Landing the Perfect Freelance Clients: 5 Tips for Success
Finding the perfect clients doesn’t happen overnight. And even once you’ve found some, they’re probably not sticking around forever.
That’s why it’s hugely important that you’re able to track down the right clients and bag them on the first go. It’s definitely tough when you’re starting out, but it’s an important freelancer skill that you’ll hone over time.
In this post, we’ll reveal five crucial tips for making sure you’ve got a steady stream of awesome clients. Let’s go!
1. Know your skill set
One problem freelancers face is that they have many skills to offer but end up sounding like a multitasker instead of multitalented. The problem here is that prospective clients may perceive you as such and overlook you in favor of someone who is more focused.
Try to refine your skill set and use best practices for building a reputation around multiple skills. If you’re having trouble deciding which areas to focus on, you might want to check out Upwork’s fastest-growing skills list for inspiration about which ones are most sought after in today’s gig economy.
2. Focus on problem-solving rather than skills
Okay, so you have your skillset refined and you’re ready to pitch. Not quite. You need to spin those around and figure out how you can solve issues with your talents. It’s not about what you can do; it’s about how you can help your clients.
The concept behind this is simple. Clients hiring freelancers have problems that need to be solved. By focusing on a problem-solving based bio or pitch, you’re more likely to strike a chord with clients and connect with the right ones.
Once you’ve refined your listed skills, extend this exercise to brainstorm all of the problems you’ve solved in the past and those you believe you’re equipped to solve. Now focus your narrative around those. Also, don’t be afraid to call out different problem-solving skills for different clients, within tailored resumes and cover letters.
3. Look in the right places
We’ve all been there — you’re just starting out and feel pressured to take a couple of seriously low-paying gigs just to have some samples in the portfolio. These may be from Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer, or another job-goes-to-the-lowest-bidder site. You may start to wonder if you’re destined to work for pennies forever.
While plenty of people make a living from these sites, they definitely don’t work for everyone. Thankfully, for most industries there are plenty of places to find high-quality gigs. Plus, once you’ve paid your dues as a newbie and have a bit of a portfolio happening, you’ll have a much better chance of landing these jobs.
Where to look is industry-dependent, but Authentic Jobs and GitHub are great for developers, and ProBlogger and Contena (paid board) are excellent for writers. You also have sites like AngelList and Indeed that have quality gigs across industries. These are places you’ll likely find the type of client that you want to build a long-term relationship with.
4. Make a stellar pitch
Even once you’ve found the perfect client, you’re only just getting started. You still need to win that client over with your incredible charm — ahem, abilities.
Remember that your pitch is likely the very first impression you make on the client, and we all know that’s crucial. You probably spent hours agonizing over your profile bio and portfolio copy, but if your pitch doesn’t hook the client, then the other stuff will go unnoticed.
Crafting the perfect pitch might take some trial and error, but one major tip — which we mentioned earlier — is to focus on problem-solving. Also make sure you include exactly what was asked for in the posting, provide work samples that are as relevant as possible, and don’t be afraid to throw in a testimonial or two.
Finally, once you become more experienced, you might want to consider utilizing software like Qwilr for making your pitches look more professional.
5. Learn when to say no
Last but certainly not least, you need to feel fine with saying “no” sometimes. Okay, so you found a job that seemed perfect and the client loved your pitch. But the posting didn’t mention money, and the pay turns out to be a lot less than you thought. Or the role is different than you originally understood, and it’s not something that’s going to advance your career.
Yes, there are times when we might just need to take ‘whatever’ job just to get by. However, if you have the luxury of saying “no”, then do it if the job isn’t a good fit.
Also, as your career blossoms, it’s normal that you’ll outgrow some of your regular positions. Just as with a full-time gig, if there isn’t room for promotion within the company, it may be time to respectfully bow out.
Finding the right clients definitely isn’t easy. But as you become more experienced, you’ll have a better feel for who is or isn’t a good fit for you and your skills. What’s more, over time, you’ll also be able to beef up your portfolio and perfect that pitch, so snagging those ideal clients will be no problem at all.
Do you have any more tips for finding the perfect clients? Let us know in the comment box below! :)
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