Client Magnet CRM: Inside Drew Dorenfest’s Revolution in Small Business Marketing

Drew Dorenfest's journey from Hollywood video editor to founder of Client Magnet CRM is a testament to embracing change and seizing control. In this Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Spotlight, Drew shares how he transitioned from crafting narratives for giants like Netflix to empowering small businesses with SEO and automation. By focusing on universal needs like 5-star reviews, Drew turned an initial challenge into a thriving venture. His story highlights the power of strategic pivots, the impact of giving back, and the relentless hustle required to transform dreams into reality. Join us to explore Drew's inspiring path to entrepreneurial success.

Hi, Drew! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us about your business. Who do you serve, how do you serve them, and what's the impact that your business and work makes?

Client Magnet CRM provides small business SEO services and automation at an affordable monthly price. We're here to help fellow small business owners get discovered online through SEO, email marketing, more reviews, and lead funnels that work so much more effectively than constantly posting on social media. The impact we've seen on our clients' business has been tremendous. They are so happy to see more 5-star reviews, more web traffic, and more sales instead of just likes and follows. We're a trusted growth partner who is invested in your success.

Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.

Signing clients in different industries (accounting, e-commerce, construction, and more), especially on referral from our happy clients, feels like we're building something special with the impact we're creating. This idea of helping fellow small business owners was just an idea, until putting it intro practice, seeing incredible results, and then growing the business made it real. This work has a strong purpose and passion behind it, and that's what propels me every day to help my clients thrive.

Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.

10 years out of college, I was working steadily at different entertainment marketing agencies in Hollywood as a video editor working with the biggest brands like Netflix and Warner Bros. At a certain point, I felt like I needed more control over the direction of my career and I went freelance, which was scary and a leap into the unknown. But it also meant I wasn't an employee anymore, I was my own small business. A few years ago I formed my own LLC to further own all aspects of my business. Being an entrepreneur is challenging and exciting in equal measure, but you're fully in control of your own destiny. You have hustle to succeed!

Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?

We use GoHighLevel as our CRM to run marketing services and it's an incredibly powerful system. We can assign a sub-account to each client and run their email marketing, build automations like lead magnets (e.g. "10% off coupon on first purchase" emails gets sent automatically when the user clicks "submit"), create and manage paid ad campaigns, and track pipelines all in one platform. We love it for streamlining marketing operations.

We know that success is very often a non-linear path. Tell us about a failure, pivot point, or lesson that changed your course or direction and helped to get you where you are today.

When I started my own LLC for video editing, I did a lot of lead gen and cold outreach to get more video editing clients. I quickly learned that not every business needs video marketing. I felt frustrated because I knew the offer was solid, but there was less demand outside of the entertainment space for video editing. That's when I dug into well, okay, what does every business NEED,  and it doesn't matter if it's related to video editing. That's when I came upon getting more reviews. Every business needs positive reviews as social proof to attract more clients and customers. If you're picking a restaurant, a hotel, a product, or service, chances are you check reviews before you decide. So that's honestly where my SEO journey began. Getting consistent 5-star reviews is the easiest and fastest way to boost your SEO, especially local SEO. SEO is about competitive edge, and more 5-star reviews can often be the differentiator between you and your competitors. That's one of the basic services I now offer at Client Magnet CRM. We automate post-purchase and appointment follow-up communications, usually e-mail but can also do SMS, and those "thank you for your business emails" always include a link to leave a review on Google and Yelp. It's automated and easy and works like magic to get more real 5-star reviews.

What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?

After I learned SEO and I put it in practice on my video editing LLC, I reached out to some small business owner friends and offered to do their SEO for free. Not just for a few months, but for the long-term. It was an offer they couldn't refuse. Free SEO work that normally costs thousands of dollars? That can make me more money? With no strings? Automatic yes. To me, this process was invaluable in the early days of my business. I got to apply strategies, test new ideas, and quietly learn and grow on real business websites. These beta clients taught me lessons I never would have been able to learn otherwise. I'm happy to do the hard work for free because when I eventually got paying clients, I was much more effective at SEO. I knew what worked. I knew didn't. I knew how to streamline. I knew how to speak clearly about super technical things with no fluff and no jargon.

What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?

Don't assume your early success is an indicator of explosive growth. Every month is a clean slate as a far as I'm concerned. You have to work hard to earn trust, to build a brand, and get results for your clients. There's peaks and valleys. You have to grind it out through the good and the bad.

Want to dive deeper into Drew's work? Check out the links below!

• Visit Client Magnet CRM's website: clientmagnetcrm.com/
• Learn about the Client Magnet CRM's SEO service: clientmagnetcrm.com/affordable-seo/
• Connect with Drew Dorenfest on LinkedIn: Drew Dorenfest