Freelancing 101: Turning Clients into More Clients
There are many ways to work from home in our modern era. You could be a 9-5 employee who’s taking on customer service, public relations, or data analysis at home. Or, like many of our Ladies Work Remote members, you could be a freelancer/one-woman show. Maybe you’re even somewhere in the middle: rocking a 9-5 while also tackling side projects as you consider turning your freelance side gig into a full-time business.
Whatever your circumstance might be, if you’re a freelancer or you’re considering becoming one, this Freelancing 101 blog series is dedicated to you. It’s all about sharing tips and tricks of the trade to help you build your one-person business. In the last installment, I offer strategies for breaking the tough barrier and landing your first clients. Now it’s time for the next step: using your existing clients to sign on new clients. Start with these top tips.
How to Get More Clients
1. Collect Testimonials
Unpredictability might be fun in a haunted house or a night out with friends…in the world of business, it’s bad. New clients want to know exactly what they’re getting when they hire you, and there’s no better way for them to know than to hear it from others who have been in their shoes.
Ask your happy clients for testimonials and reviews. There are plenty of ways they can do this. You could create a Google My Business profile for your budding business which allows them to leave Google reviews. You could ask them to post recommendations on LinkedIn. You can also ask them to just email you a testimonial for you to post on your site. Regardless of the platform, the more you have, the better!
2. Launch a Referral Program
If you want clients to refer new clients to you, why not give them an incentive? I’m not talking about something complex – just create a policy that when a client refers a new client your way, they each get $50 off their next invoice, or 10% off, or any amount that makes sense. Send an e-blast announcement to your clients about it or find another way to make sure they have that incentive in mind.
3. Go Above and Beyond
This is a bit of a two-for because it works in two ways. First, go above and beyond in the work you do for your clients. Great work makes for happy clients, and happy clients will refer new clients.
Second, though, go above and beyond in the way you relate to your clients. Get to know them a bit and develop a familiar rapport, rather than just communicating at the bare minimum level. When clients feel a personal connection with you, they’re more invested in your success so they’ll be more likely to throw some referrals your way.
4. Talk to Your Clients
This one’s short and sweet: if you want new clients, tell that to your existing clients! Your clients have no idea whether you’re swamped with work or twiddling your thumbs. Reach out to them and just say something like, “I have available bandwidth in my schedule to accept new clients, so please keep me in mind if you know anyone who could use my services.”
Getting the Ball Rolling
Signing your first few clients is tough because you have no one to vouch for you, but once you have those first clients, you need to keep that momentum going. All the tips above can help you get that ball rolling and keep it rolling through future rate increases, business growth, you name it. If you’d like some coworkers to share in that success, LWR is here for you! Check out our upcoming meetups and join us sometime!