Establishing a Client Base to Freelance
When it comes down to working as a freelancer, you truly only need to establish a client base. With clients, you’ll continually get jobs. With jobs, you’ll get the paychecks you need to stay on your own and continue to freelance. That’s really all it takes.
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. It used to be called “cold calling,” but since there are so many ways to contact a client now, this phrase is much more appropriate.
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.
Successful marketing and advertising requires an investment of time and money though. You need to research to ensure your campaign is positioned correctly. You need to test to find the mix of words, pictures, sounds and smells which will stimulate a positive reaction from your target audience. Until you find a campaign that works, your most important resources of time and money will constantly be drained. But when you find that one that works, its happy sailing for you my friend.
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
Definitely the best referrals will come from current clients. That say it all: they have hired you, they are working with you at the present moment, they are happy with you and anyone else would be, too. It adds to your credibility.
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.
Not all contractors and freelancers are as lucky as I have been in this case though. Quite often employers will not take back past employers on this basis, purely as an exercise in principle. (or narrow mindedness if your like) That should not stop you though searching out other organizations to set up similar, or different arrangements and joint ventures.
In fact, as you continue to freelance, you’ll see that there is never one road to travel, in finding clients or managing your business. Everything that was explored above will come in handy with your freelance career, but when you talk to freelancers you’ll realize that usually a mixture of many things makes the best method. There are countless ways of handling the same situation. Be creative, try new things: freelancing is all about trying the unexplored, so give it a shot.
Damian Papworth works from home because it gives him quality time with his baby daughter. He just did some analysis on baby high chairs as he needed new high chair pads.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/home-business-articles/establishing-a-client-base-to-freelance-1228449.html
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