Finding new clients is really hard. Especially when you already work with a bunch of good ones that enable you to pay the bills and make a reasonable living.
One thing freelancers are bad at doing (this one included) is marketing and promotion. It’s easy to sit in our little box rooms watching YouTube waiting for the phone to ring rather than doing something about it.
Sometimes it’s good though to shake things up and see how they are done on the other side. Here’s just a few of the possible actions.
Get a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system
Do you have a box of business cards gathering dust? At least list them all into an Excel sheet and add columns on where you met the people, remarkable features, notes about conversations you may have had. Then use that information to send out a newsletter. It doesn’t have to be complicated, just some news and a few useful tips about your area of business. It’s called keeping in touch.
There are more sophisticated ways of dealing with the problem of course. Most fully-blown CRM systems are overkill for workalone freelancers but many of the online, hosted solutions provide mini-packages that allow you to start small and are fully-scalable ip to entreprise level.
Keep networking
That means doing it all the time, you never know who’ll you’ll meet. You don’t just have to do it on formal situations, keep your eyes and ears open in informal situations as well. You never know who you’ll get talking to so always have some business cardsto hand. My wife makes cakes as a sideline (pretty good ones too). We were in a bar the other day and she made a sale just on the back of an idle conversation and because she had a business card in her bag.
Spread yourself as far as possible
There are many opportunities out there for freelancers to pick up work. One if them is directories. I’m not talking abut The Elances or Craig’s Lists of this world, unless you’re prepared to make poverty rates for impossible clients. More reputable services exist. I spoke to someone the other day in Geneva who found me on Freelance Switch (bonjour Christophe!). And I was just going to stop that subscription.
The thing is that you never know what tomorrow will bring in this game and as long as your name’s out there, it can come out of someone’s hat. But it has to be in that hat in the first place.
Follow up
This is really a no brainer. You meet someone at a lunch for example, you have a great conversation and you discover you have a ton of things in common. You come a way with a business card and a load of ideas but then….nothing. The card goes into the box and collects dust with the others. What’s the point of that? Follow up and keep In contact with people then someone will happen.
Be nice and be helpful – and not just in forums and on Twitter
Any old wannabe social media “guru” will tell you to be helpful online and the “karma will come and get you”. You hear that so often, from me as well, that it’s really becoming a platitude. But it’s a real mindset to have that goes well beyond the cyber world. You know the old marketing mantra – meet, like, know, trust – be dependable, be an expert and help people EVERY day. It sounds really crass but it does work.
A lot of blogs, especially writing and content marketing ones will have “oh so simple” instructions and tips about how easy it is to make money and get work. it’s bullshit. Whilst the tips may be sound advice, it’s hard work and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But that’s what we’re here for isn’t it?
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