GroupThink: How Do Freelancers Find Business?

GroupThink: How Do Freelancers Find Business?
Written by Samuel in GroupThink

The question I hear the most from aspiring freelancers is, "How do I find new clients and build more business?" To be sure, this can be one of the toughest aspects of freelancing, especially when starting out. Most freelancers would agree that although it's not hard to find those occasional, small jobs, such work simply doesn't add up to enough. This can be especially true once you add in administrative work and client acquisition costs. So how does one gain enough clients and decent-sized jobs to keep his schedule and wallet full? Well, since the answer is different for everyone, I'm throwing it out for anyone to answer.

As for me, my answer is the culmination of several things: (a) years of first working for companies, gaining contacts and experience, (b) years of doing lots of free, inexpensive, and personal work, gaining knowledge and expertise, (c) making sure I had enough savings to get through dry times when I went freelance, (d) making sure that potential clients would have work if I did go freelance, (e) keeping solid relationships with many of my past employees/clients, and (f) persisting even when the cash flow is low. With these points in mind, almost all of my work comes from these past employers and their referrals (I also get a little referral work from content and work I have on the web). So overall, I don't really hit the job boards nowadays (although years ago, I did so quite often, taking whatever I could).

Of course, everyone's experience and methodology is different. So let us know:

How do you go about finding business?

As usual, one random commentor will get a Starbucks card for participating in GroupThink posts.

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Community Comments

Bijan
2/2/2008 10:45:53 PM

I agree with you that for everyone it's different and also on the part that you have to do free and inexpensive work at times because thats all I'm doing right now.

I'm a freshman right now at my university and so far in the past semester I've acquired a few clients which are mostly fine artists who need artist portfolios. Although the jobs don't pay much, I have found and alternative is to barter.

Then just hope in the future they become famous artists and are able to actually pay me lots of money so I can survive. Probably doesn't sound like much of a plan but it's gotten me into the community pretty nicely and maybe after a few more fine artists at my school I can get more money out of it.

All in all, good networking none the less and hopefully it will pay off in the future.

Brian Purkiss
2/2/2008 10:47:13 PM

I'm fairly new at this, but I have gotten most of my clients through just 'real-life' every day interaction.
Although I have obtained one job through my blog.

Tess McCabe
2/2/2008 11:30:47 PM

I can't say I find one method of bringing in business works better than any other - I've found work through friends, referrals from other clients, people who just find my web site and get in contact with me, and even cold calling (although I usually have some 'connection' before I call someone out of the blue).

I do find though that building a good reputation with existing clients (by consistently doing good work, on time and on budget), and remembering that anyone that you ever meet could potentially become a client, means business will hopefully always be steady.

Chuck
2/2/2008 11:32:29 PM

The best thing I have done is I found one reputable company with too much work and do freelance for them. This gives me a steady source of work (both small and large). It also provides an avenue to meet others and work together to grow my tools.

Then if you can find a few really good customers that keep coming back and you develop a good relationship with, you'll be on your way.

Garth
2/2/2008 11:32:29 PM

In my limited experience, I've found success in a mixture of talking to everyone I know about web design (and in doing so probably boring them) and actually cold calling business and shops. I started doing this without any real portfolio (just a site I'd made for my parents' company) and no business card, so needless to say, it was hard, scary and for the most part fruitless.

I did get one client from it however and a heap of potentials who gave me their business cards.

Now that I have a few contracts from various sources my portfolio will grow and the cold calling will be easier and more rewarding (theoretically). I do need to sort out a business card for myself before I venture out there again though.

John
2/3/2008 12:54:14 AM

There are a lot of things that go into getting new business - delivering on promises, doing good work, etc. Which will bring about word of mouth referrals.

But something I've found to be very useful in finding completely new clients is having a business card. It doesn't have to be the world's best designed card either - as long as it has your contact info and probably a url to an online portfolio (also a very valuable tool).

Make sure you have at least one card on your person at all times. You never know when you'll end up talking to someone who needs a website, logo or anything else. And usually - the people that need these types of things love exchanging business cards.

Eric Reynolds
2/3/2008 2:02:44 AM

First, nice site. I just found it via Digg and I added you to my RSS feed.

Second, I find forums to be an excellent source of new jobs. In fact, I regularly post on about 7 different forums and rarely find myself without work. On those rare weeks when things are slow, I run a Google Adwords campaign and it normally brings in a few new customers.

Jeba
2/3/2008 8:41:49 AM

It all depends on how you brand your self. High quality of work counts. Don't sell yourself too low.

Main the quality and choose clients carefully. Never let a client bully you.. Remember this always they just rent your work not own you!!

Have patience.. Dont expect the whole world to know you over night..

JamieO
2/3/2008 11:01:31 AM

A potential client you meet for the very first time doesn't know whether you are just starting out or not. How you present yourself goes a long way towards establishing confidence in the mind of the person that you are a professional. The way you dress, how well you speak, the knowledge on design which you express all play a part in what image they form of you and whether they trust you enough with their project.

