Finding & keeping freelance clients

According to the Freelancers Union's fourth annual Freelancing in America study, 57.3 million Americans are independent workers, and they project independent workers will be a majority of the U.S. workforce in just a decade. I googled the phrase, "finding & keeping clients" and got 124 million results. Yep, confirmation that the subject is top-of-mind for a rapidly growing number of us. ​​

I've been freelancing off and on for more than 25 years, so I can say I've been around the block more than once. Or more than twice. I've had what seems like more than my share of crappy clients. Ones who didn't want to pay what I was worth, wanted projects done literally overnight, or insisted that the design changes they wanted would "make it pop" (insert violent cringe here). I even let one client convince me to create 82 proofs! What was I thinking?!

Since learning the hard way seems to be the only way I learn things, I figured out the hard way how to weed out those crappy clients, find the awesome clients, and how to keep them happy.

Here's my nutshell advice for finding your ideal clients…

• Identify who they are (just saying “anyone who will pay me” isn’t enough)
  The more specific you can be, the better chance you have of finding out where they go and how to find them. If you don't know who they are, how do you know where to look for them? 
• Go where they are (yes, you have to talk to people face-to-face)
  Having a great website shows people what the end result could be, but it isn't enough to determine what it's really like working with you. That happens much faster if you talk in person. So much information is gleaned non-verbally!
• Practice your elevator pitch (“I help [who] do [what] ”)
  The who comes from the first bullet point, the what is the end result. For example, "I help [who] small businesses [what] compete equally with the big businesses," or "I help [who] marketing departments [what] clarify their marketing messages." You get the point. Your ideal client knows instantly how you can help them! Saying it this way also helps people you talk to identify people they know who need you.

Here's my nutshell advice for keeping your ideal clients...

• Set and maintain clear expectations from the get-go
  This includes a solid paper trail of proposals/estimates, contracts, email communication, invoices, etc., that show when things are due from whom. When something looks like it could derail the project (like missing a deadline), say something before it's a problem! 
• If they don’t like it, don’t take it personally
  I explain to all my customers ahead of time that if they don't like whatever it is I've produced, that they have my permission to say they hate it, and that I will not take it personally. Then I ask clear questions so I know how I've missed the mark and I start again. It's the process you must love, not the end result—because the process is the only thing you have control over anyway. 
• Under-promise, over-deliver, every single time 
  This has been the single most important piece of advice I've ever received. If your clients requests a project proof by Thursday, you deliver Wednesday. If your estimate shows the project costing between $120-$150, you bill for $145, not the full amount. It's all about managing expectations. You get to choose how your client sees you, so choose to be the hero!  But if you're delivering a day late or you bill over budget, you're choosing to not be the hero they could have had—you're that person, you're the asshole. Choose to be their hero!

Finding and keep great clients is about solidifying a relationship built on trust. There's no shortcut—it takes time.

But there's more to running a successful freelance business, isn't there? There's just as much internal work as there is getting-dressed-and-doing-stuff work. The internal work takes time, too. We need to get out of our own way, and trust the process. But as creatives, we like to do things our way, by ourselves, and against the grain. I get you—I mean, I am a creative after all. A rebellious one at that.

If you want help growing an awesome freelance business and become your own Freelance CEO, I can help. Just let me know.

That's it for today, thanks for reading. Good juju to you!
—Cami  =)

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