How To Discover Shoppers As a Freelancer, Coach, or Entrepreneur

You could have already tried – with out success – lots of the frequent methods to search out purchasers as a freelancer, coach, or entrepreneur. 

Right here’s what often occurs when freelancers/coaches/entrepreneurs attempt essentially the most generally talked about tricks to discover purchasers:

1. Ask for referrals: I’m simply beginning out and don’t have anybody to ask for a reference. 
2. Chilly e-mail: I attempted this, however no person responds to my emails!
3. Apply to jobs on Upwork: I utilized to dozens, however profitable a gig is not possible as a result of there’s a lot competitors. 
4. Construct an internet site: I did that, however no person is aware of it exists!

Ultimately, you spend extra effort and time attempting to discover purchasers than truly doing work.

But these are the techniques many freelancers use to get jobs right now. The distinction is how they execute these techniques. 

That will help you land your first few purchasers, listed below are seven methods to search out purchasers and, extra importantly, how one can execute every technique so that you just reach closing purchasers. 

Put up on Social Media 

If in case you have a longtime community on social media, you’ll be able to simply earn purchasers with a single publish. For instance, Shaan Puri bought out his writing teaching program in days with a easy Tweet:

Listed below are only a few of the feedback:

As you’ll be able to see, it’s straightforward to earn purchasers if in case you have tens of 1000’s of followers who suit your best buyer profile. 

The apparent downside is that most freelancers simply getting began don’t have tens of 1000’s of followers. 

Sadly, in case you publish a publish on social media saying that you just’re taking over new purchasers, but you solely have a handful of followers, you in all probability received’t generate any purchasers. 

For instance, this particular person took the standard “finest apply” recommendation to looking for new purchasers by posting on social media:

But this particular person has lower than 1,000 followers, and you may see that the publish generated minimal engagement and certain didn’t drive any gross sales.

If you happen to at present have zero followers on social media, listed below are two options to this downside (and I like to recommend you do each of them):

1. To shut a brand new shopper within the subsequent few weeks: Companion with somebody who does have a social media following.
2. To generate infinite shopper demand over the following a number of years: Construct your personal social media following by constructing a private model. 

To associate with somebody who already has a social media following, first determine your best buyer ({industry}, title, traits, and so on.).

Then, attain out to an individual who matches that description and has a powerful social media following (ideally, a minimum of 10,000 – 50,000 followers). 

Attain out on social media and ask if you are able to do your service for them at no cost, and in alternate, they are going to publish about your work on social media.

For instance, a freelancer named Diego reached out to influencer Sam Parr and provided to make clips from his long-form content material. In return, Sam posted about it on his social media, and demand for Diego’s providers blew up.

In the meantime, begin constructing your private model on social media in order that a number of years from now, you’re the particular person with 1000’s of followers.

Upon getting 1000’s of followers and a powerful fame, you’ll have individuals reaching out to you on your providers, and also you’ll by no means should do chilly outreach once more. 

To construct a private model and entice 1000’s of followers, begin posting about your journey working at no cost for a few of these individuals. At first, count on that no person will remark or interact along with your content material.

As your free purchasers (who’ve social media followings) start speaking about your work on social media, you’ll quickly begin constructing a following. 

Use Charles Miller’s 10-10-10 rule:

• Spend 10 minutes partaking with different content material you discover fascinating
• Spend 10 minutes writing content material
• Spend 10 minutes replying to individuals who interact along with your content material

If you happen to nonetheless don’t know what you must discuss when posting content material on social media, Charles has a free course and 67 viral publish templates that you need to use to get began creating content material.  

Chilly Emailing

Most chilly emails have very low response charges, although I’ve personally received a number of purchasers utilizing chilly e-mail.  

Listed below are a number of of the most typical causes chilly emails usually don’t work:

1. The topic line isn’t compelling sufficient to get them to learn your e-mail.
2. The recipient could not need or want your service in the intervening time.
3. Nothing within the e-mail provides them any purpose to imagine your service is superior to different service suppliers.
4. There’s no real connection within the e-mail. 

For instance, this can be a chilly e-mail I acquired this morning. The topic line truly obtained me to open the e-mail as a result of it regarded prefer it might be one thing from a good friend. 