For example, just because you did a similar site for free for a previous client, you don't need to mention anything about price when comparing the similarities of it to their project. What is important in that case is that you have experience in their niche which is anothe reason they should hire you for their project.

If you do your job properly and satisfy all of your customers needs', they become your own sales force / referral network that can generate significantly more leads than you can do on your own.

JamieO
2/3/2008 11:06:55 AM

I find a lot of people struggle to do justice to their skills when attempting to sell themselves. You have to have confidence in your own skills in order to convince someone else to trust their money/project with you.

I'm coming at freelancing from a slightly different approach, but one I understand is fairly common. Working full-time with one contract and taking small side jobs to build up that network of contacts to tap when I decide to make the jump to full-time. I'm working to build up my own brand image and portfolio so that when I approach new clients in a full-time freelance capacity I have a larger and more diverse body of work to reference.

Cody Rioux
2/3/2008 11:41:03 AM

I get my business exclusively from friend referrals at the moment. However freelance work is not my sole source of income, and I doubt I would survive on just this if it was.

On a side note, I have to ask... did you choose the topic "Groupthink" for its meaning? Or were the two words just put together?

Brad Pyne
2/3/2008 12:10:50 PM

I've found that during certain dry spells I can't find a client to save my life. Those dry spells seems like they will never end. The more I do this though the less of them I seem to have. The more people I meet, the more referrals I get.

Thanks for your insight!

britne
2/3/2008 3:11:53 PM

excellent advice from everyone above, thank you!

my luck seems to come from just talking to people.

recent example: made a comment at the doctor's office that i did web design, and what do you know? they're looking to revamp their website. i'm now working with two of the secretaries in charge of the website to implement a new cms.

i've also had some luck just stumbling onto things... was browsing craigslist one day for internships in my area, and got a nifty (non-paying) web design gig for a local festival. a blog i read was looking for writers for another project, and i just offered myself up, and got a gig there too.

most of the work i've done so far is for free, but i'm slowly building a portfolio of my work, so when i get out there and start really looking for gigs, i'll have some experience behind me.

Erik Nielsen
2/3/2008 5:01:55 PM

After 5 years on my own, word of mouth referrals generate 90% of my business. I got started freelancing after some years in the corporate marketing world, and was able to cultivate relationships with former bosses and coworkers who were also entrepreneurs. From there it has just branched out.

When I moved to a new area, I did do some networking and calls to local agencies and marketing consultants but for me that didn't work as well.

Things that have worked for me are to keep in contact with all clients, past, present and even if there's nothing doing, make it a point to ping them every so often (a newly finished project is a great thing to show off). Others above mentioned business cards, and they are a must as you'll never know who you'll meet. Being good at what you do and having great communication with your customers will help you go far.

Sonali Agrawal
2/3/2008 9:57:11 PM

I usually get projects via giving ads on local community listing websites. By referrals from friends and clients. By word of mouth. And by people who view my website.

Cory
2/3/2008 11:18:27 PM

I never got enough work to completely live off of freelance -- but when I did get work it was because I created a portfolio, posted it on Craigslist, put business cards up in coffee shops, asked old employers for help, told all my friends I was looking for work. You end up looking like a mess and 2/3 of the people who came to me were nutjobs with bad or stupid ideas but I also got a bunch of people who were happy to save money by going through me.

Many of my freelance gigs have developed into longtime friendships and the better of my portfolio stuff.

Nick | PTO
2/4/2008 1:04:55 AM

Almost all of my work comes through word of mouth. I have three-to-four very lovely people who are always referring people to me, and a good 50% of their leads result in new work.

I should buy them a car or something.

I think it's also important to tell everyone you know about your line of work. You'll sound like a stuck record to yourself, but you never know when a chance encounter will bring in new business.

Edward J. Stembler
2/4/2008 1:54:52 AM

I am a Freelance Software Developer. For me, word of mouth and repeat clients are how I mainly find business.

Although, over the past year or two, I've been supplementing the above with social networking. For example, I try to attend local chamber of commerce meetings/events, local user group meetings, vendor meetings held locally. I pass out business cards at these events and socialize. My opinion is that the more people you know the better your chances are of getting work from one of them. They may even recommend you to someone else.

My LinkedIn profile url is also on my business cards. If someone adds me to their network on LinkedIn it increases my chances of being seen by a potential client on LinkedIn. So far, a couple of prospects have contacted me via LinkedIn since I was in their searchable network; I did not know them beforehand.

I've also tried direct e–mail contact by researching job postings. Sometimes you can figure out the poster's e–mail address if you search or find out their company's e–mail address format. Although, admittedly, direct e–mail has not worked for me so far.

I receive plenty of direct e–mails myself from recruiters and headhunters since I have profiles on most of the job boards. In the past, these offers have been more pertinent and of a higher quality. These days, with the market the way it is, I think the recruiters are desperate. So I seem to get a lot of offers from all across the country; less locally. Sometimes the recruiter does not even check to make sure the offer matches my skills set.

