How to find long-term freelance clients?
Turning One-Time Projects into Repeat Clients: Tips and tricks on how to find long-term freelance clients.
As a Freelancer, Social Media Manager, or Blogger, you need to know how to find a long-term freelance client for your business. Once you can switch one-off projects into a long-term repeated business, you can start growing your business massively.
Let’s get into it!
In this digital age, freelancing is becoming increasingly popular. However, you’ve become the master of your destiny. You either work in little cafés, by the beach, in the park or anywhere that inspires you to perform your best moment. However desirable as working for oneself may be, gaining ultimate professional freedom requires maximizing revenue. And the only way to increase and optimize your earnings is by knowing how to find long-term freelancing clients. So how do you find long-term freelance clients?
Do you want to earn six figures? Who doesn’t?
According to businessinsider, more than 40% of today’s modern solopreneurs have done so. Of course, many factors play into this, including your branding and the niche of your freelance speciality. However, one fact remains the same – it is significantly more challenging to attract new clients than to satisfy existing customers consistently.
So, how do you earn six figures as a freelancer?
Keep clients returning to maximize your income. And providing the finest product is one of many considerations. A strong customer satisfaction strategy is required to convert one-time clients into repeat customers. Here are a few guidelines on how to find a long-term freelance client and keep them;
And when you start as a freelancer, it is essential to know that more than your skills are needed. As a freelancer, you must sell yourself well so that companies trust you and give you assignments. So, whether you are a writer, webmaster, web editor, web developer, graphic designer, photographer or translator, you need to know a few tricks to get more clients and keep them coming back for more. These are the tricks we will share with you in this article. So how do you find freelance clients? That’s what we’ll look at.
What are the basics for finding clients as a freelancer?
Looking for contracts in your first months is very important when you start as a freelancer. Only by looking for assignments will you expand your portfolio of potential clients. Therefore, you need to learn how to sell your skills and highlight your expertise as a professional. Let’s take a look at how you should do this.
Identify your speciality
Preparation is a fundamental point to work on when applying for freelance assignments. So, even before formalizing your self-employed status, you must present your offer accurately, identify your target clients and prepare relevant selling points. (PPPPP) Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.
To begin with, make a thorough assessment of your skills. The purpose of this assessment is to be able to define your speciality. So, as a freelancer, you need advanced knowledge, experience and actual know-how in your field of expertise. It is why you need to specialize.
Identify your target audience
Bearing that you need expertise in a particular field, carry out market research. The aim here is to identify the problems and needs of your potential customers. As a result, you will know precisely the type of customer you will be offering your services to (your ideal customer). You can then draw up a suitable service offer for them.
Building your portfolio
Once you know your target audience, you must build your portfolio. The portfolio is like a skills portfolio, allowing you to collect the work you have already done in one place. However, unlike a CV, which lists your skills and experience, you can concretely illustrate them. In this way, your potential clients will have an accurate idea of your skills through your past achievements. As a freelancer, you can present your portfolio through a website, a paper portfolio, or a PDF portfolio.
So, if you are, for example, a writer, you can put together the articles, newsletters, and sales pages you have written. If you are a web developer, it would be appropriate to show the websites and applications you have already developed. Finally, if you are a graphic designer, your most beautiful illustrations will be perfect for enriching your portfolio, and showcasing your portfolio helps you in finding long-term freelance clients because they will trust you.
Trust is the foundation of any client-freelancer relationship. It has the power to turn a cold prospect into a paying patron especially if you come from a place of help. Your portfolio is a great avenue to show that trust, and you can create it easily with tools like plus.page.
Plus.page is a mini website, portfolio, and social media link – all in one. For a fraction of the cost, you can tell your story through your professional photos, paint a picture with your words, funnel your audience to your link of choice, and attract your dream clients with minimal upkeep!
From newbies to seasoned digital nomads, anyone can be a client magnet or a sought-after influencer with a plus.page.
Carrying out demonstration projects
Show your prospects what you can do. If you still need to gain experience related to the services you offer as a freelancer, feel free. You can show your know-how and expertise through “showcase projects”. Be curious and creative and experiment with products that already exist:
- If you are a web designer, you can redesign a popular website, for example. You will then explain why you made the changes you did;
- if you are a web developer, you can design a test software that you will present during your prospecting;
- If you are a digital marketer, why not create a landing page for your prospects?
So many ideas will show your potential clients that you are passionate about your work. But also, above all, that you care about their problems. They will see you as a dedicated freelancer who can help them achieve their goals. It would be best if you worked hard on your portfolio to present and show them you care so they can keep coming back.
Now let’s talk about the essential practices for you to keep a long-term client.
Best practices for freelancers to build a long-term relationship with a client
Develop an empathic communication style. Client relationships are built on clear communication. And a little touch goes a long way toward overcoming working difficulties and exceeding expectations, which is just what you need to develop long-term relationships with your clients.
