It’s every freelancers dream – finding the perfect client.
Someone who respects your time, willingly pays you well, and values your expertise.
But with such high standards, it can be difficult to find that perfect pairing.
And sometimes you can even get in your own way when trying to land those high-value clients.
What’s a freelancer to do? Get back on Fiverr or Upwork?
Don’t even think about it. You haven’t tried everything yet.
You don’t need lower standards. You just need a little creativity and some outside the box thinking.
And maybe some expert input.
We’ve gathered client getting advice from some of the most successful people in the industry.
Whether you need more efficient outreach methods, unique places to look, or a total mind set overhaul, this list of pro strategies has your answers.
Ilean Harris Shares Her Authentic Ways To Attract Clients
(Source: ileanharris.com)
Ilean Harris is a sought after trainer, speaker, and marketer with customers in over 20 countries.
In this excerpt taken from her Forbes article, Ilean writes about authentic ways to attract clients.
She lists four ideas:
- Host an online workshop
“The best thing you can do to demonstrate you are the right expert to work with is to add value to your target audience. In just 45 minutes, an online workshop affords you an opportunity to educate, entertain and inspire people so that they know why you are (or aren’t) the right fit for them to work with.”
- Send value-rich emails
“One of the most common reasons people will give for not working with you is that it’s not the right time. That’s an easy one to solve — simply keep in touch via email and continue adding value, inviting them to future online workshops and sharing testimonials from your current clients.”
- Encourage referrals
“If a prospect is interested but not quite ready to work with you or a client just completed your program, incentivize them to refer other clients to you. You can offer a gift card or referrals in return as well. I typically have a specific link clients can use to refer others that adds value and gives all the details on how to work with me.”
- Livestream consistently
“Video is becoming increasingly more important to growing a business each day. By live streaming, you can interact with your target clients live on social media. You can share behind-the-scenes of your home office, a successful retreat with your team or even a simple tip — and have them sign up for your online workshop to get the rest of the juicy details.”
Ilean closes by reminding us, “You will get results from the work you do — not work you intended to do. Develop an action plan to implement at least one of these methods now.”
Words of wisdom, Ilean. Whether you’re a freelance veteran, or starting out, it just takes doing one thing (not everything) consistently to get results.
Be sure to read the rest of Ilean’s tips here.
Brian Hilliard Recommends “Warm Market Prospecting” For Client Getting
(Source: www.entrepreneur.com)
Brian Hilliard is a speaker and creator of the program “How to Market Your Business in Less Than 90 Days.”
Brian works with busy entrepreneurs in the areas of Marketing, Mindset and Personal Achievement.
He writes about a very simple and very genuine method for reaching out to potential clients. It’s called “warm market prospecting.”
Brian says, “Warm market prospecting has you engaging people you’ve done business with over the past 12 months. Not to try and sell them anything, but simply to reach out, re-engage and see what’s going on in their business lives.
“Now, the reason this works is because it’s based on a concept that we all know is true: It’s much easier to secure a repeat client for your business than it is to get a brand new client.”
Makes sense, right? And sounds significantly less intimidating than reaching out to total strangers.
Before Brian gets old clients on the phone, he clarifies, “I did not go into the call with a predefined desire to sell them on anything. Ten to 20 percent of the time, when the call is over, there is no additional business opportunity, and that’s totally fine.
“But the other 70-80 percent of the time, some type of opportunity is available. Why? Because these are people who are satisfied clients. So if you reach out, and listen for understanding, of course an opportunity for future work can arise!
“So during the initial call, you’re catching up and re-engaging. Then they might bring up a challenge where you can help. No problem; now, you add value with some thoughts and ideas…”
If your prior client has an issue they need your help with, that’s when you bring up your offer for further assistance.
Brian says such an offer might go like this:
“Well I’ll tell you what Sally, it sounds like this is an area you’re really looking at going forward, and I have no problems talking to you about it further. I just can’t do that right now, because I only had a few minutes to catch up.
“But I have no problem scheduling something later. I’m thinking 30 minutes to ask some questions, dig in a little bit…and of course there won’t be any transaction of monies or anything.
As a client this will be on the house, and if looks like there is an opportunity to add some value and do some further work together, we can talk about that as well.”
And suddenly you have a discovery call booked. Easy as that.
Gabby Bernstein Says You Have A Responsibility To Find Your Dream Clients
(Source: gabbybernstein.com)
Gabby Bernstein is a number one best selling author and speaker. In 2009, Bernstein was featured in The New York Times as a “guru” for the next generation.
Regarding finding your dream clients, Gabby says, “It’s your responsibility to find the people who want what you’re offering! This is why I’ve become unapologetic about marketing. You owe it to your business to get the word out, and you owe it to the world to share your passion!”
After being in the business for almost two decades, and trying lots of marketing techniques and methods along the way, Gabby says one thing that always works is to “eavesdrop on your customers.”
“The best way to market your product or service is to speak authentically and in a way that resonates with your prospective customers. To do this you need to know the problems they need solving and the things that hold them back from buying.
“And you can’t guess at this! You need to listen to people. Every time I launch a product, whether it’s a course or a book, I talk to different kinds of…people to learn their stories.”
Truly listening to people’s pain is always key to finding your people and building their trust.
Marie Forleo Shares 3 Tips To Approach And Land Your Ideal Client
(Source: marieforleo.com)
Marie Forleo is an American life coach, motivational speaker, author and web television host of Marie TV.
Marie believes you should proactively look for the people you know that you can do great work for!
In this video, she shares 3 simple steps on how to approach and land your ideal client.
- Research
This tip is two fold: “Research the company on a business level…” (clients, price points, their About page, etc.)
