Freelancing can be a dream job. You probably work from home, set your own hours, work on different interesting projects etc…. But when it comes to Income, this dream job is not always all gravy. One month you have way more gigs than you can handle, and next month you are struggling to close the tiniest client. To prevent the latter issue, there are a few steps you can take that will help you better market your services and increase your deal flow.
1- Focus on your skills. We all know great developers who are also great designers, and exceptional designers who are terrific content writers. But those polyvalent professionals are the exception rather than the rule. If you are no exception to the rule, please focus on your core skill set. Not only will you be able to do a better job for you clients, but you can now focus your marketing efforts and get new deals faster.
2- Frequently update your website. Most people think SEO is just for content websites and ecommerces. Every one who wants to be found online should optimize their website. One easy way is to add a blog and start sharing resourceful information about your work. If helpful your posts can drive traffic, rank your website for targeted keywords and give visitors an in-depth look at what you do.
2- Create online profiles. The world does not stop at your website/blog. There are several places such as Linkedin, Elance, Odesk where you can add your profile as a provider and allow companies and individuals to find you. Craigslist is also a good place to add your resume. Businesses must pay to list their openings, but it does not cost a penny to post resumes. Just ensure you “pepper” your profile with targeted keywords.
3- Use Search tricks. Searching for contracting gigs can be extremely time consuming. There is a lot of emailing back and forth and that will leave you very little time to do any actual work. To ease your search and avoid going city after city on Craigslist, Elance or any other site simply Google your ” search term + needed + site:website.com”. For example: ” social network developer needed site:craigslist.org“. Bamm!! You just saved yourself half an hour.
4- Pick up the phone and dial. Emails are great, but sometimes you need to get on the phone and talk to prospects. Cold calling is annoying, but if you send an email a couple of days prior to it, you will have a better chance at being listen to.
5- Offer referral fees. You can use your existing network to get more business by sending a well crafted email to all your contacts and ask for help. You may be surprised to see how many people love to lend a hand if given the opportunity to. It would not hurt to mention the couple of hundreds you will send anyone who brings you business as a way to show your appreciation.
Bonus- Offer your professional advise for free. Do not hesitate to share information and tools that others can use for themselves or their businesses. Send them helpful advises they can actually use without having to pay you. If your tips are useful, they will definitely want to know more and perhaps turn into paying customers.
Finding new deals is not easy when you have a team of dedicated sales people, let alone when you are operating solo. Nevertheless there are several tiny steps you can take that will ease this process and help you stay cash flow positive and hopefully grow your practice. Be persistent and Be creative.