Put yourself in your client’s position and focus on empathic and honest communication rather than combative communication so that you can consistently satisfy the demands of your clients and request precise instructions and expectations.
When you have several unlikely repeat clients and start your adventures together with poorly outlined expectations and confusion, by applying empathic communication strategies, you will be able to build trust, demonstrate your level of professionalism, and make suggestions to improve the situation. In addition, it will help turn short-term clients into long-term relationships.
Empathic communication improves client relations and can reduce the risk of ghosting, where clients would disappear without a trace. But if your clients like you, they will gladly respond to your questions, concerns, and requests. That’s why you must learn how to find long-term freelance clients.
1. Build a partnership.
When you freelance, it’s easy to feel like you’re completely separate from the clients you serve. However, if you show your clients that you are committed to their brand or business success, that short-term partnership can turn into a relationship.
Here are ways you can work to build a relationship with your freelance clients: And how to find and keep long-term freelance clients.
- Make suggestions on the project you want to help your client with or the client’s strategy.
- Demonstrate how you can help them achieve their business goals using performance analytics.
- Share information, subject ideas, and articles on content in their field that they would be interested in reading.
- Request feedback from them to demonstrate your commitment to long-term content creation.
By consistently delivering quality content that exceeds your client’s expectations, that is when you’ll be able to turn those clients who are sceptical about working with freelancers into true believers. It could also serve as a breath of new air for clients who have only worked with unprofessional freelancers who still need to meet their expectations.
2. Know your worth.
You must be confident in your work and skills to earn big money as a successful freelancer. But he will still accept feedback. (Feedback helps you continually improve and exceed customer expectations.) Instead, it means you understand the hard work and dedication you’ve put into learning your craft, and you’re confident that they’ll do it when you send a piece of content to a client. So be proud of this work.
Make sure you value your time and don’t spend too much time in situations where the client doesn’t recognize your work. If you find out that a client needs help understanding the work of creating quality content, you don’t have to retain them as long-term clients. Just complete the project and move on.
Be a firm believer in the power of positive thinking. Do affirmations often daily to keep your thoughts upbeat and on track. We are going to share one of our faves for the freelance writer. “Always charge what your product is worth. Your products are always worth what you charge.”
Say it. Repeat it. Mean it. And live by it.
3. Communicate your worth.
It is not only to know your worth. It would be better to communicate your value to current and potential customers. As a successful freelancer, you’ve spent hours following relevant influencers, learning as much as possible, completing certifications, and honing your craft. All these types of activities increase your value as a freelancer.
Make sure your customers know what you’re worth. When you complete a project for a new client, take a minute to discuss a few small things you have done as an expert to add value to the project. When completing work in progress for a small business, you can discuss your strategy and technique with them, achieve results with business owners, and communicate with your client’s the research and time it would take to finish an article, blog post, social media post, or ebook.
It will not only assist you in converting one-time clients into long-term clients, but it will also enable you with pay leverage.
4. Generate referral business.
Going for referrals the right way can strengthen your bond with existing customers. It can also help you build your client list with a new business that will likely suit you as a freelance writer.
One way to get more references is to mention them in your initial proposal. For example, you could end with something like, “I am confident in my ability to generate results and get your referrals and positive testimonials.”
Don’t be afraid of networking
Another way to generate more referrals is to capitalize on words of encouragement. If someone is impressed by your work, thank them. Then let them know that you’d appreciate it if they’d share your profile with others who may have similar projects.
For best results, be specific when asking for references. You’re looking for more than just referrals. You want to help clients like those who liked your work.
Although not a direct referral, testimonials can also help attract new customers to your business through digital word of mouth. Ask your best and happiest customers to leave you reviews online to help other enterprises to find you online for freelance work.
Above all, you must be able to provide a service or product worth referring to. Treat each client’s task as if it were a full-time job, and you’ll be able to ensure that everyone receives the attention and professionalism that will motivate them to recommend others to you.
Get More Repeat Clients.
Are you ready to find long-term freelance clients?
What you need to know is the need to be able to communicate, build a relationship, and deliver your work while being paid what you’re worth. That’s why at Revolancer, we help you build your freelancing career by providing our forum that makes it easy to find freelance buyers and develop long-term relationships without the hassle or extra fees. However, this may change over time. The sooner you join Revolancer, the sooner you can start building your freelance clientele. It’s free. No tender. Without foolishness. You’ll find no-frills pricing and customers who value your skills. Apply today.
Before you go
Now that you know how to find long-term freelance clients, make sure to check out 5 Easy Tips For Scaling Your Freelance Business and How to Negotiate Your Prices as a Freelancer. And if you’d like to step up your freelancing game, even more, make sure to visit plus.page, and create your personal mini website today!
Freelance marketplace: Revolancer