And don’t be afraid to research personally: “Facebook, Twitter, get a feel for what they talk about and are interested in.” Maybe you have a favorite band in common or you grew up in the same state. Find genuine connection points you share with your ideal client.
2. Engage
Marie says, “Retweet, comment on their blog or post on their wall – start connecting with the research you’ve already done…and be genuine!”
3. Wow Their Pants Off
Marie says this is the part nobody does – just dive in and (respectfully) start doing things! Write some content, make a great design, do what you do best. Use your creativity and do the work for free. Show them what you’ve got until they can’t help but start paying you.
These methods have even worked on Marie herself!
At one point a freelancer wanted to work on Team Forleo so badly, that they kept contacting her, and inserting themselves into her conversations on social media, and finally just started sending her free work that she could use, no strings attached.
After two weeks, Marie said, “I have to start paying you. You’re doing so much and getting me so many results, that we have to get something in place.”
She assures us that after we try this on our own dream client, “It’ll be hard for them to resist your business.”
Tony Robbins Shares Profound Client Getting Advice
(Source: www.facebook.com/TonyRobbins)
Tony Robbins is an American author, entrepreneur, philanthropist and life coach. He is also the founder of multiple companies that earn billions of dollars in annual sales.
Maybe you’ve heard of him?
And for all of his expertise, Tony’s advice in this video is pretty simple, but incredibly profound.
If you want to land great clients, you can’t love them conditionally, which means…
you can’t only like them if they’re buying from you.
People have an uncanny ability to tell when they are being used. They know when your kindness comes with a price tag.
What’s the solution for appearing like you genuinely care?
It’s pretty clear – genuinely care.
Tony challenges, “What if you fell in love with your customers more than your product? More than your company? That’s how you get them to love you.”
Sales tricks never really help you out in the long run.
But the good news is, you really can run a business without being sleazy.
Getting people to love you is easy when you actually make it your mission to better their life.
And when that foundation of trust is in place, sales just naturally follow.
Heather Markel Recommends Generating More Warm Leads To Help With Client Getting
(Source: www.savorthesuccess.com)
Heather Markel is the founder of Bullbuster Business Coaching, and an Entrepeneur.com contributor.
In this post, Heather speaks to some of our freelancing pain points –
“If you don’t like selling and don’t have a strong referral network, getting clients is a big challenge. I’ve helped scores of entrepreneurs who hate selling grow their business, and in my experience, one of the biggest hurdles is how you feel about selling itself. If you judge selling as manipulative, you probably try to avoid it, and if you can sell in a way that aligns with your values and your personality, getting clients gets easier.”
So if you hate selling, what does this coach advise you to do?
“One of the best ways to do this is to start with warm leads instead of cold calls. This means approaching people you know or feel comfortable with.”
Hmm, there’s that warm leads talk, again.
Here are two key ways Heather recommends generating more warm leads:
- Make A Contact Database
By listing all of your contacts in a spreadsheet, Heather explains, you’ll be able to clearly see a lot of potential clients that you may have forgotten about.
Categorize your contacts by lead status, lead type, and then mark them either warm or cold. By putting your contacts into a spreadsheet, you’ll find lots of great people you’ve forgotten about.
(You can then use Brian’s “warm prospect marketing” method to reach out to these people.)
And if you want to generate new warm leads – start networking!
- Referrals
“Referrals are an excellent warm lead resource,” Heather writes.
But don’t wait for them – you’ve got to get out there and ask for them!
She recommends listing out your power partners – other businesses that are in your target market, but are not your competition (for example: a DJ and a florist, or a copywriter and a graphic designer).
Contact these people regularly, give referrals and ask for referrals, and your numbers will keep increasing.
To read the rest of Heather’s tips, be sure to finish her full article here.
Julie Stoian Explains How To Wildly Impress Your Clients
(Source: www.juliestoian.com)
Julie Stoian is a successful funnel builder, tech coach, and copywriter who has created a community of entrepreneurs who are dedicated to growth and connection.
In this video, Julie tells us that, “Wildly impressing clients can really boil down to just one thing … EXPECTATIONS.”
She goes on to explain, “Setting the right expectations can help you impress and delight clients, even if you aren’t yet the best in the industry. With the right expectations, you’ll get referrals and repeat customers again and again.”
How do you set appropriate expectations?
It’s not hard.
Just make sure the expectations are equal to your skill.
If you deliver what you say you can deliver, you will impress.
And to “wildly” impress?
Julie says, “Over deliver, and delight your client.”
It’s truly that simple. Set the expectation so your client understands exactly what you are delivering. Then your job is to meet the expectation, and exceed it.
Dream Client Getting Methods Summary
Ilean’s Authentic Attraction Strategy:
- Host an online workshop to demonstrate your value and expertise.
- Send value rich emails that help you keep in touch with prospects so that when the timing is right, you’re there.
- Encourage referrals with the use of incentives.
- Consistently use live streaming so the door is always open.
Brian’s Best Advice:
- Try “warm market prospecting” and talk to people you’ve helped in the past.
Gabby’s Rule:
- Eavesdrop on your customers – the best way to find out what they need is by listening to them.
Marie’s 3-Step Dream Client Landing Method:
- Research – both professionally and personally.
- Authentically engage.
- “Wow their pants off” with real, free value.
Tony’s Motto:
- Love your customers more than your product or your business.
Heather’s Tips:
- Make a database from your current contacts.
- Ask for referrals from your power partners.
Julie’s Bottom Line:
- Make sure you set expectations equal to your skill, and then over deliver.
If you’d like to learn even more about how to find your dream clients and build your freelancing business doing something you enjoy, with people you enjoy, working on projects you enjoy, then come join The No Pants Project.
