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.
Starting out as a freelancer you'll be constantly reminded of and you'll learn the importance of getting clients. It should be your main focus. The freelancers who are on top of their game (including the consultants and other contractors) are rarely left with significant down time. When one job ends, the next begins, in a cycle that goes on for as long as they wish.
Finding the clients is the goal of anyone who wants to succeed as a freelancer. Several different client-grabbing strategies exist and we have outlined the most effective ones below. Certainly each individual will take to a method in a specific way. Remember that each method could fill a book's worth of ideas, but here is a basic rundown.
1. Cold Contacting - In the old days, there was cold calling. Now, with the plethora of communication mediums available to us, I prefer the term cold contacting.
The principle is simple. You have to get out and contact your potential clients and sell your wares. To most people this is a very difficult job, as rejection rates are high (IE. the number of potential clients who say "no" is much higher than those who say "yes".) You need to have a really positive attitude to rejection to make this form of client acquisition work. Having said that, I have never met a person who has mastered the art of cold contacting, who wasn't a rich person. When mastered, its a skill which can be applied to any industry in the world. As such, this method of sales can then become another skill which you can freelance with.
2. Marketing and Advertising. The process of sending out your message through advertising will cost you, making it a tough technique for many to swallow. You find a place to reach your audience and draw up an ad. If you do it the right way, the hardest part will be done. Once they contact you, they've almost buying already and just need a little nudge for you to land a contract. Marketing in this manner has the potential to reach so many more people than cold calling.
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 - This is an extension of cold contacting, albeit typically this type of client acquisition activity has a much higher success rate than cold contacting. As such, your tolerance for rejection does not have to be as high as it does for those going cold.
To get referrals, you run through your own personal contact list and get in touch with all of them. Anyone can be the source of a referral: your mother and father, a distant relative, a friend, some people you know from school, a neighbor or even your ex-coworkers. The personal level of communication is the difference. With that common understanding, your services are far superior to any stranger offering the same. Introductions are a cinch and the better a friend your contact, the better a shot you have at winning a new client or two. If an acquaintance is still feeling you out, it could be the opportunity to get to know a new person, making them a more reliable source for a referral in the future.
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. Get Involved With An Organization Who Already Owns Your Clients - Back in 2003, I left the Australian Superannuation industry and specifically a company which made database software for all the major players in the industry. I did my own thing for a while, but then realized how much money there was to be made, contracting back to the superannuation industry. Instead of contacting all my old clients throughout the Superannuation industry, I contacted my old employer. Why not, they already had a relationship with all the clients I was going to speak to anyway. So we discussed some potential engagement models, and finally agreed that they find me work and take a percentage on every hour I charge their clients.
Using this method, I have filled up my calendar going for years now, contracting to my old clients through my old employer. I earn much more this way, for much less time, than I would have when I worked permanently for them. They love this situation too though, as they have no overheads for me, and don't pay me when there is no work. They actually save money with the office space I no longer occupy.
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 you grow in your freelancing career, you'll quickly learn that there is no absolute and perfect way to find your next client. All of the above are proven methods in their own right, but the most successful freelancers, consultants and contractors will use a mixture of some or all of the above. So try different things, experiment and make your own way with your own style. That after all, is what freelancing is all about.
by: Damian Papworth
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