Welcome to the last week of our first challenge!
This is where we put together everything we’ve bene working on this month and really get out there to take action and make a change in your freelance business. First though, I want to ask you a serious question.
Do you expect your clients to come to you with their problems?
I’m betting your answer is “of course not!”
Mine is the same, but if I’m being honest about what I actually do when it comes to interacting with former clients…well…it doesn’t align with my answer. I’m 100% aware that this has been a neglected area for me as a freelancer, and this past week was a huge reminder.
Missing Out on Referral Cash
It’s not something I’ve talked about much here (yet), but growing your freelance network means potential for referral income. Personally I have a referral
contract that basically say I get 10% of any business I send over to a referral partner for their first year of business. This arrangement is common with freelancers and is a great way to not only generate quite a bit in extra income, it also means that you can bring your clients better service by helping them find other trusted freelance partners.
I decided to stick my neck out this week and let a couple of clients I’d worked with in the past know about one of
my referral partners. They all loved each other!
Almost immediately they were setting up calls to start project interviews. For me, this could mean thousands in extra income with very little effort on my part. I could have been doing this a long time ago, but I’ve been passive and timid in this area of my business — something that only hurts me as a freelancer.
Challenge Week 3
So last week, we ranked our clients based on income
and how well we worked with them. This week, it’s time to start making contact! I know you’re ready to go, but before you get rolling, it’s important to answer two questions.
How?
OK…so this part is my least favorite which is why I want to get it out of the way.
I am DEFININTELY an email person. I loathe calling people. Unfortunately though, some of my clients like talking…they appreciate the connection and it makes me (someone who
they’ve never met) seem a lot more real to them.
So while you might prefer text or email or in-person conversations, for each of your clients, look at your previous interactions and see what it looks like worked best for them. Try to lean toward that method when re-establishing contact.
What?
Here’s where you can make a huge difference in the results you get from contacting your clients.
It’s easy to just throw
together an email and ask if they need more work, but remember, you’re focused on
keeping them happy and positioning yourself as a long-term resource in their eyes. That’s why we’re going to look at putting in just a little more effort to make a lot more impact.
- First, make sure you’re offering them
something. It might be a blog post you just created, or even an article you found on Twitter that could be helpful to them. Maybe you just completed a course that will help them out with a challenge they mentioned or saw a press release or news about growth in their business. Whatever it is, mention it to let them know you’re paying attention to them and are invested in their success.
- Second, if you are using email, get your headline
right. If you haven’t taken our content marketing course, you can find some of the same info on writing strong headlines (that get your emails opened when used as subjects) here.
- Last, remember how we spent time articulating benefits? Do your best to reflect those I your conversation. You might not have to say them directly, but keep them in mind so they shape your conversations.
If you’re itchy and are only comfortable doing this for one of your clients, do that…just push yourself and make it a regular habit
while you build your freelance business.
And as always, if you’ve got any questions or tips you want to share, come post them
here in the forums. Have a great
week!
Megan.