Sadly, I’m not inquisitive about it and simply deleted it.

There are two the explanation why this chilly e-mail was unsuccessful:

1. I’m not inquisitive about chilly e-mail providers.
2. There’s no proof that they’re truly good at chilly emailing. 

However, this chilly e-mail I despatched finally changed into a shopper that paid me tens of 1000’s of {dollars}. 

There are a number of the explanation why this pitch labored:

1. I recognized an organization with demand for my service. I noticed this firm was already hiring a content material author on AngelList, so that they clearly need the service I supply. 
2. I stated why I’m completely different. As a substitute of simply writing weblog posts, I’ll interview their key crew members after which observe conversions – a really distinctive strategy most freelance writers aren’t pitching. Stating your course of is much more compelling than simply stating generic numbers or firm names (e.g., “we helped X firm drive X income”).

So, as an alternative of pitching generic corporations, discover individuals/corporations that you realize are inquisitive about investing in your service. 

Notice that it’s necessary to spend money on corporations inquisitive about your service that haven’t invested in it. 

For instance, if they only employed an website positioning advisor, they in all probability received’t rent one other website positioning advisor.

Job boards are glorious for locating potential purchasers. I desire to have a look at job boards for full-time hires as these corporations are essentially the most severe about investing in your service (and due to this fact have extra money to spend!) they usually are likely to obtain fewer freelance pitches than in case you publish on a conventional freelance job board. 

Construct Trade Partnerships

A good way to earn new purchasers is by partnering with different service suppliers providing parallel providers.

A shopper who wants an internet site additionally wants website positioning. 

A pair hiring a marriage planner additionally wants a marriage venue. 

The important thing to constructing partnerships is knowing how referring your providers will profit your potential associate.

Take into account that many of those corporations obtain pitches for partnership alternatives ceaselessly, and plenty of have already got partnerships in place. Due to this fact, merely sending a chilly e-mail and telling them that you just need to associate in all probability received’t work. 

As a substitute, use this technique:

1. Determine corporations or freelancers who already serve your best buyer, however both don’t at present supply your providers or solely work with purchasers at the next worth level. 

For instance, this particular person gives design providers and, due to this fact, is likely to be an incredible potential associate in case you’re an website positioning who works with startups, as you each serve the identical buyer, and your providers are parallel however don’t overlap.

Alternatively, in case you’re attempting to promote your website positioning providers, you would attain out to an enterprise website positioning agency and ask in case you may take the leads that don’t have the funds to work with them. This technique has helped me win purchasers previously:

1. If you happen to’re pitching somebody chilly, supply to do a free pattern for them after which give them a excessive share (over 50%) or ideally all of the earnings for the primary few months working collectively. 

This pitch is compelling as a result of the associate firm/freelancer makes considerably extra money with none extra work. In truth, a lot of their purchasers are in all probability already on the lookout for parallel providers, so the partnership with you makes them extra enticing. 

Community 

Networking is a standard tip for locating purchasers as a freelancer, coach, or entrepreneur, however attending native networking occasions and handing out enterprise playing cards in all probability received’t assist you to shut new purchasers. 

Except you’re particularly attempting to win native purchasers, attending native occasions in all probability received’t assist you to join along with your dream purchasers (except you reside in a significant metropolis like New York or Austin the place main {industry} occasions occur commonly).

As a substitute, attempt to attend the preferred occasions in your clients’ {industry}. For instance, attend an equine vet convention in case you’re attempting to shut equine veterinary purchasers. 

A fast Google search will present you the most important occasions in your {industry}:

When you’re on the occasion, acknowledge that relationships take time to construct, and other people can inform while you’re simply attempting to promote. So don’t count on to shut any offers in your first interplay with an individual. 

As a substitute, use occasions as market analysis. Ask individuals questions like:

• What are you engaged on that you just’re most enthusiastic about?
• What have been the most important challenges in attaining your targets? (You can even tailor this query to be related to the providers you supply. For instance, in case you supply website positioning providers, ask about their largest advertising challenges.)
• What are a few of your targets for this 12 months?

As networking is finally about constructing relationships, additionally ask them questions on their common pursuits and genuinely befriend them.

