Oct 2, 2009
How Do You Find Your Clients?
To succeed as a freelancer, you’ll have to be versatile and independently motivated, but the biggest thing is having the client base to keep you going. With steady clients, you’ll always have work, and with work, you’ll know a paycheck is on the way, which means that you’re making it work.
When you are starting out, well to be honest, at all times through your career as a freelancer, this finding clients thing will be a big focus. The really good freelancers, contractors or consultants will never leave a job until they have the next one lined up. Therefore, the really good operators will have a constant source of income.
So how do you get clients? There are a number of methods you can use to win clients, some of which we have summarized below. Some of these are easier than others, some may suit you and some may not. One could write a book on each one of these methods, but in this article I will keep it brief so you get a good high level view.
1. Cold Contacting. Instead of the classic phrase “Cold calling,” this phrase is better in an era when methods of communication extend far beyond the telephone.
Cold contacting is the somewhat arduous process of blindly seeking clients for your services, whether by email blasts or random phone calls. The somewhat unpleasant part is the rejection involved, always a demoralizing feeling. After being rejected a dozen times or so, you might get one lead and have to develop that alone. You have to steel yourself for long days of battle, but if you can make it by cold contacting, you’ll be a giant success. Every other method is simpler and feed off the existence of better leads. This skill can extend to other careers.
2. Marketing and Advertising. Finding clients through advertising is certainly the most expensive technique. You have to find a good place to spread the word and pay for space to offer your services. If you can get the right kind of advertising out there, most of the time you won’t have to work very hard once they contact you, as they’ve already decided you’re the right one for the job. The great thing about advertising is the amount of people you’re reaching is far greater than your scope with cold contacting.
Being successful with your advertising campaign is not easy. It will require time and definitely money. Besides finding the right forum, you’ll have to construct the perfect blend of images and words that will get your potential clients thinking you’re right for the job. During the trial and error process, all your precious resources will be spent, but if you can end up with the right advertising program, you will soon be on a roll.
3. Referrals. Asking around for referrals is similar to cold contacting, except you’re contacting people you know first and asking for an introduction. That difference makes referrals much more attractive and much more effective. The number of rejections experienced is much fewer.
Using referrals means you need to contact your entire network to see if there is anyone your family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, friends of family and family of friends may know, who may need your services. Once you find people who need your services, you can use the person who told you about them, to give you an introduction and recommendation. The reason this works is that you are leveraging off the trust your friend has in you, and the trust your potential client has in your friend, to generate an element of credibility in your skills. That way, the potential client has a much easier time deciding to use your services, than those of someone that no-one has recommended
The ultimate referrals come from recent or current clients. No better testimony exists than someone currently working with you or a satisfied customer of recent times. Your credibility factor is unmistakable. Anyone with a real need for work would hire you.
4. Build a partnership with a company stocked with clients. I learned this lesson firsthand when I left the Australia’s Superannuation industry in 2003. Deciding it was time to freelance, I made some moves before I realized what an asset I would be in the same industry. Instead of going to the clients of my old company, I went to the old company itself and offered myself out as a freelancer. The hard part was already done: they knew me and had the clients. It was a natural fit. All that remained was working out a mutually beneficial scenario, in which they would gain income and still be able to maintain their relationships, while I set up a situation that would bring me income and continued work for a long time.
Continuing in this way, I have been busy for years with all the contracts I’ve received from my old employer. I actually don’t work nearly as many hours as I used to, while the pay I take home every month is greater. The company likes it, too, as they are not responsible for big overhead costs that come with employees. They are paying for work only when it gets completed, on a for-hire basis, so there is never any questioning of the viability of a job.
It doesn’t always work so well for freelancers. I have had a good bit of luck to be in my situation. In many cases, employers do not swallow pride and go into business with former employees, either on principle or because they see no benefit. There are plenty of other options out there with established companies, so think big. Many companies will be willing to try out a different type of arrangement.
As your freelance career continues to develop, you’ll see that there is no single way to do anything, especially when it comes to finding and winning clients. Everything listed above will work if executed in the proper way, but if you talk to freelancers who have been at it for a while, you’ll see that it’s usually a mixture of several different methods to get the job done. Experiment: after all, that’s the essence of freelancing.
Damian Papworth works from home because it affords him quality time with his baby daughter. He just did some research on baby high chairs as he required new high chair pads.
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