I fully get offering a new course for free because the argument is: if they won't sign up for free, they won't sign up and pay. But sometimes people sign up for free and then don't complete or finish a course. I've had it both ways.
And if I were going to approach a new contact I would consider offering a free trial (but wouldn't consider them a client until money had exchanged hands) The prospects I have approached so far have bought from me in the past, so are happy to pay. I have offered a 20% discount as a thank you.
So, going forward, I still have the same problem I started with: finding new paying clients beyond my current contacts.
Once this group finishes, and it is not a stand alone programme - they can continue (a little like the 5 in 30 but not a subscription) but I would like to onboard a few new clients each month.
I have some ideas for doing this ...but, long term, spending hours every week building up multiple individual relationships in order to get one or two sign ups is not an efficient use of my time.