You can even construct relationships on-line in case you can’t attend an {industry} occasion in particular person. 

The important thing to constructing efficient relationships on-line is setting the appropriate intentions. 

Your objective is to construct relationships – not shut purchasers.

To get began, make two lists:

• People who find themselves your dream purchasers and lively on social media: These individuals must be decision-makers who would ultimately rent you. 
• Different freelancers/specialists working in your {industry} who’re additionally lively on social media: If you happen to’re an internet designer, make a listing of the highest net designers. These individuals may ship you referrals.

Subsequent, begin partaking commonly with their content material. Go away insightful feedback that carry the dialog ahead. 

Right here’s an incredible instance:

Supply

It’s additionally a good suggestion to begin constructing your private model and posting your personal content material on social media. This offers the individuals you’re partaking with some background on you in the event that they determine to look into you, and it’ll additionally assist you to entice the appropriate individuals you need to join with.

After a number of weeks of partaking with their content material, you’ll be able to ship them a DM to proceed a dialog you had within the feedback. Nonetheless, keep away from instantly pitching them in that preliminary DM. You’ve already invested a lot effort and time into constructing this relationship, and there are such a lot of different methods it will possibly repay in the long term in case you’re affected person. 

So when are you able to pitch your providers?

The purpose of constructing relationships isn’t to pitch your providers. 

As a substitute, the thought is that these individuals such as you sufficient that they are going to ask to rent you straight (they in all probability know what you do in case you’ve genuinely constructed a relationship with them). Nonetheless, in case you’ve been speaking (on-line or in particular person) for a number of months, you’ll be able to at all times ask in the event that they know anybody else on the lookout for your providers. 

That is often softer and fewer awkward than a direct pitch, and in the event that they do want your providers, they’re prone to merely say so and rent you straight. 

Host Workshops

Internet hosting a workshop can be a good way to search out purchasers, however how do you get individuals to attend if in case you have no social media presence?

Begin by becoming a member of an internet or offline group (Slack/Fb group or native meetup group). 

Then, ask the group host in the event that they’d take into account doing a workshop in case you organized it and obtained influencers to take part.  

When you’ve discovered a number of different audio system, embody your self as one among them.

Internet hosting the workshop can also be a good way to construct priceless {industry} connections for a number of causes:

1. Audio system: You present large worth to the audio system who seemingly need publicity and the chance to attach with their viewers.
2. Host: You present worth to the host since you’re bringing worth to their group.  
3. Individuals: These persons are your prospects and can see you as a reliable {industry} influencer as you realize the entire audio system and the group host. You’ll additionally have the ability to showcase your information in case you communicate on the workshop. In fact, in case you’re planning to talk on the occasion, you must have some real information of the topic, so this isn’t an incredible technique in case you’re model new to the service you’re providing. 

I as soon as collaborated with a content material advertising Slack Group (Superpath) and hosted weekly workshops. For the primary workshop, the Slack group host promoted it to the group, and so as to add an additional incentive for individuals to point out up, I basically hosted a pizza get together the place I used Pizzatyme and despatched pizza to everybody who signed up.

The pizza get together/workshop constructed up a number of goodwill, and several other individuals reached out to me for content material advertising providers following the occasion.

For instance, in case you’re attempting to win purchasers as an internet designer, attain out to an internet design Slack group and supply to host a pizza hangout.

Alternatively, if you would like extra health purchasers, attain out to an area health membership and ask in case you can host a workshop the place you invite prime nutritionists and health trainers. 

If you would like extra purchasers as a personal chef, attain out to an area Mothers group and ask if you are able to do a free cooking class for them. 

Use Job Boards

Job boards like Upwork are very aggressive, and most jobs obtain dozens of candidates.

Nonetheless, some freelancers are glorious at profitable purchasers and always obtain job gives via these platforms. For instance, Adam has earned over $600,000 on Upwork as a contract copywriter. 

The explanation most individuals aren’t profitable on freelance job boards is as a result of they don’t place themselves accurately. In an effort to attraction to as many potential purchasers as attainable, most freelancers have a generic profile. But purchasers need to rent specialists – not generalists. 

For instance, in case you’re a shopper trying to rent a B2B Gross sales copywriter and promote enterprise degree providers, which profile are you extra seemingly to decide on?

