When you first start out as a freelancer, landing “big fish” clients (those that actually pay your bills) is next to impossible. More often than not, new freelancers start with one or more “little fries” who offer lesser prices and may simply require one-time services rather than multiple projects. Building a freelance client list takes time.
As a new freelancer, you may not view this as an issue because you’re simply thankful to have work. However, if you go down this road for too long, you may find yourself overworked and underpaid.
If you spend all of your time trying to keep up with a high volume of low-paying tasks, you’ll never have the bandwidth to focus on a smaller number of larger freelance projects that could provide all of your income in one go.
With this in mind, your immediate goal should be to establish a more prominent freelance client list.
Here are 3 tips to help you on your way to a better freelance client list
#1 Focus on the ones that count
Every client can increase your income over time, but certain types of freelance clients might have a greater impact on your business bottom line than others.
The ones you desire are usually larger businesses and corporations, such as the worldwide Fortune 500, rather than local mom-and-pop shops. Larger businesses typically have higher freelance rates and more repeat business.
#2. Target the right person
Once you’ve identified several firms you want to work with, the next step is to figure out how to get your foot in the door. Finding the hiring manager or decision maker for your type of service or skill is critical.
If you’re a freelance graphic designer, for example, you’ll need to find and target the person in charge of contracts and subcontracting for the entire graphic design department.
#3 Locate them using social and mobile tools
Finding the right manager to hire you as a freelancer within a larger firm may seem out of your league. However, with the correct technological tools, it isn’t a needle-in-a-haystack endeavor.
Instead, you might use social media sites like LinkedIn to look for the types of positions you need within your target company. If you previously worked on staff before becoming a freelancer, consider which titles had hiring power in your area or industry and start from there.
Using this strategic approach to expanding your freelance client list can help you spend less time marketing to every fish in the sea because you’ll get more bang for your buck on each larger project you land.
Eventually, you may be able to break free from the “cast of thousands” approach to your freelance client list and begin to enjoy higher quality and inventiveness in your work—along with larger clients and more money.
