The other day, I was chatting with a new freelancer. He’d been freelancing for three months, and was dissatisfied with the number of clients he has had so far.

I reassured him that three months was hardly enough time to get established with a full roster of clients.

And then I proceeded to give him advice so he would soon get so busy, he’d have to start turning clients away.

Here are the five most important things I told him:

1. Get clear on your Ideal Client.

If you’ve been reading this blog for some time now, you now I always harp about the importance of knowing exactly who your Ideal Client is.

Without an Ideal Client, you’re shooting in the dark, hoping to hit something. On the other hand, if you know exactly whom you’d like to work with, then you’re more like an archer with a big target in front of you on a clear, cloudless day.

2. Create a buzz piece.

I stumbled on the importance of a buzz piece–a special report, white paper or other informative content–quite by accident.

However, The Wealthy Freelancer describes in detail what it is and why it’s important.

A buzz piece is content you can share with prospects to demonstrate the how a something relevant to your service can benefit them. Take note: a buzz piece doesn’t directly promote your services, like your website does. It’s more subtle than that.

For example, I have a special report on video marketing. It describes how video marketing can benefit businesses, how to go about doing it, what equipment and software are needed, and what mistakes to avoid.

It’s only in the end where I mention that I help entrepreneurs by creating marketing videos for them.

3. Collect testimonials.

My newbie freelancing friend didn’t have a single testimonial from his past clients. Some of them have told him verbally how he has helped them. He hadn’t gotten any of these in writing.

Read this post to learn more about why testimonials are important and how to get them–even before you actually have clients.

4. Network, network, network!

Networking is the single most effective marketing tool for me. It may not be fair, but very often, it’s whom you know that determines how successful you are.

There’s no doubt that we tend to hire people who are more familiar to us, who we trust and like personally, or who may come highly recommended by somebody we trust.

I remember one prospect who seemed interested but hesitated from hiring me for weeks. One day, when he found out that I had done a lot of copywriting for somebody he knew, he quickly approved the proposal that had been sitting in his computer.

Do whatever you can to meet with prospective clients both in live events and online. Follow them on Twitter, join online and offline forums, mastermind groups, and networks. Attend in-person conferences. When you know who your Ideal Client is, you’ll know where to go to network with them.

5. Get over your dislike of selling.

Not all freelancers may realize it, but as soon as you become self-employed, you ALWAYS have to be selling.

This can be a big obstacle for some of us. It certainly was for me, since I’d only ever worked in the non-profit sector.

After 14 years of working in UNICEF, I was used to asking people for their money–but not for my own benefit. It’s easy to ask for money when children’s health, education, safety and well-being are at stake.

It isn’t as easy when we’re asking for money for ourselves.

It took some time for me to get comfortable with this. A mindset shift is needed. You need to recognize that the money you receive symbolizes the value you provide your clients.

In my case, I help my clients make money by selling more of their products and services. I help them to worry less about their businesses. I help them to have more free time to work on those parts of their business that they enjoy and are good at. I give them peace of mind, because they know that certain parts of their marketing will be taken care of.

What value do YOU bring to your clients? What’s that value worth?

Tell Me

What other advice do you have for my newbie freelancing friend? What advice do you wish you got when you were starting out?

Please share them by posting a comment below.

PS: If you haven’t gotten a copy of the Wealthy Freelancer yet, I highly recommend it. Read this review to find out why.

photo credit: awezmaz

In the meantime, here are Ryan’s thoughts and specific advice on networking to find clients. Ryan has had the best success through face-to-face networking events. On the other hand, I have found networking online to be very effective as well. So this is definitely something you should try, if you aren’t doing it yet.

Let’s hear it from Ryan:

How can we attend a seminar to find clients and not feel icky about it (you know, because we have a “hidden agenda”)?

It’s important to understand that attending a seminar to find clients is not a “hidden agenda.”

If you are a copywriter, it’s obvious that you want copywriting clients. Same thing is true if you are a mortgage broker or real estate agent. You want clients. That’s not a secret.

When you attend a seminar, I suggest you do it with the intent of making connections through networking. If somebody becomes a client, great. And if not, that’s okay too.

If you attend the right kind of seminar — one where your target market gathers together — then it will be hard for you to not get at least one new client.

Obviously, you don’t want to force your service on somebody who’s not in the market. But if somebody is actively looking for a copywriter… and he or she finds you… then you have a match.

It’s not “icky” to provide a service that somebody is actively looking for. It’s the way we get business and help other people.

What do you suggest to somebody who can’t afford to attend, say, a $2000 conference or seminar?

Then I would suggest finding an inexpensive local seminar that you could attend. If you live anywhere close to a major city, then there are seminars and workshops happening all the time.

Just recently, Armand Morin advertised a new event in Las Vegas called “Brave the Wave.” This event was free, so the only costs involved were travel, hotel, and food. The total cost to attend would have been somewhere around $500.

That’s not a lot of money to invest when you consider that you could get new projects valued in the thousands of dollars.

If travel is totally out of the question, then there are other methods a person can use to get clients. Networking can be done in person, over the phone, and over the Internet.

What are your top 3 networking tips for freelancers?

Tip #1: Demonstrate your knowledge by being helpful and answering questions. Don’t thump your chest and tell everybody how great you are. (That pretty much guarantees you’re not going to get any new clients.)

Tip #2: Get connected with a network of people who boost your credibility as an ethical service provider. Avoid associating with people who have compromised reputations.

Tip #3: Get connected with a network of people who can refer potential clients your way. As an example, you might network with graphic designers so you can refer clients their way and they can refer clients your way: a symbiotic relationship.

What about people who are shy? How can they network effectively? Do they need to just “fake it till they make it”?