Project bidding sites such as ELance.com, RentACoder.com, and Guru.com have been a waste of time for me. ELance is flooded with off–shore or outsourcing shops which place low–ball bids on projects. ELance is just too super–saturated with competition; too many vendors. RAC does not contain high quality or decent paying projects. Too many requests from students trying to get help with their homework projects. On Guru, I have received a couple of offers from local clients ironically. However, most of these sites usually require either a fee to join, or they take a percentage off of any money you make. So, for me, they are not worth it.

In the future, if I ever transition from freelance consulting towards a more traditional ISV role, I plan on trying direct mailing. If I have a product with a vertical target, it is fairly easy to pay for leads in that vertical market (i.e. InfoUSA.com, SalesGenie.com etc.). In some cases you can even find your potential clients for free. For example, I had two projects for vertical markets I never started: one for mortgage brokers, and another for flight schools. It was very easy finding the list of all registered mortgage brokers for my state, and also easy finding the list of all FAA approved flight schools for the entire country. I could've created a brochure and mailed it to those prospects if I had a product (or service) to sell them. Direct mailing can be expensive though. Several years back I worked for a company which sold custom business tax software to CPAs in FL, GA, TX, and CA. Mailing the brochures to all of the registered CPAs in those four states was around $10,000 back then. Only a certain percentage would respond, but they made around $350,000 annually on the software.

Samuel
2/4/2008 2:18:23 AM

Wow, Edward, that was an uber-comment (and very helpful). I've had the exact experience as you (and Cory and Erik) in that almost all of my work comes from referrals and continuing work, with many other online methods have been unproductive (Years ago, I found a bit of good in Guru, but never the others).

For web designers/developers, I think there are some really good niche boards like Krop, FSw Jobs, Authentic Jobs, etc. that seemingly have good jobs. My experience with these is limited though, so perhaps someone else can comment...

Alex | Finchley Web Design
2/4/2008 4:54:01 AM

Targeting local newspapers and community websites is usually a winner, but nothing beats word of mouth!

Adam
2/4/2008 10:03:17 AM

I just put an ad in my paper,and got precisely one guy with a website called "Wacky Willy's Warehouse" or something, with several fatal errors on his site, featuring shopping cart software that some other guy wrote from scratch (why do people do that?).

So, from my experience, tiny classified ads aren't really worth it. The general consensus seems to be that nothing beats word of mouth, and I tend to agree.

dolphin
2/4/2008 12:21:24 PM

Freelancing isn't my primary course of income, but I've gotten numerous clients by passing out business cards to just about everyone I know. A friend I give a card to will likely never need work done, but it's so easy for them to pass my card on if they're talking with somebody who does. Just about anytime I meet a new person, I give them a card. You never know the people they will then come in contact with.

Jay Kerr
2/4/2008 11:45:16 PM

After 10 years in the biz I get ALL of my work from referrals. I used to work at an agency, burned out and went off on my own.

Become great at what you do, bend over to please clients, be accommodating but not a pushover and you'll find that the phone never stops ringing. I'm finally at the point where I can up my rates, turn work away and decide what I want to work on.

David
2/4/2008 11:59:44 PM

I concur with Jay, Samuel, and others. You usually don't start off with the high-value loyal clients and referrals. Often, you start out doing whatever you can get, and sometimes get taken advantage of.

But if you master what you do, act like a business, and work hard (that always seems to come into play), then you'll reap rewards such as good pay and not having to look for clients...

Chase
2/6/2008 4:50:32 AM

If you do quality work and go that extra mile for each and every customer, you'll never find yourself having a dull moment. I can't remember the last time I didn't have at least one or two websites (usually more) on my plate at a time (in addition to personal projects, which I usually have several of).

Past customers, referrals, friends, family, and acquaintances are a handy source of new work. Get your name out there, hone your skills, and sell yourself (in a good way).

Brett
2/6/2008 12:54:00 PM

I currently work for a couple of design shops that just contract my services. It works perfectly for me, in that, I don't have to go out fishing for new leads. There are a bunch of shops that work in this way. They handle all of the client contact and requests, while contracting out the design and development side of things. If you can get into a situation like that, it will give you some insurance and steady work.

Another way I get work is by just participating in communities like here on WakeUpLater and always updating and maintaining my portfolio site to reflect my most recent work. I think being apart of a community is one of the greatest assets a freelancer can have. Just a lot of benefits from sharing ideas with fellow freelancers.

Mario Sanchez
2/6/2008 7:30:04 PM

I am not a freelancer but I've been in business long enough to form an opinion. Getting freelance business is like getting any other business. You do it through a combination of what you know and who you know. Unfortunately, most people say "OK, today I'm going to be a freelancer" and start like that, cold turkey.

I think the best way to do it is to start building your profile and network when you don't need it. Start working for a company, to gain practice and meet people. At the same time, become active in social media, have a blog, frequent forums, etc.

If you do all this, when you're ready to take the plunge you will have a well rounded profile and a network of potential clients, and starting won't be that difficult.

Lulu
12/31/2008 3:52:46 PM

The way i would go about getting new clients would be going to craiglist and checking out gigs.

Also after reading this i had a couple thought.
I am going to try just randomly walking into small business and offer all my services.

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