talk about business wherever natural conversations happen.

Not:

Sell GHL during personal grooming appointments.

What next?

Week 1: Pick one problem

Don't pick:

“CRM automation.”

Pick something like:

“Recover missed calls for local service businesses.”

Then build ONE solution around it. If you are still deciding which account fits that solution, take the GoHighLevel plan quiz.

Week 2: Find conversations

Every day:

5 helpful Facebook comments

Not pitches.

And:

5 conversations with real business owners.

Could be online or offline.

Week 3: Create proof

Make:

5 short Loom audits.

Each one:

Here's what I noticed.

Here's why it matters.

Here's what I'd change.

Here's how I'd implement it.

Don't worry about fancy production.

Week 4: Start making offers

Now approach the people you've helped.

Not:

“Want to buy my SaaS?”

Instead:

“I noticed this issue and I can actually implement the fix for you if you'd like.”

Now you're not selling a theoretical GHL system.

You're solving a problem you've already demonstrated you understand. Once they say yes, use the GoHighLevel onboarding checklist to turn that first sale into a clean handoff.

Your first client is not primarily a sales problem.

It's usually an access + trust problem.

You don't need: - 10,000 followers - a huge agency website - 50 automations - a massive SaaS platform - an expensive CRM - a sophisticated AI sales agent - hundreds of cold leads

You need to get close enough to one business owner with one painful problem to demonstrate that you can solve it.

Get around people. Notice problems. Help without immediately asking. Demonstrate competence. Build relationships. Let the sale become the natural next step.