If you spend enough time in the freelancing business, you’ll develop a reputation that helps generate referrals for new clients and supply returning business from old clients.
But what if you’re just starting out? How do you get clients if you need work fast? I don’t recommend that you put yourself into a position like this. It’s better to take a step-by-step approach so you’re not in a sink or swim position.
But things happen, and you may find yourself needing to kick start your business or re-energize an existing freelance practice. So here are a few ideas to consider.
Work your referrals. Ask people you know for names of potential clients. Contact these people and ask for more names. Keep working this chain of referrals until you find someone who needs your expertise. If you’re persistent, it can lead to fast results.
Contact your “wish list.” Come up with a list of businesses you want to work with and start making phone calls. You will probably need to talk to a few people within an organization before you find the right contact. Be pleasant and brief. Once you reach the right person, confirm that they hire freelancers, briefly introduce yourself, and offer to send information about your services. Later you can follow up to answer questions, set up a meeting, or schedule future contacts.
Write letters. So many people rely on e-mail these days, it’s easy to forget about sending a simple letter. Your letter can be a brief introduction to who you are and the services you provide. Or better, it can be an offer for free information, such as samples, a brochure, an article you’ve written, etc. If you’re targeting specific businesses, go ahead and send the information then follow up with a call. If you’re mass mailing, encourage people to request your information so you can tell who is most interested.
Mass mail postcards. Postcards are not as effective as letters, but they’re faster and cheaper, so you can contact more people. I’m not talking about vacation type postcards, but a special postcard that you write and design specifically to mail to promote your services. Like any good advertisement, it should have a strong headline and benefits. It should also provide a clear “call to action” by offering additional information and an easy means of reaching you, preferably a phone number.
Do spec work. People have two major hurdles when they’re considering hiring you: they don’t know you and they don’t want to risk paying you. Offering to work on “spec,” short for work on “speculation” and which means working for free, helps potential clients leap these hurdles. However, you should make it clear that this is a special arrangement because you want to prove your skill and find paying clients. Don’t get hooked into doing too much of this, though. Some people will take advantage of you and you’ll never see a dime.
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Dean Rieck is a leading direct marketing copywriter <http://www.directcreative.com/>, designer, and consultant who has worked with more than 200 clients in the U.S. and abroad.. For more copywriting, selling, and freelance success tips, sign up for Dean’s FREE direct response newsletter <http://www.directcreative.com/newsletter.html> or visit the Direct Creative Blog. <http://www.directcreative.com/blog/>
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Here’s another tip when sending a sales letter… a great way to make the envelope irresistible to open is to make it “lumpy”. Stuff something in there – a bulky item – that makes the envelope swell. It could be a tea bag, a notepad, the possibilities are endless. And the bulky item doesn’t have to be expensive; I heard of one freelancer who mailed a rock! The headline of his letter read something like, “Help is just a stone’s throw away”. Very clever, and very likely got a high open rate.
When I first started out a number of years ago, I identified a list of 63 contacts at 60 advertising and marketing firms within an hour’s drive of me. I sent out a jumbo postcard promoting my services. I cringe now when I look at that postcard, because it wasn’t really very good. But it worked – I got 8 phone calls, 7 appointments, and 6 clients from it. They were small jobs and only generated a little repeat work, but it helped me build my portfolio and gave me a start.
Thanks Eileen! Further evidence how quick and effective direct mail can be for building your business. 6 clients from 60 postcards! Terrific.
Who else has a success story to share about getting new clients? Share it here and inspire your fellow freelancer!
When I first started out, I belonged to a trade association. This was back in the days of print directories. I called every single marcom manager listed in the directory within an hour and a half drive from me and either called or sent a letter.
This generated a number of appointments — some of which turned into projects.
I also started my newsletter early on. When someone said they didn’t have any work to give, I would ask if I could add them to my newsletter list. One of these people became my one of my best clients — three years later. She’s still my client, too.
So I would say, in addition to finding clients fast, also devise a way to nurture those who can’t use you right away. That way you have a pipeline for *future* work and don’t have to constantly scramble for new clients.
Another way to get clients would be to go where clients are, online. Warriors Forum is probably a good one. Copywriters Board can be another one to try out.
You know, writing and posting articles to EzineArticles can be both a short- and long-term way of getting clients. I haven’t tried this yet for my copywriting business, but I have done it for another niche I’m in, and the day that a new article I wrote was posted, I got at least 2 new opt-ins.
That may not sound like much, but imagine posting a series of 5 articles Monday to Friday, and getting 10 prospective leads that week. If you communicate well, I’m sure you’ll be able to get a client from that. Plus, your article will be in the directory for a long time, helping your search engine rankings and helping article readers find you in the future.
Your article can also be a sample.
I agree with everything except the part on spec work. That’s a real tricky one because like you said there are people who would not hesitate on taking advantage of you. I believe that an established copywriter does not need to prove himself by spec work. Past work done in the same domain should be sufficient to provide an idea about the person’s capabilities.