As a shopper, you’ll in all probability select Adam as a result of he particularly serves corporations like yours.

The important thing to standing out on freelance job boards is making a focused profile that gives a really particular service to a really particular viewers.   

You’ll instantly discover from Adam’s profile that he gives one service (gross sales copywriting) for one kind of shopper (enterprise B2B). The primary part in his description is his best buyer profile; an organization promoting SaaS, tech, or enterprise degree providers with a excessive quantity of outbound gross sales and over 30 salespeople. 

Tailoring your description to obviously say what you supply can also be necessary.

Many freelancers spend time discussing why they’re dependable, straightforward to work with, and quick, however by the tip of the outline, purchasers nonetheless don’t know in case you can truly do the job they want. So state what you do in easy-to-read bullet factors on the prime of your description:

In truth, Adam additionally states what he does NOT do:

You’ll additionally discover that Adam has a 100% job success fee. Success fee is a key issue purchasers take into account when selecting candidates, so work along with your purchasers to ensure they provide you a 5 star score.

One other tip to get nice purchasers is to publish on industry-specific job boards. For instance, in case you’re a designer, take into account attempting a job board like Dribbble, as industry-specific job boards have a tendency to draw higher-quality purchasers. 

Alternatively, in case you don’t need to always apply for jobs on job boards, you would additionally do long-term contract work with a longtime firm that already has loads of purchasers.

For instance, My Physique Tutor is a health teaching service that hires tutors to work three to 4 hours per week.

Ask for Referrals

If you happen to’ve carried out nice work on your purchasers, they’ll seemingly be more than pleased to refer you to different individuals. 

Nonetheless, most freelancers and coaches don’t actively ask for referrals.

Or, in the event that they do ask for a referral, it’s often a message like this:

“Hello (shopper), I’m at present increasing my enterprise and trying to convey on a number of extra purchasers. Would you take into account referring me to any mates who could also be inquisitive about my providers?“

The issue with this message is that it places the work on the shopper to think about individuals who is likely to be inquisitive about your providers. They’ve to think about individuals who could also be inquisitive about your providers. It’s additionally awkward for them to actively attain out and ask these mates in the event that they’d like to rent you. 

As a substitute, most purchasers will say, “Positive, if anybody asks, I’ll give them your contact information.”

Consequently, you received’t get any enterprise.

A greater technique is to offer them a particular request like this:

“Hello (shopper), I’m at present increasing my enterprise and trying to convey on a number of extra purchasers. Would you take into account making a publish on (social media platform they’ve a following on) in case anybody in your community could also be on the lookout for my providers?“

You may even write a draft for a publish. 

Right here’s an incredible instance of somebody who posted for a good friend on the lookout for a full-time job:

Supply

Posting this isn’t awkward for the shopper, and in case you write a draft of the publish, it’s little or no work for the shopper to execute your request. 

Get Extra Assist Discovering Your First Shopper

Any of those methods can work that can assist you get your first shopper, although ideally, you need potential purchasers reaching out to you.

The easiest way to effortlessly entice purchasers is by constructing a private model. Reasonably than sending customized messages to individuals separately, a private model permits you to write one message and strengthen your relationship with many potential purchasers.

But most individuals attempt posting for a while, solely to obtain little engagement and ultimately quit.

If you happen to don’t know what to say or how one can package deal your ideas in order that they earn engagement, take into account becoming a member of the Copyblogger Academy. It’s a private branding course and group run by two seven determine entrepreneurs; Charles Miller and Tim Stoddart. Tim is the proprietor of Copyblogger and Stodzy, a seven determine advertising company, and Charles has over 180k followers on Twitter and has helped purchasers earn 7 figures via private branding.

Along with the private branding course itself, you’ll even have entry to the group the place you’ll be able to ask questions and attend accountability periods. There are additionally different programs on copywriting, content material advertising, website positioning, and different advertising expertise you want to succeed as a freelancer, coach, or entrepreneur.
You’ll be able to attempt it out right now danger free to see if the Copyblogger Academy is the appropriate funding for you. If you happen to’re not 100% happy, we’ll offer you a full refund within the first 30 days.