Shy people may actually have an advantage because they’ll be able to shut up and let the other person talk.

Here’s the only question you need to remember to network:

“So, what do you do?”

Then let the other person respond. Be interested in the other person and continue asking questions until the person decides to reciprocate. They will usually ask you the same exact question:

“Well, tell me what you do.”

And right then is your chance to share your copywriting services, how you help online business owners generate more sales online, or whatever the case may be.

You mentioned the need for a hook. Is the hook the same as your USP? What makes for a good hook?

The hook and USP are sometimes the same, but are more often slightly different.

The Unique Selling Proposition (or Unique Selling Position) is often some claim of superiority or uniqueness. For instance, Bill Cates calls himself “The Referral Coach.” This is his basic USP.

But his hook — what gets people to read his sales message — might be totally different. Right now, the headline on his web site is: “Giving Financial Professionals the Tools to Create an Abundance of Referrals.”

This is a reiteration of his USP, but it combines a promise aimed at his target audience: financial professionals.

Then, below this headline, there is an animated box that continues to draw prospects in by addressing their core problems and concerns about getting enough clients.

This is a very big topic, so I’m just summarizing here and using an example to illustrate. But generally a USP is more succinct while a hook can take many different forms and may or may not include the USP.

You recommend writing a sales letter to promote our services. How do you write copy for yourself? (I do but I always hate it!)

How do I do it? Very slowly and with much second-guessing.

Seriously. Writing copy for yourself is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do.

It’s better if you get a lot of client feedback because then you can write your letter based on the positive things they’ve said about you.

If you are new and don’t have clients yet — then you have to think about what you want to stand for. Your sales letter becomes a promise to your clients AND a promise to yourself! Now you have to follow through.

I strongly recommend that you write your sales letter, then spend a week or two away from it. Come back with fresh eyes and see if you still agree with everything you wrote.

With the handful of self-promotional letters I’ve written, I spent weeks sweating over every word.

At some point though you just have to say it’s good enough. Publish it, drive traffic to it, and see what happens. It’s always easier to adapt and improve once you have some results to base your decisions on.

Any other advice for freelancers?

Yes. The prize goes to the freelancer who’s committed to succeeding for the long haul. I’ve personally witnessed dozens (if not scores) of copywriters who came into the market and dropped out just as fast.

You really have to have some staying power so you can see your hard work pay off. Even when clients start coming in fast, it takes time to build your reputation — and build a real business that produces clients consistently.

Ryan Healy is “The Most-Referred Direct Response Copywriter on the Internet” and author of “How to Get Your First Copywriting Client in 14 Days or Less.” You can download his free 39-point copywriting checklist on his business growth blog.

PS: If you want to learn about networking in more depth, do check out Ryan’s special report, “How to Get Your First Copywriting Client in 14 Days or Less.”

This is Day 21 of 31 Days to Start a Freelancing Business (or Make Yours a Better One). If you want to catch up, click here to read Day 1.

Yesterday, you drew up a marketing plan for your freelancing business. I hope you included networking as one of your marketing activities. If so, you’re going to start networking today.

Why Network?

Based on my personal experience, it’s easier and faster to find clients through networking than through other types of marketing activities. I stumbled upon it by accident, because nobody advised me to do it (unlike you -aren’t you blessed?). It was only after looking back on my freelancing career that I realized I found most of my early clients through an online forum I belonged in.

I didn’t join the forum with the intention of finding clients there. As I said, it was totally unplanned. I joined the forum to learn how to make a living from home, and the members gave me plenty of practical advice about Internet marketing, as well as freelance writing.

How to Get Started

If you did your target client research well, you would know by now where your ideal clients hang out, both online and offline.

If not, use Google to find suitable forums. Type into Google: “(niche or industry) forum.” For example, if you’re targeting childbirth professionals, you would search for “childbirth professionals forum,” as well as “doulas forum,” “childbirth educators forum,” and “midwives forum.”

The problem with this approach is that you may not be eligible to join the same forum. For instance, in the example above, you may not be able to join if you’re a web designer without any childbirth qualifications yourself (I’m a certified childbirth educator, so I could join those groups).

In that case, you’ll have to do more research to find out where they do hang out. Maybe your target clients are members of business-oriented networks which are not focused on their industry alone.

Another way to approach this is to network with those who are already in your target client’s circles. This person may never hire you, but can refer you to your target clients.

The same networking principles apply offline, too. So if your target client is a member of your local Chamber of Commerce, then by all means, join the Chamber as well.

The Icky Factor

As I was writing this, I was getting an icky feeling because I was telling you to join groups for the purpose of marketing your services. It feels manipulative and sneaky, doesn’t it?

If you feel the same way, this might stop you from actively marketing yourself.

See if this will help: You’re somebody who has skills and expertise that will solve the problems of your target clients. Therefore, it’s your duty to let you prospective clients know that you have such a solution. Your prospective clients are in pain. They are suffering. Something’s keeping them up at night.

And you have the answer.

So join these groups with that attitude in mind. Not that you’re some sort of a messiah. But you can help. Network to be helpful. Network to offer value. It’s not about you; it’s about them.

What Does This Really Mean?

Networking is about building relationships. You’re in the forum to meet people, learn from them and help then when you can. Read forum posts regularly (daily if you have time, but at least once a week). Respond to the posts. Be genuinely interested in others. Be helpful. You’ll be ok.

Further Reading:

“What Makes Marketing Hard? #1: Eww, It’s Gross” by one of my marketing teachers, Sonia Simone – Sonia’s got 5 tips for overcoming the icky factor. If you like this, sign up for Sonia’s free marketing class.

So, tell me: what do you think of networking? Post your comment below.

Lexi

photo credit: kevindooley